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VA Pension

Aid and Attendance and Housebound Pension

A higher VA pension for a veteran or survivor who needs another person’s help with daily living or is confined to the home. The yearly cap for a veteran alone is $29,093 with Aid and Attendance and $21,313 housebound.

Also called: aid and attendance, A&A, housebound, VA Form 21-2680, assisted living VA.

For: Veteran or service member, survivor.

Where it applies

Applies in states and territories.

Aid and Attendance and Housebound are increases to Veterans Pension and Survivors Pension. They are not separate programs: a veteran or survivor must qualify for pension first, and the increase raises the Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) against which countable income is measured. Aid and Attendance can apply when a person needs help with daily activities such as bathing, eating or dressing, is bedridden, is a patient in a nursing home because of disability, or has eyesight of 5/200 or less in both eyes. Housebound applies when a permanent disability substantially confines the person to the home. A person cannot receive both at once. Maximum Annual Pension Rates, effective December 1, 2025 Veteran with no dependents, Housebound: $21,313 Veteran with no dependents, Aid and Attendance: $29,093 Veteran with 1 dependent, Housebound: $26,710 Veteran with 1 dependent, Aid and Attendance: $34,488 Surviving spouse with no child, Housebound: $14,298 Surviving spouse with no child, Aid and Attendance: $18,697 The net worth limit from December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2026, is $163,699. Unreimbursed medical expenses above 5% of the MAPR reduce countable income, which is often how assisted living or home care costs bring a household under the limit. Apply with VA Form 21-2680, completed by a medical examiner, or VA Form 21-0779 for a nursing home patient. Disability compensation has its own aid and attendance levels inside special monthly compensation; this entry is the pension increase.

Thresholds

Thresholds for Aid and Attendance and Housebound Pension
GateRule
Pension income and net worthThe person must qualify for Veterans Pension or Survivors Pension. Countable income must be under the MAPR and net worth under $163,699 (December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2026).
Needs help with daily living, or houseboundAid and Attendance needs a daily-living, bedridden, nursing home or vision test; Housebound needs a permanent disability that substantially confines the person to the home.

Figures

Each figure is dated with the day it was read. A local figure moves whenever the statute or the local ordinance does, so confirm it with the office that grants it before you rely on it. Statute verified gives the day the weekly section check last found the statute standing on the legislature’s own code site; a figure without it rests on a statute the check does not read yet.

Dated figures for Aid and Attendance and Housebound Pension
FigureAmountRead from
MAPR, veteran alone with Aid and Attendance, effective December 1, 2025$29,093 a year38 U.S.C. 1521(d)Veterans Pension ratesRead
MAPR, veteran alone, Housebound, effective December 1, 2025$21,313 a year38 U.S.C. 1521(e)Veterans Pension ratesRead
Pension net worth limit, December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2026$163,69938 C.F.R. 3.274Veterans Pension ratesRead

Sources

Updated

Last updated .

What changed then:

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Disclaimer

VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.