How to apply for VA Aid & Attendance to pay for home care

What it pays, in care hours

The figures below are maximums. The VA generally pays the difference between your countable income — after allowable medical expenses, which can include care costs — and the maximum rate, so what arrives depends on your circumstances.

Step 1 — Check you can clear all three gates

Aid and Attendance sits on top of a VA pension, so you must qualify for the pension first. That has its own service, age or disability, and income and net worth rules, set out on the VA's eligibility page. The net worth limit for this period is $163,699.

Then you need one of the VA's Aid and Attendance conditions to apply:

• You need another person to help with daily activities such as bathing, feeding or dressing.
• You must stay in bed, or spend a large part of the day in bed, because of illness.
• You are a patient in a nursing home due to loss of mental or physical abilities.
• Your eyesight is limited to 5/200 or less in both eyes, or your visual field is contracted to 5 degrees or less.

The first one is the common route for families arranging home care: help with bathing and dressing is precisely what it describes.

Step 2 — Gather the paperwork before you start

• Discharge papers (DD214 or equivalent) for the veteran.
• Marriage and death certificates if applying as a surviving spouse.
• Medical evidence of the need for help with daily living.
• Income and asset details, including recurring medical and care expenses — these matter, because care costs can reduce countable income.

Step 3 — Have a doctor complete VA Form 21-2680

This is the form that carries the claim: Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance. A medical examiner must complete the examination section. Be specific with the doctor about what your parent can no longer do alone — bathing, dressing, transferring, toileting — because a vague form is the most common reason these claims stall.

If the applicant is in a nursing home, add VA Form 21-0779, Request for Nursing Home Information in Connection with Claim for Aid and Attendance.

Step 4 — File the pension claim

Apply online at va.gov/pension/application/527EZ, or send the completed forms by post to:

Department of Veterans Affairs
Pension Intake Center
PO Box 5365
Janesville, WI 53547-5365

You can also apply in person at a VA regional office, or with help from an accredited representative — a Veterans Service Organization will help at no charge.

Step 5 — Keep care records from day one

Unreimbursed medical expenses, including ongoing home care, can reduce countable income and therefore raise the amount paid. Keep every invoice from the start. We provide itemised invoices as a matter of course, and can supply a summary of ongoing care costs if the VA asks for one.

Mistakes that cost families months

• Waiting until care is already needed. Claims take time; start before the crisis if you can see it coming.
• Assuming savings rule you out. The net worth limit is $163,699, and care expenses affect the income calculation. Check rather than assume.
• Paying someone to file it. Applying is free, and accredited representatives help at no charge. Be wary of anyone charging a fee to prepare a claim.
• A thin 21-2680. If the exam form does not spell out the help needed, expect delays.

Common questions

How much is VA Aid and Attendance worth?

For 1 December 2025 to 30 November 2026, the maximum annual rate with Aid and Attendance is $29,093 for a veteran with no dependents and $34,488 with one dependent. Those are maximums: the VA generally pays the difference between countable income and that figure.

Can Aid and Attendance pay for a home caregiver?

Yes. It is paid to the veteran or surviving spouse as money, not as a service, and many families use it toward non-medical home care. At our $38 hourly rate, the single-veteran maximum covers roughly 15 hours of care a week.

Which forms do I need?

The pension application VA Form 21P-527EZ, plus VA Form 21-2680 completed by a medical examiner. Add VA Form 21-0779 if the applicant lives in a nursing home.

Does having savings disqualify us?

Not automatically. The net worth limit for this period is $163,699, and unreimbursed medical and care expenses reduce countable income. Many families who assume they are ineligible have never actually run the numbers.

How long does a decision take?

It varies, and the VA does not promise a timeline. You can track a claim's status on va.gov. Filing promptly with a well-completed 21-2680 is the part within your control.

Should we pay someone to file the claim?

No. Applying is free, and accredited Veterans Service Organization representatives assist at no charge. Treat anyone charging a fee to prepare an Aid and Attendance claim with caution.

Care while the claim is in progress

Most families start care before a decision arrives and keep the invoices. If you want a written quote to plan around — or to submit as evidence of ongoing care costs — it is free and takes minutes.

Get a free written quote

See also: what Aid & Attendance actually covers, our page for veteran families, and how families pay for home care in Massachusetts.

Sources

Rates and the net worth limit: VA, current Veterans Pension rates, effective 1 December 2025 to 30 November 2026. Eligibility conditions, forms 21-2680 and 21-0779, and the Pension Intake Center address: VA, Aid and Attendance benefits and Housebound allowance. Pension eligibility rules: VA, eligibility for Veterans Pension. Checked September 2026. This is general information, not advice on your specific claim; the VA decides eligibility.