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VA senior benefits
March 6, 2021

VA Pension Benefits for Seniors

Understanding  and applying for veteran benefits  can be confusing and overwhelming.    Yet for seniors and for caregivers there may be financial benefits that make it worth it.   There are veteran pension benefits not just for the veteran but for a surviving spouse as well.

To qualify for a Veteran Pension you need to meet the following criteria:

  • Annual family income and net worth  meet the current limits which  From December 1, 2020, to November 30, 2021, the net worth limit to be eligible for Veterans Pension benefits is $130,773. Your net worth includes all personal property you own (except your house, your car, and most home furnishings), minus any debt you owe. Your net worth includes the net worth of your spouse.
    Find out about Veterans Pension rate

And regarding service:

  • You didn’t receive a dishonorable discharge, and
  • You must have had 90 days of active duty with one day of active duty during one of the recognized wartime periods. They are:
  • Mexican Border period (May 9, 1916, to April 5, 1917, for Veterans who served in Mexico, on its borders, or in adjacent waters)
  • World War I (April 6, 1917 – November 11, 1918)
  • World War II (December 7, 1941 – December 31, 1946)
  • Korean conflict (June 27, 1950 – January 31, 1955)
  • Vietnam era (February 28, 1961 – May 7, 1975 for Veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam during that period; otherwise August 5, 1964 – May 7, 1975)
  • Gulf War (August 2, 1990 – through a future date to be set by law or Presidential Proclamation)

Or 

  • Started on active duty as an enlisted person after September 7, 1980, and served at least 24 months or the full period for which you were called or ordered to active duty (with some exceptions) with at least 1 day during wartime, or
  • Were an officer and started on active duty after October 16, 1981, and you hadn’t previously served on active duty for at least 24 months

And at least one of these must be true.  

  • Are at least 65 years old
  • Have a permanent and total disability
  • Are a patient  in a long-term care facility/nursing home because of a disability
  • Are getting Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income

Va Aid and Attendance Benefit

The VA Aid and Attendance Benefit is still one of the least know of the VA benefits. It is available to qualifying veterans and their qualifying spouses.    You will first need to qualify for a Veteran Pension and then the Aid & Attendance benefit is on top of the pension benefit.

1) You must meet at least one of the following conditions for Aid and Attendance benefits:

  • You need another person to help you with everyday activities such as; bathing, feeding, dressing
  • You are bedridden,  spend much of the day in bed due to a disability or illness
  • You are a patient in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity
  • Your eyesight is limited to 5/200  or less in both eyes even if corrected

Contact  your local VA office for more information.    Click here for the form to apply.

Choice Connections would ber happy to connect you to your local office and provide other resoures that are knowledgeable about these benefits.