Did you know there is a Veterans home care benefit to help pay for in-home personal care?
There are many ways to pay for home care. However, if you are a wartime veteran, or a surviving spouse, you may be eligible for a veterans home care benefit called “Aid & Attendance.” This benefit from the Veterans Benefits Administration (“VBA”) can help pay for veterans in-home care. To qualify, military service must include at least one day during wartime. However, overseas service, combat duty, or a service-related disability is not required. If this veterans home care benefit could help you or a loved one, please keep reading.
“What is Aid and Attendance”?
The VBA pays this benefit to veterans, or their surviving spouse, to assist them to live safely at home. Many people know the VBA compensates injured or disabled veterans. However, many are unaware that a pension exists for wartime veterans who do NOT have a service-connected disability. The VA Aid and Attendance pension pays a monthly benefit for in-home personal care like help with the activities of daily living.
HomeCentris partners with the VetAssist® Program of Veterans Home Care® . With our partnership, we can help you apply for the VA pension. In many cases, you can even begin home care before the VA processes your claim. Qualifying will require some effort, but it will require no out-of-pocket costs to you. 
Maximum Monthly Home Care Benefit
- Surviving Spouse up to $1,318 per month
- Veteran up to $2,050 per month
- Married Couple up to $2,431 per month
- Two Married Veterans up to $3,261 per month
(Pension with Aid & Attendance – effective 12/2021)
Veterans Home Care Benefit Eligibility Requirements:
The eligibility requirements are very complex and will require a consultation. However, in general, to qualify, a veteran or surviving spouse will need to meet the following “3 Ms” criteria regarding Military service, Medical condition and Money.
1) Military: The applicant must be a veteran or the surviving spouse of a veteran who served at least 90 days on active duty. At least one of these days must be during wartime. The applicant must also have an honorable discharge (Persian Gulf War veterans must have two years of active duty or the full period of which they were called for active duty.)
2) Medical: The applicant must have a non-service related medical condition causing a need for assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) such as: bathing, dressing, grooming, feeding oneself, using the toilet and personal mobility. A physician must verify the medical condition.
3) Money: The applicant must meet the net worth limit which is $138,439 (effective December 2021). This net worth test does not include your primary residence or vehicle. Annual countable income in excess of certain amounts may limit your eligibility. The cost of predictable, non-reimbursable, ongoing medical expenses, including the cost of in-home care, will improve this eligibility test.
Surviving Spouses of wartime veterans must meet “4 Ms” criteria which includes all of the above plus “marriage.”
4) Marriage: The Surviving Spouse must have been married for at least one year and married to the qualifying veteran at the time of his death and in most circumstances has not re-married.
The Department of Veterans Affairs defines war periods as:
- World War II: December 7, 1941-December 31, 1946
- Korean Conflict: June 27, 1950-January 31, 1955
- Vietnam Era: August 5, 1964-May 7, 1975. Veterans who served February 28, 1961-August 5, 1964, must have served “in country” (Vietnam).
- Persian Gulf War: August 2, 1990- date to be prescribed by Presidential Proclamation or law. Must have served active duty for two years or the full period of which they were called for active duty.)
To learn more about how HomeCentris can help you apply for this program, please call us at 410-486-5330. Or, fill out our application here to start the qualification process. After you complete the application, a representative from Veteran Home Care will contact you to complete the eligibility screening.
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The unique VetAssist® Program is an exclusive offering of the Veterans Home Care® family of companies. Veterans Home Care® and the VetAssist® Program are not part of any government agency and are not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs.