Who qualifies for VA Aid & Attendance for home care?
Key facts
- Wartime service requirement
- 90 days active duty + 1 day during declared wartime period
- Medical test
- Help with 2+ of 6 ADLs (VA Form 21-2680)
- 2026 net-worth limit
- ~$159,240 (assets + annualized income)
- Care hours reduce countable income
- Unreimbursed medical expenses subtract from income
- Discharge requirement
- Honorable (or general under honorable conditions)
Aid & Attendance sits on top of the basic VA pension for wartime veterans and surviving spouses. Three tests must all be met: wartime service, medical need, and financial limits. Missing any one disqualifies the claim.
Wartime service is defined by declared wartime periods — WWII, Korea, Vietnam (Aug 5, 1964 – May 7, 1975; Feb 28, 1961 for veterans who served in-country), the Gulf War (Aug 2, 1990 – present, currently open). The veteran needs 90+ days active duty with at least one day inside a wartime period and an honorable discharge. Combat service is not required.
Medical need requires documented help with at least 2 of 6 ADLs — bathing, dressing, transferring, toileting, continence, feeding — or being bedridden, in a nursing home for mental or physical incapacity, blind, or requiring the daily aid of another person for protection. A physician or the home care agency documents the need on VA Form 21-2680.
Financial limits use net worth (assets + annualized income minus unreimbursed medical expenses). The 2026 net-worth limit is approximately $159,240 — indexed each December. Ongoing home care costs are unreimbursed medical expenses that reduce net worth for eligibility purposes, so many families who look ineligible on paper actually qualify once care hours are factored in.
For the full breakdown, see the cornerstone: VA Aid & Attendance for Home Care guide.
Related questions
- Does the veteran have to have served in combat?
- No. Only the wartime service period and 90-day active-duty requirement.
- What if the veteran already passed away?
- A surviving spouse who did not remarry may qualify for the Survivor Aid & Attendance benefit — approximately $1,515/month in 2026.
- Is the home excluded from net worth?
- Yes. The primary residence and one vehicle are excluded from countable assets.
Talk to a real person
We answer the phone live during business hours. Five minutes saves a lot of guessing.