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If your person is a veteran
If your person served in the military, check this early, before spending down any savings. Just check it carefully. The summaries going around about VA benefits promise more than the rules do.
Aid and Attendance, in VA's own terms
Aid and Attendance is extra money added to a VA pension. The rule that matters most is the one usually left out: these benefits are tied to the VA pension — you must already get a VA pension to qualify.[1] So the first question is not "do we need help with bathing." It is "does this person qualify for the pension at all?" That depends on rules about their service, their discharge, their income and what they own.
If they do get the pension, VA says you may qualify for Aid and Attendance if at least one of these is true:[1]
- You need another person to help you with daily activities, like bathing, feeding and dressing.
- You have to stay in bed, or spend a large part of the day in bed, because of illness.
- You are a patient in a nursing home because of the loss of mental or physical abilities related to a disability.
- Your eyesight is limited: 5/200 or less in both eyes even with glasses or contact lenses, or a field of vision narrowed to 5 degrees or less.
Housebound benefits are a separate thing. They are for someone who spends most of their time at home because of a permanent disability. VA is clear that you cannot get Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits at the same time.[1]
We took two things off this page. It used to say the benefit pays "tax-free money." We could not confirm that on the VA pages we opened. It also said wartime veterans or surviving spouses qualify, without saying they need the pension first. Everything else depends on that rule.
What VA long-term care really involves
VA lists the places and services: nursing homes; assisted-living centers; private homes where a caregiver looks after a small group of people; and at home, nursing and medical care, physical therapy, help with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, making meals and taking medicine, and comfort care and help with pain.[2]
Now the part that turns a list into a plan. VA sets three conditions, and all three must be met:[2]
- You are signed up for VA health care.
- VA decides that you need a specific service to help with your ongoing treatment and personal care.
- The service, or a space in the care setting, is available near you.
Families do not expect that third condition, and it is a real hurdle. As for money: VA covers some of these services under its standard health benefits for people signed up for VA health care. You may still need to pay a copay for some covered services. Other services are not covered under VA health benefits. For those, you may be able to pay through Medicaid, Medicare or your own private insurance.[2]
So "the VA offers" is not the same as "the VA will pay for." Before you count on a place, ask which of the three conditions are met, and what the copay is.
For the caregiver side, see caregiver contracts and respite care. They cover the monthly payment, CHAMPVA health coverage, and at least 30 days of respite a year for an enrolled primary family caregiver, along with the 70% disability rating that program requires. Our full guide veterans & military retirees covers TRICARE For Life and Medicare, where a costly mistake is easy to make.
Who to let help you
Be careful of anyone who charges a fee to get a claim approved. VA says accredited VSO representatives help for free.[3] (A VSO is a Veterans Service Organization. "Accredited" means approved by VA.)
But be exact about that. This page used to suggest all accredited help is free, and it is not. Accredited attorneys and claims agents can charge fees under VA's rules.[3] Use VA's own search tool to find a representative. Confirm that the person is accredited. Ask about fees in writing before you sign anything. That includes any agreement that gives them part of a back payment.
What only VA can tell you
VA decides if your person qualifies, based on their service record and their money.
Who to ask: an accredited Veterans Service Officer, for free, through a county veterans office or an accredited organization. Use VA's search tool to confirm they are accredited.
What to ask them:
- Does my person qualify for a VA pension at all? If not, what would change that?
- With the pension, would they meet a condition for Aid and Attendance, or for Housebound instead?
- What is this year's limit on what a person can own (the "net worth limit")? How is our situation counted?
- Are they signed up for VA health care? Has VA decided they need a specific long-term-care service?
- What is really available near us, and what is the copay?
- How would VA benefits work together with Medicare, TRICARE For Life and Medicaid?
- Are you a VSO representative, an attorney or a claims agent? Do you charge?
Free local help. Your Area Agency on Aging will talk through your choices with you for free. Find yours through the federal Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 or eldercare.acl.gov (run by the Administration for Community Living).[4] For VA claims, a VSO is the free way to go. To learn about the four kinds of local helpers, see Who helps me locally.
Sources and what they support
Sources checked 2026-09-19 using AI-assisted editorial research. This is a source check, not VA claims advice.
- VA, Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits. Supports that these benefits are connected to VA pension eligibility and require already receiving a VA pension, each of the four quoted Aid and Attendance conditions including the eyesight thresholds, the separate Housebound criterion, and that the two cannot be received at the same time. Eligibility is determined by VA on an individual's service and financial record; meeting a listed condition is not approval. This page does not state that the benefit is tax-free, which is why that claim has been removed.
- VA, nursing homes, assisted living and home health care. Supports the listed settings and home-based services, all three access conditions (signed up for VA health care, VA concludes a specific service is needed, and the service or space is available near you), that a copay may apply to some covered services, and that other services are not covered under VA health benefits and may be payable through Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance. State Veterans Homes and community settings have their own admission and payment arrangements, and availability is local.
- VA, get help from an accredited representative. Supports that VSO representatives help for free and that accredited attorneys and claims agents can charge fees under VA rules. Accreditation status should be confirmed through VA's own search; being listed is not a recommendation of any individual.
- Administration for Community Living, Eldercare Locator. Supports the referral route to a local Area Agency on Aging. It does not handle VA claims or determine VA eligibility.
Corrected in this pass: Aid and Attendance was described without the VA pension requirement it depends on, and as paying tax-free money, which the VA pages we opened do not state; "the VA offers" long-term care is now given with VA's three access conditions and its copay and non-coverage wording; and the claim that accredited help is free now distinguishes VSO representatives from attorneys and claims agents, who may charge.