What it is: Aid & Attendance (A&A) and Housebound are enhanced monthly amounts added on top of a basic VA pension for veterans and surviving spouses who need help with everyday living. They are not separate applications you win out of thin air — they are higher tiers of the pension program under 38 CFR Part 3. If you qualify for pension and you also need regular aid, you should be paid at the A&A or Housebound rate, not the basic one.
This is widely considered the most underutilized benefit in the entire VA system. Hundreds of thousands of eligible wartime veterans and surviving spouses — especially those already paying for assisted living or in-home care — never claim it, simply because no one told them it existed.
Who Qualifies for Aid & Attendance
You must first meet the basic pension requirements (wartime service, and income and net worth below the 2026 limits — net worth under $163,699). On top of that, you qualify for A&A if any one of the following is true:
- You need another person to help with everyday activities such as bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, or adjusting prosthetics.
- You are bedridden due to disability.
- You are a patient in a nursing home because of physical or mental incapacity.
- Your eyesight is limited to 5/200 or less in both eyes, or a concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less.
Who Qualifies as Housebound
The Housebound rate is for veterans who are substantially confined to their home because of a permanent disability. You cannot receive Aid & Attendance and Housebound at the same time — A&A is the higher of the two.
2026 Maximum Annual Rates (with A&A / Housebound)
| Category | Annual Rate | Monthly Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Housebound — single veteran | $21,313 | ~$1,776 |
| Aid & Attendance — single veteran | $29,093 | ~$2,424 |
| Aid & Attendance — veteran with one dependent | $34,488 | ~$2,874 |
Surviving spouses can qualify too. A surviving spouse of a wartime veteran who needs daily aid may receive the Survivors Pension with Aid & Attendance, worth roughly $1,500+ per month depending on the year’s rates. This is separate from DIC.