38 CFR §3.23
VA Pension Rates and Income Limits
Sets the Maximum Annual Pension Rate — the income ceiling that decides both eligibility and payment amount.
Read the official text of 38 CFR §3.23In plain English
VA pension is a needs-based benefit for wartime veterans, and it is not the same thing as disability compensation. This section sets the Maximum Annual Pension Rate, or MAPR, for each household situation.
Pension pays the difference between your countable income and the MAPR that applies to you. Earn less, receive more. Unreimbursed medical expenses can be deducted from countable income, which is how many veterans who look over the limit still qualify.
Higher MAPR tiers exist for veterans who are housebound or who need the regular aid and attendance of another person.
What the rule actually requires
- The MAPR varies by dependency status and by whether you are housebound or need aid and attendance.
- Pension equals the MAPR minus your countable annual income.
- Certain unreimbursed medical expenses reduce countable income.
- Rates are adjusted each year by the same cost-of-living increase applied to Social Security.
Why this matters to your claim
Aid and Attendance is dramatically underclaimed among older veterans and surviving spouses, largely because people assume their income disqualifies them before deducting medical expenses.
This is our plain-English summary, written for veterans — it is not the regulation itself and it is not legal advice. The controlling text is the current official version, linked above. The VA makes all final decisions about eligibility and payment.
Official text of 38 CFR §3.23