V.A. Aid & Attendance Pension

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Military Service Requirements:

The veteran must have at least 90 days of active military service, one day of which was during a wartime period. Overseas service is not required.

World War II 12/07/41 – 12/31/46

Korea 06/27/50 – 01/31/55

Vietnam 08/05/64 – 05/07/75

Persian Gulf** 08/02/90 – ending date not set

**Note: Veterans who enlisted after 9/7/80 generally must have served at least 24 months, or the full period for which they were called to active duty if they served in the Guard or Reserves.

Disability Requirements:

Veterans must be 65+, or disabled, to receive V.A. basic pension benefits. Higher amounts of pension are awarded based on serious medical conditions (Housebound or Aid & Attendance). A veteran’s widow need not be 65, or disabled, to draw the basic pension, but higher amounts are awarded based on their level of disability.

Income Requirements:

V.A. pension is a needs-based program. Financial eligibility is based upon review of income, assets and unreimbursed medical expenses according to the following procedure:

• The claimant’s annual gross income from all sources is totaled.

• Calculate the prospective annual medical expense. (Generally only health insurance premiums and long-term care expenses can be considered prospectively.) Subtract the appropriate deductible from this projected expense.

• Subtract this net annual medical expense from gross annual income to determine countable income.

• Deduct the countable income from the appropriate rate of pension to determine annual pension entitlement. Payment is made to the veteran in monthly installments.

2008 Maximum Annual Rates

Single Veteran	$18,654/ annual
Monthly	$1,554
Married Veteran	$22,113/ annual
Monthly	$1,843
Surviving Spouse	$11,985/ annual
Monthly	$998

Copyright 2007 © Veterans Benefits, Inc.