Basic eligibility
- Service: Generally at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a wartime period. Longer minimums apply to those who entered after September 7, 1980. A discharge other than dishonorable is required.
- Age or disability: 65 or older, permanently and totally disabled, a patient in a nursing home for long-term care, or receiving SSDI or SSI
- Financial need: Countable income below VA's limit and net worth below VA's annual limit. Unreimbursed medical expenses can reduce countable income.
Three-year look-backVA reviews asset transfers made in the 36 months before you apply. Transferring assets to qualify can trigger a penalty period. Be wary of anyone who charges to "restructure" assets so you qualify.
Aid & Attendance and Housebound
These are added amounts on top of pension (or survivor pension):
- Aid & Attendance: You need help with daily activities like bathing, dressing, or eating; you're bedridden; you're in a nursing home due to incapacity; or you have severely limited eyesight.
- Housebound: You're substantially confined to your home because of a permanent disability.
Surviving spouses
Survivors Pension may be available to unremarried surviving spouses and children of wartime veterans, subject to income and net-worth limits.
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Official sources
VA: Veterans Pension · VA: Aid & Attendance and Housebound · VA: Survivors Pension
This page is general information, not legal advice, and VA rules change. Last reviewed October 2026.