Paying for Care
Veterans Day Benefits Check for Family Caregivers (Nov 11)
Use Veterans Day on Nov. 11 to check VA Pension and Aid and Attendance rates, the net worth test, and free steps to file a claim for care help.
Key takeaways
- VA Pension is a needs based benefit. It is for wartime veterans and for spouses who are left after a veteran dies.
- Aid and Attendance is a higher rate of pension. It is for a person who needs help with daily tasks.
- The VA looks at net worth and at income. Both tests must be met.
- The VA pays the top rate for your group, minus your countable income.
- Help to file a claim is free from trained staff. You should not pay a firm that charges to file a claim for you.
- Pension rates change on December 1 each year. Check the date on any rate you read.
Veterans Day falls on November 11 each year. Many families use the day to say thanks. It is also a good day to check on care costs. A veteran or a spouse who is left may get help from the VA. That help can pay part of the cost of care at home or in a care home.
This check takes less than an hour. You do not need to file a claim that day. You just need to see if a claim may be worth a try. Our paying for care hub shows the full set of ways families pay for care.
What VA Pension is
VA Pension is a monthly payment from the VA. It is based on need. It is not the same as pay for a service injury. It is for veterans who served in wartime and who now have low income and low net worth. A spouse who is left after a veteran dies may also get it, if the spouse meets the tests.
The pension helps with basic costs. For a family that pays for care, it can help with that bill too. Most families mix it with other funds. Our guide to veterans benefits that can help pay for care at home gives more depth on care at home.
What Aid and Attendance adds
Some people need help each day. They may need help to bathe, dress, eat, or move in and out of bed. Some are not safe if left alone. For a person like that, the VA may add Aid and Attendance to the pension.
Aid and Attendance does not add a second check. It raises the top rate the VA uses. A higher top rate means a higher payment, if income is low. The VA will ask for proof of the need for help. A note from a doctor can help.
The net worth test
Net worth means assets plus annual income. Assets are things like bank funds, stocks, and land past the home lot. The home does not count. A car does not count. Basic household items do not count.
For the rate period December 1, 2025 to November 30, 2026, the net worth limit is $163,699. If net worth is at or below that sum, this test is met. If it is above that sum, pension is not paid. Ask the VA how your facts fit the test.
The rates and the income math
The VA sets a top rate for each group. That top rate is called the maximum annual pension rate. The short form is MAPR. The VA pays the MAPR minus your countable income. Countable income is income that the VA counts for this test. Some health and care costs can be taken off income.
These are the Aid and Attendance rates for the rate period December 1, 2025 to November 30, 2026.
- A veteran with no dependents has a MAPR of $29,093 per year, or about $2,424 per month, for the rate period December 1, 2025 to November 30, 2026.
- A veteran with 1 dependent has a MAPR of $34,488 per year, or $2,874 per month, for the rate period December 1, 2025 to November 30, 2026.
- A surviving spouse with no dependents has a MAPR of $18,697 per year, or about $1,558 per month, for the rate period December 1, 2025 to November 30, 2026.
- Two veterans who are wed to each other, both with Aid and Attendance, have a MAPR of $46,143 per year, or about $3,845 per month, for the rate period December 1, 2025 to November 30, 2026.
Who pays for what
Families often mix four sources of funds. Each one pays for a set type of cost.
Our guide to Medicare, Medicaid, insurance, and private pay shows how to keep these bills apart.
- VA Pension: helps with basic costs and care costs for a veteran or spouse who meets the tests.
- Medicare: pays for health care, like doctor visits and hospital stays. It does not pay for long term daily care.
- Medicaid: can help with care costs for a person with low income and low assets, if state rules are met.
- Private pay: funds from the family, like savings, a home sale, or long term care cover.
Your November 11 checklist
Use the day to work through these steps in order.
- Find the discharge papers. The main form is the DD Form 214. Look in files, safes, and county records.
- List all income for the past year. Add pay, Social Security, and funds drawn from savings plans.
- List all assets. Add bank funds, stocks, and land past the home lot.
- List care costs. Add home care hours, care home fees, and health costs you pay.
- List daily help needs. Write down help with baths, meals, dress, and safe moves.
- Call the VA or a county veterans service officer. Ask if the facts you found may meet the tests.
- Ask what forms you need and what proof to send with them.
Free help and a word of care
You should not pay a firm that charges to file a claim. Trained help is free. A county veterans service officer can help at no cost. So can groups the VA has cleared to help veterans and their families. These staff can check your facts and help you file.
Be wary of a firm that asks for a fee up front. Be wary of a firm that asks you to move assets to pass the test. A move like that can hurt you. Get free advice first.
Why the date on the rates matters
Pension rates change on December 1 of each year. The rates in this guide end on November 30, 2026. New rates start on December 1, 2026. Those new rates were not posted when this guide was written. Wait for the VA to post the new table. Then check your math with the new rates.
Sample situation
Rosa cares for her dad, Frank. Frank is a wartime veteran. He is wed to Ana, so he has 1 dependent. He needs help to bathe, dress, and eat. Rosa lists his care costs and his daily needs.
Rosa finds his discharge papers in a file box. She adds up his income and his bank funds. His net worth sits below the limit for the rate period December 1, 2025 to November 30, 2026. His countable income is $24,000 for the year.
Rosa keeps all the lists in one folder for the call. Frank may get Aid and Attendance. For a veteran with 1 dependent, the MAPR is $34,488 per year for the rate period December 1, 2025 to November 30, 2026. Rosa does the math. She takes $24,000 from $34,488. The result is $10,488 per year. That sum would help pay for the aide who comes each day. Rosa calls the county veterans service officer to check the claim for free.
Steps to start this week
- Set a time on November 11 to sit down with the papers you have.
- Use the checklist above and fill in each list as best you can.
- Call the VA or a county veterans service officer with your lists in hand.
- Ask what proof of daily help needs the VA wants to see.
- File the claim with free help if the facts may meet the tests.