Attorney for Senior Veterans' Benefits in Florida

How Much Does the VA Aid and Attendance Benefit Pay?

• Maximum Monthly Benefit for Single Veteran: $1,936.50 (2021)
• Maximum Monthly Benefit for Surviving Spouse: $1,294.91 (2021)
• Maximum Monthly Benefit for Married Veteran: $2,295.75 (2021)
• Maximum Monthly Benefit for Married Veteran Couple: $3,056.75 (2021)

All of the monthly payments are completely tax free.

Which Veterans Can Receive Aid and Attendance Benefits from the VA?

There are three major eligibility criteria that the VA looks for in approving aid and attendance benefits: service, medical, and financial.

(1) Service: The Veteran must have served for at least 90 days of active military duty and one of those days must have been during a wartime period. This doesn’t mean the Veteran needed to deploy during the wartime period—the Veteran could have served their 90 days of active military duty while here in the U.S.

Tip: Vietnam is the only wartime period that requires boots on the ground. Vietnam requires boots on the ground up until the end of August 5, 1964.

(2)  Medical: The Veteran must meet one of the following conditions below to qualify for Aid and Attendance:

• The Veteran needs assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). ADLs include assistance with bathing, showering, toileting, feeding, dressing/undressing, incontinence, ambulating, keeping oneself clean and presentable, dressing and undressing, and adjustment of a special prosthetic or orthopedic device.
• The Veteran is incapacitated, physical or mental, and requires care and assistance on a regular basis to protect the Veteran from hazards or dangers incident to his or her daily environments.
• The Veteran is blind or so nearly blind.
• The Veteran is a patient in a nursing home.
• The Veteran is totally bedridden.

(3) Financial: The Veteran must also meet an income and asset test to qualify for Aid and Attendance. The asset test requires that the Veteran can only have $130,773 (2021) in household net worth. While $130,773 seems low, the VA excludes the value of the home, a reasonable amount of land the home sits on, and automobiles used for personal use.

The income test reduces the Veteran’s aid and attendance benefit dollar for dollar by the Veteran’s monthly income. However, medical expenses are deducted from the Veteran’s monthly income. There are a number of ways to reduce the Veteran’s monthly income so that the Veteran receives the full aid and attendance benefit.

Tip:

The VA only has a lookback period of three years (as opposed to five years fro Medicaid planning). A Veteran who is over assets but may need care in the future can take advantage of this three year look back period by transferring assets to a Veteran’s Asset Protect Trust (VAPT) that would bring the Veteran’s asset levels below the $130,773.

If you’re a Veteran or are taking care of a Veteran in Florida, the skilled VA attorneys at at Daily, Montfort & Toups can help you qualify for the VA pension benefit.

We are a Veteran owned law firm and have offices in Sarasota, Venice, St. Petersburg, Osprey, and Clearwater, Florida. You can schedule your free consultation today.