Can veterans’ benefits be used to pay for long-term senior care?

Making use of veterans’ benefits to pay for long-term senior care can be tricky. We’ve listed two benefits that can be used over and above a VA Pension or Survivors Pension to assist with covering the cost of senior care.

Currently, there are two main types of veterans benefits that are available. 1) The VA Aid and Attendance benefit, and 2) The Housebound benefit. These are paid over and above a VA Pension or a Survivor’s Pension, but your loved one has to qualify. Luckily, both can be used to cover the costs of long-term senior care. It’s worthwhile to note, however, that you can’t receive both benefits simultaneously.

Let’s look at each veteran’s benefit type more closely.

The VA Aid & Attendance benefit explained

A VA Aid & Attendance benefit offers a supplemental income for veterans or their surviving spouses. Your senior may already be in the care of a senior living facility, or may currently be receiving in-home care. The good news is that this has no bearing on whether they qualify.

In the event that your loved one requires help with activities of daily living (ADLs), they may qualify for the Aid & Attendance benefit. The disclaimer here is that there are some eligibility criteria that needs to first be met.

If your senior is currently receiving a VA Pension or a Survivors Pension they’re already on the right track. If not, they can learn more about the qualifying criteria for a Veterans Pension here. Alternatively, your loved one can apply for Aid & Attendance benefits at the same time as applying for a VA Pension.

Who qualifies for the VA Aid and Attendance benefit?

Let’s suppose your loved one meets the eligibility requirements for a VA Pension, or they are the surviving spouse of a veteran who has qualified for Survivors Pension. They may be eligible to receive this benefit, permitted:

• They require a caregiver for assistance with personal care, such as bathing, dressing, or feeding, or
• Your loved one spends a large portion of their day in bed due to an illness, or
• He/she lives in a nursing home as a result of a physical or mental disability, or
• Your loved one has limited eyesight (5/200 or less in both eyes) or has a visual field of 5 degrees or fewer

Should you need more information on how to apply for VA Aid & Attendance benefits, you can learn more here. 

VA Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits provide monthly payments added to the amount of a monthly VA pension for qualified Veterans and survivors.

Housebound benefit explained

Housebound benefits are for veterans or, surviving spouses who are housebound due to some form of permanent disability. In this case, if a veteran or their surviving spouse requires the help of someone else to leave their home for medical appointments, they could be eligible to receive this benefit.

Here, the same rules apply. Your loved one has to already be receiving a VA Pension or Survivors Pension to qualify. The good news is that your senior can apply for a Housebound benefit and a VA Pension or Survivors Pension at the same time.

Who qualifies for VA Housebound benefits?

Assuming your senior loved one has met the eligibility requirements for a VA Pension or Survivors Pension, they may also qualify for Housebound benefits if:

• Your loved one is confined to their home due to a permanent disability or,
• They only leave their home to attend doctor appointments or to receive medical treatments

In short, the VA Aid & Attendance benefit can be used to offset the costs of long-term senior care as long as assistance with ADLs is provided by another person. A VA Housebound benefit can also be used to help pay for long-term senior care, permitted that a non-licensed in-home caregiver is appointed. Luckily, this caregiver can be a family friend or even a direct family member.

To learn more about veterans’ benefits, visit the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs.

Need assistance from our team? Get in touch with a Certified Placement Expert today.

*Disclaimer: The information contained in this blog is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and their immediate family, physician, or other care providers.