Benefits of the VA Aid & Attendance Benefit for Senior Living Residents

VA Aid & Attendance Benefit: An Important Part of Your Senior Living Journey

At The Herrick House, we believe that those who have served our country deserve our respect and appreciation, as well as a benefit that can make a major difference when it comes to paying for senior living: the VA Aid & Attendance benefit.

Many seniors are unaware of just how comprehensive the VA Aid & Attendance is when it comes to the assistance it can provide. For example, they may think it only pays for the highest levels of care or that it doesn't pay for senior living at all. These are misconceptions.

In fact, in 2018, the VA made significant changes to the rules on custodial-care expenses covered by the VA & Attendance benefit. Custodial care is defined as non-medical care that helps individuals with activities of daily living and basic care needs. While typically recommended by a medical professional, those who provide custodial care are not necessarily medical professionals.

What This Means For You

Perhaps you’re interested in moving to senior living, but you don’t yet need the support assisted living or skilled care provides (and the higher cost that comes with it). Now, Veterans Aid & Attendance can help you offset the cost of independent living initially, then as your health evolves you can transition to assisted living or skilled care — often all are located on the same campus.

With this change, veterans or their surviving spouse can potentially become eligible for Aid & Attendance throughout their senior living journey — from independent living to assisted living to skilled care — if they receive the basic VA pension and continue to meet medical criteria that includes at least one of these medical requirements:

• You need another person to help you perform daily activities, like bathing, feeding, using the toilet, dressing, adjusting prosthetic devices or protecting yourself from the hazards of your daily environment.
• You must stay in bed — or spend a large portion of the day in bed — because of illness.
• You are a patient in a nursing home due to the loss of mental or physical abilities related to a disability.
• Your eyesight is limited (even with glasses or contact lenses you have only 5/200 or less in both eyes; or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less).

Military Service Requirement

Served on active duty at least one day during a period of war, at least 90 days in total and you were other than dishonorably discharged or your spouse at the time of their death met this criterion.

Financial Requirement

Household income of the veteran or surviving spouse must be less than the pension in which you are applying. However, you can deduct your medical insurance premiums, including Medicare, as well as the cost of home care and independent or assisted living fees. The amount of assets you can have is equal to the Maximum Federal Community Spouse Resource Allowance defined by Medicaid — which is $154,140 for 2024. Assets exclude your primary home, family transportation and your normal personal possessions.

In addition, surviving spouses must have been married to a veteran for at least one year. You must have been married to a veteran at time of death, you must present your veteran spouse's death certificate.

How VA Aid & Attendance Benefits Your Senior Living Budget

Quite simply, with Aid & Attendance, you have increased buying power, which:

• Opens up more options when it comes to choosing the senior living community that best fits your needs.
• Gives you peace of mind in being able to stay in the community longer than your budget otherwise may have allowed.

What’s more, the VA Aid & Attendance benefit is tax free and paid directly to you by the Treasury Department.

VA Aid & Attendance enhanced pension rates for 2024 are:

• Surviving Spouse: $1,478 Monthly / $17,7434 per year
• Single Veteran: $2,300 Monthly / $27,609 per year
• Married Veteran: $2,727 Monthly / $32,729 per year
• Two Vets Married: $3,649 Monthly / $43,791 per year

At The Herrick House, we are dependable and dedicated experts in senior living, and our mission is to make you feel right at home while maintaining your highest quality of life. Here, in our resort-like assisted living and memory care community located in Beverly, Massachusetts, you’ll receive personalized support with the highest level of professionalism.

To learn more about VA Benefits, download your free copy of our Veterans Benefits Guide.