Paying for Help at Home with the Aide and Attendance Program

Home care services, Bay Shore, NY

There are very few ways to have home care services paid for and the Veterans Administration’s Aide and Attendance benefit is one of them.  The Aide and Attendance benefit is a pension offered to veterans and surviving spouses to help pay for home care services.  This benefit comes in the form of a direct deposit to the recipient’s bank account and can be used to pay a home care services agency.  This benefit can also be used toward the costs of an assisted living facility, adult day care program, and a nursing home.

The current benefit rates for 2022 that the aide and attendance program provides are below.

Single Veteran – $2,050 per month

Surviving Spouse – $1317 per month

Couple – $2431 per month

To qualify for the Aide and Attendance benefit, the veteran or surviving spouse’s physician must provide a statement that the individual requires assistance with their daily living activities such as, bathing, dressing, cooking, eating, and showering (to name a few).  These tasks are also referred to as ADL’s or activities of daily living.

Another requirement for the Aide and Attendance benefit is to show proof that the veteran or surviving spouse is currently paying for caregiver services.  This would require the home care agency to submit a letter verifying that the individual is receiving home care services and what the cost of the services are.

There are also income and asset limitations that a veteran or surviving spouse must meet to quality for the Aide and Attendance benefit.  This asset limitation changes each year and depends on the individual’s living costs.

To apply for the Aide and Attendance benefit, the first step is to obtain the application from a Veterans Service Agency.  Long Island has a Veterans Service Agency located in Stony Brook.  The Veterans Service Officer in Stony Brook is Gary Richard.  He can be contacted at 631-444-8759.

To learn more about the Aide and Attendance benefit, visit the Veterans Administration website.