Robert Gordon

Home Care Policy Analyst, AHVA

Published May 24, 2026 · 9 min read

VA Aid & Attendance 2026: Updated Benefit Rates and How Orange County Veterans Can Qualify

Orange County’s roughly 85,000 veterans (84,235 in the 2023 Census estimate cited by the County of Orange) and their families deserve to know about one of the most underused federal benefits on the books: the VA Aid & Attendance pension supplement. Effective December 1, 2025, benefit amounts increased 2.8% under the annual cost-of-living adjustment — a raise of about $78 a month for a veteran with a spouse, and about $105 a month for two veterans married to each other who both qualify. Many eligible veterans have never applied.

Aid & Attendance is not a new program, but its reach is far wider than most families realize. Unlike VA’s own home care program (whose spending cap the Elizabeth Dole Act raised), which provides care directly through VA-contracted providers, Aid & Attendance is a cash benefit paid monthly to the veteran or surviving spouse. Those dollars can flow to any qualified caregiver — including private, non-medical in-home care agencies like At Home VA Staffing. If you have been quietly managing a veteran parent’s care out of pocket while the application sits unstarted, this article is for you.

What Is VA Aid & Attendance?

Aid & Attendance (A&A) is a special monthly pension supplement administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It is paid on top of the basic VA pension to wartime veterans — or to the surviving spouses of wartime veterans — who need another person’s help with daily activities such as bathing, feeding, and dressing. It also covers veterans and survivors who must stay in bed for much of the day because of illness, who are patients in a nursing home because of the loss of mental or physical abilities, or who have severe vision impairment.

The benefit arrives as a direct cash payment. Unlike facility-based VA programs, the money is not restricted to VA-affiliated providers. Veterans and surviving spouses can direct it toward anyone who provides their care, including family caregivers and private in-home care agencies. This flexibility is what makes Aid & Attendance particularly valuable for OC families who want to keep a veteran at home rather than in a facility.

If your parent also receives means-tested benefits such as SSI or Medi-Cal, ask the Veterans Service Office how the VA payment will be counted before you file, because each program has its own income rules.

2026 Aid & Attendance Benefit Rates

The following rates are in effect from December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026 and reflect a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment:

The actual monthly payment equals the maximum annual pension rate (MAPR) minus countable income. But here is the provision most OC families miss: unreimbursed medical expenses — including in-home care costs — reduce countable income. VA deducts only the part of medical expenses above 5% of the MAPR ($872 a year for a veteran with no dependents). A veteran with no dependents, $3,200 a month in Social Security and retirement income and $2,600 a month in in-home care costs would have countable income of about $8,072 a year, so the A&A pension would be about $21,021 a year (roughly $1,750 a month): the $29,093 MAPR minus that countable income.

How 2026 Rates Compare to 2025

Who Qualifies? The Four Core Tests

To receive Aid & Attendance, an applicant must simultaneously satisfy four requirements. OC families are often surprised to discover that a parent who appears financially comfortable can still qualify once care costs are factored into the income calculation.

1. Military Service Requirement

A veteran who started active duty before September 8, 1980 needs at least 90 days of active-duty service, with at least one of those days in a recognized wartime period. An enlisted veteran who started after September 7, 1980 generally needs 24 months of service (or the full period they were called up for), again with at least one wartime day. The discharge must be anything other than dishonorable. The veteran must also be 65 or older, have a permanent and total disability, be a nursing home patient for long-term care because of a disability, or receive SSDI or SSI. The wartime periods recognized by the VA are:

Note: The Gulf War period has no declared end date. Veterans who served in any U.S. military operation from 1990 onward — including Iraq, Afghanistan, and other theaters — qualify under this period.

2. Care Need

The veteran or surviving spouse must meet at least one of the following conditions:

• Needs another person’s help with daily activities such as bathing, feeding, and dressing
• Must stay in bed, or spend a large part of the day in bed, because of illness
• Is a patient in a nursing home because of the loss of mental or physical abilities related to a disability
• Has corrected vision of 5/200 or less in both eyes, or a visual field of 5 degrees or less

Care need is documented by a physician using VA Form 21-2680 — no VA-assigned doctor is required. The veteran’s own primary care physician can complete the form.

3. Income Test

The veteran’s countable income must fall below the applicable MAPR for their category. Countable income is calculated after subtracting unreimbursed medical expenses, which can include the ongoing cost of in-home care. For many OC veterans who are already paying privately for care, this calculation dramatically reduces — or eliminates — the income offset.

4. Net Worth Limit

The veteran’s net worth — assets plus annual income, excluding the primary residence and the car — must not exceed $163,699 for the benefit year running December 1, 2025 to November 30, 2026. Annual income is counted after unreimbursed medical expenses are deducted. So a couple with $140,000 in savings and a paid-off home can qualify only if their annual income for VA purposes stays under about $23,700; heavy in-home care costs often bring it that low.

What Can Aid & Attendance Benefits Pay For?

This is the provision OC families most commonly miss. Aid & Attendance benefit dollars are not restricted to VA-contracted facilities or providers. Once the monthly payment arrives, it can be applied to a wide range of care costs:

• Non-medical in-home care — personal care, bathing assistance, dressing, grooming, meal preparation, medication reminders, incontinence management
• Respite care — scheduled relief for family caregivers managing ongoing care at home
• Companionship and supervision — for veterans with dementia, Alzheimer’s, cognitive decline, or fall risk
• Assisted living and board-and-care facilities
• Memory care units
• Adult day programs and structured daytime supervision

At Home VA Staffing provides all of the non-medical in-home services listed above. Our caregivers serve OC veterans across Irvine, Anaheim, Huntington Beach, Fullerton, Santa Ana, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, and surrounding cities. Families using Aid & Attendance can apply their monthly benefit directly toward AHVA care hours — often eliminating most or all out-of-pocket costs.

How Aid & Attendance Differs from the Elizabeth Dole Act

Both are VA-administered programs, but they work very differently. We covered the Elizabeth Dole Act in depth in our 2026 guide to the Elizabeth Dole Act home care expansion. Here is how the two programs compare:

For many OC families, the right strategy is to pursue both programs simultaneously: file the A&A claim immediately to secure the effective date, while also exploring whether the veteran qualifies for VA’s own home care, whose spending cap the Elizabeth Dole Act raised.

How to Apply in Orange County

Option 1: OC Veterans Service Office (Free, In-Person)

Orange County’s county Veterans Service Office provides free, VA-accredited help with A&A applications at no cost:

• Address: 1300 S. Grand Ave., Building B, Second Floor, Santa Ana, CA 92705
• Phone: (714) 480-6555
• Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Option 2: VA Long Beach Healthcare System

The VA Long Beach facility covers most of Orange County and can coordinate medical evidence letters and connect veterans with the correct VSO staff:

• Address: 5901 E. 7th St., Long Beach, CA 90822
• VA Benefits Line: 1-800-827-1000

Option 3: File Online via VA.gov

Veterans can begin the application online at VA.gov using VA Form 21P-527EZ (Application for Pension). You will need:

• DD-214 discharge papers (or equivalent military records)
• VA Form 21-2680 or physician letter documenting care need
• Financial documentation — income sources, asset values, ongoing care costs
• Social Security number and direct deposit banking information

Related Articles

• The Dole Act Raised VA’s Home Care Spending Cap to 100%: What It Means for Orange County Veterans
• GUIDE Model Dementia Care in Orange County: What Families Need to Know
• CalAIM Community Supports in Orange County: What Families Need to Know