Veterans Administration Aid & Attendance / Homebound Program

• Did you know some benefits can assist you in paying for much-needed home care services?

• Are you a wartime veteran or the spouse of one and in need of assistance with activities of daily living?

If so, you may be eligible to receive a significant monthly income from the Department of Veterans Affairs through a program called the Aid and Attendance.

​The Veterans Aid & Attendance / Homebound Program is for veterans who are at least 50% disabled due to a service-related condition. They are eligible for home health care coverage provided by the Veterans Administration (VA). A physician must authorize these services, which must be delivered through the VA’s network of hospital-based home care units.

​Being able to access benefits through the VA Aid and Attendance offers you access to much-needed care and services in the comfort of your own home.

​Annual pension amounts DO NOT INTERFERE with your Social Security income, Company pensions, Investment Income, or Military Retirement.

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE AID & ATTENDANCE AND HOUSEBOUND PROGRAM:

​VA Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits provide monthly payments added to the amount of a monthly VA pension for qualified Veterans and survivors. You can still file a claim and apply for benefits during the coronavirus pandemic.

To be eligible for the VA Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits as a Veteran or survivor, at least one of these must be true:

• You need another person to help you perform your activities of daily living, such as bathing, grooming, feeding, and dressing, or

• You have to spend a large portion of the day in bed—because of illness, or

• You are a client in a nursing home due to the loss of mental or physical abilities related to a disability, or

• 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)

Housebound benefits eligibility

If you get a VA pension and you spend most of your time in your home because of a permanent disability (a disability that doesn’t go away), you may be eligible for this benefit.

Note: You can’t get Aid and Attendance benefits and Housebound benefits at the same time.

How do I apply for this benefit?

You can apply for VA Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits in one of these ways:

1. After you fill out application FORM 2680, have your doctor fill out the examination information section.

2. You can also include it with your VA form: ​https://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-21-2680-ARE.pdf

• Other evidence, like a doctor’s report, that shows you need Aid and Attendance or Housebound care

• Details about what you normally do during the day and how you get to places

• Details that help show what kind of illness, injury, or mental or physical disability affects your ability to do things, like take a bath, on your own.

Mail your completed VA form to your Pension Management Center (PMC)

FOR FLORIDA, MAIL FORM TO:

Department of Veterans Affairs: Pension Intake Center, PO Box 5365, Janesville, WI 53547-5365

Due to COVID-19, some facilities are not open to the public at this time, but staff is still available by phone at (800) 827-1000, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. If you have hearing loss, call TTY 711.