Aid & Attendance and pension planning for veterans
VA Benefits
If you or your spouse served during a wartime period, you may qualify for VA benefits that help pay for assisted living, in-home care, or nursing home care.
You Served Your Country. Let Us Serve You
The Department of Veterans Affairs offers a pension supplement called Aid & Attendance that can significantly offset the cost of assisted living, in-home care, or a nursing facility. Benefits are available to qualifying wartime veterans and their surviving spouses. The eligibility rules cover wartime service, financial need, and a medical need for help with daily activities. Most families who could be receiving this benefit have no idea they qualify.
Billions in VA benefits go unclaimed every year because veterans and their families do not know they qualify. If you served at least 90 days during a wartime period, you owe it to yourself to find out.
Why It Matters
The maximum benefit for a married veteran is currently $2,795 per month. For a surviving spouse, it is $1,558 per month. The application is notoriously complex, and some of the financial moves families make to qualify can actually disqualify them if not structured properly. We walk veterans and surviving spouses through eligibility, structure their finances correctly, gather the medical documentation, and submit a complete application. Where eligible, we coordinate with ALTCS so the two programs work together.
Billions in VA benefits go unclaimed every year because veterans and their families do not know they qualify. If you or your spouse served during a wartime period, you owe it to yourself to find out.
Who Qualifies for VA Benefits?
More veterans and surviving spouses qualify than most people realize.
- Wartime Veterans. Veterans who served at least 90 days active duty with at least one day during a wartime period.
- Surviving Spouses. The surviving spouse of a qualifying veteran may be eligible for pension benefits.
- Veterans Needing Care. Veterans who need help with daily activities like bathing, dressing, or medication management.
- Low-Income Veterans. Income and asset limits apply, but we can help structure finances to qualify.
Your First Step Starts Here
At our live, free estate planning seminars across Phoenix and Tucson, we walk you through how to protect you and your loved ones from probate. We give you a step-by-step plan that's simple and clear. Sign up today for peace of mind tomorrow.
Client Testimonials
Common VA Benefits Questions
Answers to the questions Arizona families ask most about va benefits.
Keep Learning
Continue Reading
From the Blog
- ALTCS Arizona: The Complete Guide to Long-Term Care Planning
How VA Aid & Attendance and ALTCS work together to fund long-term care in Arizona.
- What Happens to Your Family Without an Estate Plan in Arizona
VA benefits planning is part of estate planning, especially for veterans needing care.
- Special Needs Trust Arizona: The Complete Guide for Families
How a special needs trust can preserve VA pension eligibility for a beneficiary with disabilities.
Glossary
- ALTCS
Arizona's Medicaid program for long-term care, often coordinated with VA Aid & Attendance.
- Long-Term Care Insurance
Private coverage that can supplement or substitute for VA and ALTCS benefits.
- Durable Power of Attorney
Often required so a family member can pursue VA benefits on behalf of an aging veteran.
- Healthcare Directive
Documents your wishes for medical care if you cannot speak for yourself, including end-of-life decisions.
- Medical Power of Attorney
Authority to make healthcare decisions, often paired with VA planning for veterans needing care.
- Fiduciary Duty
The legal duty owed by anyone managing benefits, including a VA fiduciary appointed for a veteran.