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VA Aid and Attendance benefits and Housebound allowance

VA Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits provide monthly payments added to the amount of a monthly VA pension for qualified Veterans and survivors. If you need help with daily activities, or you’re housebound, find out if you qualify.

Am I eligible for VA Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits as a Veteran or survivor?

VA Aid and Attendance eligibility

You may be eligible for this benefit if you get a VA pension and you meet at least one of these requirements.

At least one of these must be true:

  • You need another person to help you perform daily activities, like bathing, feeding, and dressing, or
  • You have to stay in bed—or spend a large portion of the day in bed—because of illness, or
  • You are a patient 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

You may be eligible for this benefit 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).

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

How do I get this benefit?

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

By mail

Fill out VA Form 21-2680 (Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance), You can have your doctor fill out the examination information section. 

Get VA Form 21-2680 to download

You can also include with your VA form:

  • 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

Learn about the evidence you’ll need to support your claim

If you’re in a nursing home, you’ll also need to fill out a Request for Nursing Home Information in Connection with Claim for Aid and Attendance (VA Form 21-0779).
Get VA Form 21-0779 to download

Mail your completed form, and any evidence or additional information, to this address:

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

In person

You can bring your information to a VA regional office near you.
Find your nearest VA regional office

How long does it take VA to make a decision?

It depends. We process claims in the order we receive them, unless a claim requires priority processing.

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