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Past rates: 2019 VA Survivors Pension benefit rates

Learn about 2019 VA Survivors Pension benefit rates. If you qualify for this benefit as a surviving spouse or dependent child, we’ll base your payment amount on the difference between your countable income and a limit that Congress sets (called the Maximum Annual Pension Rate, or MAPR).

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  • Your countable income is how much you earn, including your salary, investment and retirement payments, and any income you may have from your dependents. Some expenses, like non-reimbursable medical expenses (paid medical expenses not covered by your insurance provider), may reduce your countable income.

  • Your MAPR amount is the maximum amount of pension payable to a Veteran, surviving spouse, or child. Your MAPR is based on how many dependents you have and whether you qualify for Housebound or Aid and Attendance benefits. MAPRs are adjusted each year for cost-of-living increases. You can find your current MAPR amount using the tables below.

Example: You’re a qualified surviving spouse with one dependent child. You also qualify for Aid and Attendance benefits. Your yearly income is $10,000.

Your MAPR amount = $17,309
Your yearly income = $10,000
Your VA pension = $7,309 for the year (or $609 paid each month)

What’s the net worth limit to be eligible for Survivors Pension benefits?

From December 1, 2018, to November 30, 2019, the net worth limit to be eligible for Survivors Pension benefits was $127,061.

On October 18, 2018, we changed the way we assess net worth to make the pension entitlement rules clearer. Net worth includes your assets and annual income. When you apply for Survivors Pension benefits, you’ll need to report all of your assets and income.

Note: If your child's net worth is more than the net worth limit, we don't consider them to be a dependent when we determine your pension.

Read our definitions below:

Assets

Assets include the fair market value of all your real and personal property, minus the amount of any mortgages you may have. “Real property” means any land and buildings you may own. Your personal property assets include any of these items:

  • Investments (like stocks and bonds)
  • Furniture
  • Boats

Assets don’t include:

  • Your primary residence (the home where you live most or all of the time)
  • Your car
  • Basic home items like appliances that you wouldn’t take with you if you moved to a new house

Read more about how we define "assets"

Annual income

Annual income is the money earned in a year from a job or from retirement or annuity payments. It includes any of these:

  • Salary or hourly pay
  • Bonuses
  • Commissions
  • Overtime
  • Tips

We'll subtract certain expenses from your annual income when we assess net worth. We call these applicable deductible expenses. They include:

  • Educational expenses
  • Medical expenses you’re not reimbursed for

Read more about how we define “annual income”

An example of net worth and eligibility

If you had $121,000 in assets and $14,000 in annual income, then your net worth would be $135,000. This is more than the net worth limit of $127,061. So you wouldn’t be eligible for Survivors Pension benefits.

What’s the 3-year look-back period for asset transfers?

When we receive a pension claim, we review the terms and conditions of any assets the survivor may have transferred in the 3 years before filing the claim.

If you transfer assets for less than fair market value during the look-back period, and those assets would've pushed your net worth above the limit for a VA Survivors Pension, you may be subject to a penalty period of up to 5 years. You won’t be eligible for pension benefits during this time.

Note: This new policy took effect on October 18, 2018. If you filed your claim before this date, the look-back period doesn’t apply. (A look-back period never includes a date before October 18, 2018.)

What’s a penalty period?

A penalty period is a length of time when a survivor isn’t eligible for pension benefits, because they transferred assets for less than fair market value during the look-back period. This may apply if those transferred assets would've caused the survivor's net worth to be over the limit mentioned above. However, not every asset transfer is subject to this penalty.

If we determine you're subject to a pension penalty, we wouldn't pay pension benefits during the penalty period.

Find your Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) amount

Date of cost-of-living increase: December 1, 2018
Increase factor: 2.8%
Standard Medicare deduction: Actual amount will be determined by SSA based on individual income.

For qualified surviving spouses with at least 1 dependent:

If you have 1 dependent child and… Your MAPR amount is (in U.S. $): You don’t qualify for Housebound or Aid and Attendance benefits 11,881 You qualify for Housebound benefits 13,893 You qualify for Aid and Attendance benefits 17,309 You qualify for Aid and Attendance benefits and you’re the surviving spouse of a Veteran who served in the Spanish-American War (SAW) 17,833

Notes:

  • The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)/Minimum Income Annuity (MIW) limitation is $9,078.
  • If you have more than 1 child, add $2,313 to your MAPR amount for each additional child.
  • If you have a child who works, you may exclude their wages up to $12,200.
  • If you have medical expenses, you may deduct only the amount that’s above 5% of your MAPR amount ($594 for a surviving spouse with 1 dependent).

For qualified surviving spouses with no dependents:

If you have no dependents and… Your MAPR amount is (in U.S. $): You don’t qualify for Housebound or Aid and Attendance benefits 9,078 You qualify for Housebound benefits 11,095 You qualify for Aid and Attendance benefits 14,509 You qualify for Aid and Attendance benefits and you’re the surviving spouse of a Veteran who served in the Spanish-American War (SAW) 15,097

Notes:

  • The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP)/Minimum Income Annuity (MIW) limitation is $9,078.
  • If you have medical expenses, you may deduct only the amount that’s above 5% of your MAPR amount ($453 for a surviving spouse with no dependent child).

For qualified surviving children:

If you’re… Your MAPR amount is (in U.S. $): A qualified surviving child 2,313