VA Aid and Attendance adds a monthly amount on top of a qualifying veteran's or survivor's VA pension — it's a federal benefit, not a Colorado Medicaid program. According to the VA, eligibility can rest on needing another person's help with daily activities, being bedridden due to illness, being a nursing-home patient because of disability-related mental or physical decline, or meeting the specified visual-impairment standard. One rule to keep in mind: a person can't collect both Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits at the same time.
For a nursing-home-related claim, the VA asks applicants to submit Form 21-0779, the Request for Nursing Home Information in Connection with Claim for Aid and Attendance, along with Form 21-2680 for medical examination information when applying by mail. These federal forms run on a separate track from Colorado's LTSS functional or financial process — filing one doesn't substitute for the other.
Beyond the federal pension benefit, Colorado operates five Veterans Community Living Centers and offers a homestead exemption for qualifying disabled veterans.