VA Aid and Attendance is a monthly amount added on top of a qualifying veteran's or survivor's existing VA pension. It becomes available when another person is needed for daily activities like bathing, feeding, or dressing; when the veteran is bedridden; when a disability-related loss of mental or physical ability has led to a nursing-home stay; or under the VA's specific severe-vision criteria.
Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits can't be received simultaneously — a veteran or survivor gets one or the other, not both. A nursing-home applicant needs VA Form 21-0779 for nursing-home information as part of the claim, with the accompanying medical examination documented on Form 21-2680.
Maine adds several state-level resources to this federal benefit: six Veterans' Homes located around the state and a state veteran property-tax exemption, both worth coordinating with MaineCare planning rather than treated as entirely separate tracks.
Sources and official resources
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Aid and Attendance and Housebound
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Veterans Pension Rates
- Maine DHHS: MaineCare for Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities
Rules and figures change. Confirm current details with the agency before you act.