Massachusetts VA Aid & Attendance

VA's Aid and Attendance and Housebound program adds money to a qualifying veteran's or survivor's monthly pension when extra help is needed — think assistance with daily activities, being bedridden, living in a nursing home because of a disability, or meeting one of the VA's other listed criteria. The VA's own guidance is to file the appropriate pension claim along with the supporting medical evidence.

It's important to keep the two benefit systems separate in your head: federal VA eligibility and Massachusetts MassHealth eligibility don't automatically line up. Qualifying for a VA pension increase doesn't create MassHealth eligibility by itself. That said, Massachusetts does have a state-specific wrinkle worth knowing — the BRAVE Act memo lays out a rule about certain VA payments that can matter quite a bit in a MassHealth financial review, and the state also operates two State Veterans Homes for those who qualify.