Aid and Attendance is a federal VA benefit added on top of a qualifying VA pension, and it operates entirely under its own eligibility rules — separate from anything North Dakota Medicaid decides. VA extends the benefit to Veterans and survivors who need another person's help with activities like bathing, feeding, or dressing; who must stay in bed for much of the day due to illness; who live in a nursing home because of a disability-related loss of abilities; or who meet specified visual-impairment standards.
Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits can't both be paid at the same time, according to VA. A claim tied to a nursing-home stay may require VA Form 21-0779 in addition to the standard pension paperwork, and VA directs aid-and-attendance-based claims through the regular pension application process. Veterans and survivors should work with a VA-accredited representative for current evidence requirements, and any income received still needs to be disclosed separately to HHS for Medicaid purposes.
Sources and official resources
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Aid and Attendance and Housebound
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Veterans Pension Rates
- North Dakota HHS: Medicaid Eligibility
Rules and figures change. Confirm current details with the agency before you act.