VA's Aid and Attendance benefit can play a meaningful supporting role in a South Dakota care plan, alongside the state's single State Veterans Home and its veteran property-tax relief programs. The pension itself is needs-based: VA calculates the actual payment as the gap between a claimant's countable income and the applicable Maximum Annual Pension Rate, or MAPR, which varies depending on dependents and whether the veteran qualifies for Aid and Attendance or the related Housebound benefit.
For the rate period that began December 1, 2025, VA's published figures show a $33,548 Aid and Attendance MAPR example for a qualifying veteran with one non-veteran spouse and no children. The same source reports a $163,699 Veterans Pension net-worth limit running through November 30, 2026 — families should confirm the claimant's specific benefit category and unreimbursed medical expenses with VA or an accredited representative before assuming either figure applies directly to their case.