VA Aid and Attendance functions as an extra monthly payment for a qualifying veteran or survivor already receiving a VA pension. Eligibility can arise from needing help with basic activities like bathing, feeding, or dressing; being bedridden due to illness; residing in a nursing home because of a disability-related loss of ability; or meeting the VA's specific vision-related criteria. One limitation to flag: Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits can't both be received at the same time.
A veteran applying from a nursing home needs to include VA Form 21-0779 with their application, which can be filed online, by mail, or in person. It's worth keeping in mind that this VA decision runs on a completely separate track from West Virginia's own Medicaid financial determination and from the nursing-facility PAS-2000 and PASRR review process — clearing one doesn't automatically clear the other. West Virginia's own veterans benefits include operating state veterans facilities, a $90 VA nursing-facility pension rule to coordinate with, and disabled-veteran tax relief.