Needs-based pension for wartime veterans — with the A&A and Housebound add-ons, at 2026 rates
Income counts everything from every source: Social Security, work, pensions, interest, rentals — yours and your dependents'. Medical expenses include Medicare and supplemental premiums, copays, prescription costs, in-home care, assisted living, and nursing home bills paid out of pocket. Net worth excludes your house, your car, and most home furnishings.
| Claimant | Basic pension | Housebound | Aid & Attendance | Medical deductible (5%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veteran, no dependents | $17,441 | $21,313 | $29,093 | $872 |
| Veteran with 1 dependent | $22,839 | $26,710 | $34,488 | $1,141 |
| Surviving spouse, no dependents | $11,699 | $14,298 | $18,697 | $584 |
| Surviving spouse with 1 dependent | $15,311 | $17,902 | $22,304 | $765 |
Each additional dependent beyond the first adds $2,984 to the MAPR. The 2026 net worth limit is $163,699 (assets plus income for VA purposes; excludes the home, one car, and furnishings). Figures from the VA's official pension rate tables.
| Period | Dates |
|---|---|
| Mexican Border | May 9, 1916 – April 5, 1917 |
| World War I | April 6, 1917 – November 11, 1918 |
| World War II | December 7, 1941 – December 31, 1946 |
| Korean conflict | June 27, 1950 – January 31, 1955 |
| Vietnam era (in Vietnam) | November 1, 1955 – May 7, 1975 |
| Vietnam era (elsewhere) | August 5, 1964 – May 7, 1975 |
| Gulf War | August 2, 1990 – date set by law or proclamation |
You don't have to have fought — one day of active duty inside these windows counts, with at least 90 days total active service (enlisted before September 8, 1980) or 24 months for most later enlistees. The discharge must be other than dishonorable.
| Add-on | You qualify if (any one) |
|---|---|
| Aid & Attendance | You need another person's help with daily activities like bathing, feeding, and dressing; or you're bedridden (or spend a large part of the day in bed); or you're a nursing home patient due to disability; or your eyesight is 5/200 or less in both eyes, or the visual field is contracted to 5 degrees or less |
| Housebound | You spend most of your time at home because of a permanent disability |
One or the other, never both. Aid and Attendance pays the higher ceiling, and it's the one most assisted-living and nursing-home residents qualify for — the facility bill itself usually counts as an unreimbursed medical expense.
VA pension — formally the Improved Disability Pension — is a needs-based monthly payment for wartime veterans with modest income, unlike disability compensation, which is earned by service-connected ratings. The math has three moving parts: a ceiling set by Congress, your countable income, and medical expenses that chip that income down.
MAPR = the ceiling for your claimant type and benefit level, plus $2,984 for each dependent beyond the first. Deductible = 5% of the basic MAPR ($872 single veteran). Countable medical expenses = unreimbursed medical costs minus the deductible. IVAP (income for VA purposes) = gross family income minus countable medical expenses, floored at zero. Annual pension = MAPR − IVAP, never below zero, paid in 12 monthly installments. Medical spending above the deductible offsets income dollar-for-dollar, which is why a $4,800/month assisted-living bill can zero out a $21,600 income.
Pick your claimant type and benefit level, then enter gross family income from all sources (Social Security alone is the usual driver). Add up a year of out-of-pocket medical costs — premiums, copays, prescriptions, in-home care, assisted living. Net worth is optional; enter it to check against the $163,699 limit. The result shows the MAPR, the deductible, countable income, and the monthly payment, with the arithmetic spelled out line by line.
A single widowed veteran has $1,500 a month of Social Security ($18,000 a year) and pays $3,000 a year in premiums and copays. Her MAPR with Aid and Attendance is $29,093. Medical costs above the $872 deductible leave $2,128 countable, so her IVAP is $18,000 − $2,128 = $15,872. Pension: $29,093 − $15,872 = $13,221 a year, or $1,101.75 a month.
Same veteran, but she moves into assisted living at $4,800 a month — $57,600 a year of unreimbursed medical expense. That swamps both her $21,600 of income (a small private pension plus Social Security) and the deductible, so IVAP falls to zero and she draws the full MAPR: $29,093 a year, $2,424.42 a month, tax-free. The deductible costs her $872; everything above it works in her favor.
Aid and Attendance raises the Maximum Annual Pension Rate to $29,093 for a single veteran in 2026 — up to $2,424 a month — and $34,488 for a veteran with one dependent. Those are ceilings: your actual pension is the MAPR minus your countable income, so a veteran with $18,000 of income and $3,000 of unreimbursed medical expenses would receive $13,221 a year ($1,101.75 a month).
Three gates. Service: at least 90 days of active duty with a minimum of one day during a wartime period (24 months for many who enlisted after September 7, 1980), with other-than-dishonorable discharge. Money: countable family income below the MAPR and net worth under $163,699 in 2026. Need: for Aid and Attendance specifically, you need help with daily activities like bathing, feeding, and dressing, or you're bedridden, in a nursing home due to disability, or have eyesight of 5/200 or less in both eyes.
Start with gross family income from work, Social Security, pensions, interest, and rentals. Then subtract unreimbursed medical expenses above a deductible equal to 5% of the basic MAPR — $872 for a single veteran in 2026, $1,141 with one dependent. Every remaining medical dollar reduces income dollar-for-dollar. Countable income also can't include a working child's wages up to $16,100.
They're alternative add-ons to the same pension, and you can't receive both at once. Aid and Attendance is for veterans who need another person's help with daily activities, are bedridden, are in a nursing home, or are nearly blind — it pays more. Housebound is for veterans who spend most of their time at home because of a permanent disability. VA pays whichever (one) you qualify for.
No. Pension is needs-based: it goes to wartime veterans with low income and net worth, whether or not any condition is service-connected, and it shrinks as other income grows. Compensation is earned by service-connected disability ratings and isn't means-tested. You can't be paid pension and compensation for the same period — VA pays whichever is greater.
No. Net worth for VA purposes counts bank accounts, investments, and property other than your primary residence, your car, and most home furnishings, minus debts. A spouse's assets count too. The limit for the December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026 rate year is $163,699, and gifts made within the prior three years can trigger a penalty period of up to five years.
Estimate only. Figures come from the VA's published 2026 MAPR tables (effective December 1, 2025) and the 5% and net-worth rules VA applies; monthly amounts here are the annual rate divided by 12, so your official award may differ by small rounding. This page isn't affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and it isn't legal advice — pension cases with trusts, prior asset transfers, or contested medical deductions are exactly what elder-law attorneys and VSOs are for.