VA Aid and Attendance: 2017 Rates For Veterans and Surviving Spouses
Find out about the VA Aid and Attendance rates for 2017 for qualifying veterans and surviving spouses.
We talk about the VA Pension — Aid and Attendance (as it is normally called) — often on this site as it is such an important benefit for veterans and surviving spouses. But what exactly are all the rates in 2017?
Do keep in mind that in virtually every situation we are able to help someone, they received the “Aid & Attendance” rates. There are technically two lower levels of the benefit.
Housebound which is where you can’t leave home without help.
And then a “base pension” when you have no medical issues. At least none that qualify you for housebound or Aid and Attendance.
But let’s go ahead and look at all the options and dollar amounts per year:
We’ll break it down between the wartime veteran and a surviving spouse.
VETERAN (no dependent — no spouse)
Base: $12,907
Housebound: $15,773
Aid & Attendance: $21,531
VETERAN (with a dependent — a spouse is a dependent)
Base: $16,902
Housebound: $19,770
Aid & Attendance: $25,525
Note: For each additional child, the amount is increased by $2,205.
SURVIVING SPOUSE
Base: $8,656 (with a child the amount is $11,330)
Housebound: $10,580 (with a child the amount is $13,249)
Aid & Attendance: $13,836 (with a child the amount is $16,506)
Note: For each additional child, the amount is increased by $2,205.
Why do I say that almost everyone, if they qualify, will qualify for the higher “Aid and Attendance” rating?
If you have no medical issues that prevent you from leaving your home and if you don’t need someone to help you with daily activities, then it is unlikely that you can actually qualify for the base pension. At least not as a practical matter.
Here’s what I mean.
Your Income For VA Purposes (IVAP) is your household gross income minus certain medical expenses. For every dollar of IVAP, you lose a dollar from the VA Pension. So if you are trying to qualify for the base pension, and your income is over $16,000 a year, you won’t get any benefit. Most families and single folks we see have too much income.
For example, a surviving spouse (widow) who makes $800 a month will be $9,600 a year which is over the base amount of $8,656.
But if you do qualify for the base, then definitely take advantage of this benefit.
With housebound, it is almost always the case that if you can’t leave your home without assistance, then you will normally also need help with a couple of activities of daily living. These are things such as getting dressed, bathing, bathroom, getting up and down from a chair or bed, etc.
So as a practical matter, in 99% of the veterans and surviving spouses we help, we are able to qualify them for the highest rating. The Aid & Attendance rating.
This is why the whole benefit is often simply called “VA Aid & Attendance”.
If you have questions, feel free to reach out to us to discover more about this remarkable benefit.
You can call us at 205-879-2447 or contact us here and we’ll get right back with you.
In our calls, we do the following:
- Listen to your situation and circumstances
- Answer the questions you have now
- Help you see your options
- Help you gather the needed documents (DD-214 to show dates of service, etc) and information
- Schedule any follow up calls to answer questions you have
We look forward to helping you any way we can.
Talk to you soon!