VA Aid & Attendance Benefits for Veterans with
Established Entitlement to Non Service Connected Pension Benefits
If a veteran has established entitlement to non service connected pension and the veteran needs the regular aid and attendance of another person to perform the functions required by everyday living then that veteran may be entitled to Aid and Attendance benefits (A&A). Generally, a single disability rated at 100% is a prerequisite to determining need for A&A. However, if a VARO thinks that a veteran whose disability has not been rated at 100% is entitled to A&A, the VARO may submit the claim to VACO for an advisory opinion. If the veteran is in a nursing home because of disability, VA will presume entitlement to A&A.
Entitlement to A&A can be established by:
- Showing the claimant to be blind or so nearly blind as to have corrected visual acuity of 5/200 or less in both eyes or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less,
- Proving that the veteran is a patient in a nursing home because of mental or physical incapacity or
- Showing that the claimant is unable to dress or undress or keep himself or herself clean and presentable; that the claimant frequently needs adjustment to any special prosthetic or orthopedic appliances or is not able to attend to the wants of nature; or has physical or mental incapacity that requires assistance on a regular basis to protect the claimant from the hazards of his or her daily environment.
A veteran needs a medical opinion from a physician to validate the need for A&A. The physician opinion must describe the veteran’s physical and mental disabilities and how they are related to his level of care and daily living tasks. A physician may consider using the following as a guide to draft this report:
1. Whether the veteran requires the aid of another person in order to perform personal functions required in everyday living, such as bathing, feeding, dressing, attending to the wants of nature, or protecting himself from the hazards of his daily environment.
2. The report should contain sufficient detail to determine whether there is a disease or injury producing physical or mental impairment, loss of coordination, or conditions affecting the ability to dress and undress, to feed oneself, to attend to sanitary needs, and to keep oneself ordinarily clean and presentable.
3. The report should note whether veteran is bedridden, in that his disability requires that he remain in bed, apart from any prescribed course of treatment.
4. The report should indicate the mobility of the veteran. Specifically, how well veteran gets around, where the veteran goes and what he is able to do during a typical day, including his propensity to fall down.
5. The report should mention whether the veteran is confined to the home or immediate premises.
VA Housebound Pension Benefits for Veterans
There are two ways for a veteran to prove entitlement to Housebound Pension Benefits:
1. The veteran has a single permanent disability rated as 100% disabling under the VA rating schedule and the veteran is substantially confined to his or her dwelling (and the immediate premises).
2. A veteran has 100% disability with an additional disability independently ratable at 60% or more, entitlement to housebound benefits is established, whether or not the veteran is actually housebound.