VA Pension Benefits for Wartime Veterans

VA Pension is a monthly benefit for wartime veterans who have limited income and net worth. It is governed by 38 USC Chapter 15 (§§ 1501–1562) and 38 CFR 3.3(a).

Source: VA.gov — How are pension benefits and disability compensation different?

To qualify for VA Pension (38 USC § 1521; 38 CFR 3.3(a)), you must meet discharge, service, age/disability, and financial requirements.

Discharge Requirement

You must not have received a dishonorable discharge.

Service Requirements

At least one of these must apply:

• Entered active duty before September 8, 1980: Served at least 90 days on active duty with at least 1 day during a wartime period
• Enlisted after September 7, 1980: Served at least 24 months or the full period ordered to active duty (whichever is less), with at least 1 day during a wartime period
• Officer who started after October 16, 1981 (without prior qualifying enlisted service): Same 24-month/full period requirement

Age or Disability Requirement

At least one of these must apply:

• Age 65 or older
• Permanently and totally disabled from a non-service-connected disability
• Patient in a nursing home for long-term care due to disability
• Receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
• Receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Permanent and total disability (38 USC § 1502) means: a nursing home patient due to disability, determined disabled by the Commissioner of Social Security, unemployable due to disability reasonably certain to continue throughout life, or suffering from disabilities making it impossible for the average person to follow a substantially gainful occupation if reasonably certain to persist lifelong.

Source: VA.gov — VA Pension eligibility

To qualify for VA Pension, you must have served at least 1 day during one of these wartime periods.

Note: The Mexican Border Period applies only to veterans who served in Mexico, on its borders, or in adjacent waters. The Gulf War period has no established end date — veterans serving from August 2, 1990 through the present are considered Gulf War era veterans for pension purposes.

Source: VA.gov — VA Pension eligibility

The current net worth limit is $163,699 (effective December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026). This limit increases annually by the same percentage as Social Security COLA adjustments.

Net worth includes all personal property you own (except your house, your car, and most home furnishings), minus any debt you owe. It also includes your spouse's net worth (38 CFR § 3.274(c)).

What Is Excluded from Net Worth

• Primary residence (single-family unit) including residential lot area (38 CFR § 3.275)
• Your car
• Most home furnishings

Bright-line test (38 CFR § 3.274): VA will deny or discontinue pension if net worth exceeds the limit. For this purpose, net worth equals assets plus annual income.

3-Year Lookback Period for Asset Transfers

VA examines asset transfers during the 36 months (3 years) immediately before your pension claim date (38 CFR § 3.276, effective October 18, 2018). If you transferred assets for less than fair market value during this period, VA may assess a penalty period of up to 5 years during which pension will not be paid.

The penalty is calculated by dividing the total covered asset amount by a monthly penalty rate of $2,874 (effective December 1, 2025). Exceptions exist for assets transferred due to fraud/unfair business practices, transfers to special needs trusts for disabled children, and situations where covered assets are returned within 60 days of VA notice.

Source: VA.gov — Veterans Pension rates | 38 CFR §§ 3.274, 3.276

Your pension payment equals the Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) minus your countable income. If your countable income exceeds the MAPR, no pension is payable.

What Counts as Income

• Earnings and wages
• Social Security benefits
• Investment and retirement payments
• Interest and dividend payments
• Annuity payments
• Net income from farming or business
• Dependent income (spouse, children)

Reducing Countable Income

Unreimbursed medical expenses that exceed 5% of the applicable MAPR can reduce your countable income. For example, a veteran with no dependents can deduct medical expenses exceeding $872 (5% of $17,441). A veteran with one dependent can deduct amounts exceeding $1,141 (5% of $22,839).

A working child's wages are excluded up to $16,100 annually (effective December 1, 2025).

Source: VA.gov — Veterans Pension rates | 38 CFR §§ 3.271, 3.272

Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) values effective December 1, 2025 (2.8% COLA increase). These are annual amounts.

Veterans with No Dependents

Veterans with 1 Dependent

Each additional dependent: Add $2,984 per year.

Two Veterans Married to Each Other

Source: VA.gov — Veterans Pension rates

Aid and Attendance (A&A) is an enhanced pension rate — not a separate benefit. It increases the MAPR for veterans and survivors who meet additional criteria beyond basic pension eligibility (38 USC § 1521(d); 38 CFR §§ 3.351, 3.352).

You May Qualify If You Meet at Least One Criterion

• Need help with daily activities: You need another person to help you with bathing, feeding, dressing, or other daily activities
• Bedridden: You must stay in bed — or spend a large portion of the day in bed — because of illness
• Nursing home patient: You are in a nursing home due to the loss of mental or physical abilities
• Limited eyesight: Even with glasses or contact lenses, you have only 5/200 or less in both eyes, or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less

The standard is that you must be "so helpless as to need regular aid and attendance" — not that there be a constant need. A relative or household member performing aid and attendance does not prevent this benefit from being granted (38 CFR § 3.352(c)).

How to Apply for A&A

• Have a licensed medical professional (MD, DO, PA, or APRN) complete VA Form 21-2680 (Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance)
• If in a nursing home, also submit VA Form 21-0779 (Request for Nursing Home Information)
• If not already receiving pension, apply for pension first with VA Form 21P-527EZ

Source: VA.gov — Aid and Attendance and Housebound

Housebound is also an enhanced pension rate, not a separate benefit (38 USC § 1521(e); 38 CFR § 3.351). You may qualify if you receive VA pension and spend most of your time in your home because of a permanent disability.

Qualification Paths

• Substantially confined: Confined to your home or immediate premises due to disability reasonably certain to remain throughout your lifetime (38 USC § 1502)
• Multiple disabilities: Rated permanently and totally disabled AND have an additional disability or disabilities independently rated at 60% or more (38 USC § 1521(e))

Source: VA.gov — Aid and Attendance and Housebound

Aid and Attendance and Housebound also exist as Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) add-ons to disability compensation for service-connected disabilities. These are governed by entirely different statutes and have different rules.

A veteran cannot receive both pension and disability compensation simultaneously — VA pays whichever is greater. For surviving spouses, DIC A&A and Survivors Pension A&A are also mutually exclusive.

Survivors Pension (38 USC § 1541) provides monthly payments to eligible surviving spouses and dependent children of deceased wartime veterans, based on financial need.

Surviving Spouse Eligibility

• Have not remarried after the veteran's death
• The deceased veteran did not receive a dishonorable discharge
• The veteran met the same wartime service requirements as Veterans Pension
• Income and net worth within limits ($163,699 net worth limit, same as Veterans Pension)

Marriage Timing Requirements

You must have been married to the veteran before the applicable deadline for their war period, OR the marriage lasted 1 year or longer, OR a child was born of the marriage (38 USC § 1541(f)).

Dependent Child Eligibility

An unmarried child who meets at least one of these criteria:

• Under age 18
• Under age 23 and attending a VA-approved school
• Unable to care for self due to a disability that occurred before age 18

Survivors Pension Rates

Each additional child beyond the first: Add $2,984. Qualified surviving child (no surviving spouse): $2,984 per year.

Application form: VA Form 21P-534EZ (Application for DIC, Survivors Pension, and/or Accrued Benefits).

Source: VA.gov — Survivors Pension | Survivors Pension rates

Veterans and survivors who began receiving VA pension before December 31, 1978 and have not elected to switch to the current Improved Pension program continue to receive benefits under older programs (38 CFR 3.3).

Section 306 Pension (1959–1978)

Monthly payments are fixed at the December 31, 1978 entitlement amount, adjusted annually for COLA (2.8% for 2026). Disability pension income limits (effective December 1, 2025): veteran only $19,836; veteran with dependents $26,663. Spouse income exclusion: $6,337.

Old Law Pension (Pre-1959)

Income limits: veteran only $17,372; veteran with dependents $25,033. Monthly rates: basic veteran $66.15; veteran 65+ or 10+ years of service $78.75; Aid and Attendance $135.45; Housebound allowance $100.00.

Source: VA.gov — Protected Pension rates

Apply using VA Form 21P-527EZ (Application for Pension). The Fully Developed Claim (FDC) option — submitting all evidence at once — is the fastest way to get your claim processed.

Five Ways to Apply

1. Online: Apply on VA.gov
2. Upload PDF: Complete the form and upload via the AccessVA QuickSubmit tool
3. Mail: Send to Department of Veterans Affairs, Pension Intake Center, PO Box 5365, Janesville, WI 53547-5365
4. In person: Bring to your nearest VA regional office
5. With a representative: Work with an accredited attorney, claims agent, or VSO representative

Information You Will Need

• Social Security number and VA file number
• Military history and discharge documents (DD-214)
• Marital and work history
• Dependent information
• Household gross monthly income
• Household asset and net worth values
• Unreimbursed medical expenses
• Copy of medical records (if under age 65)

Source: VA.gov — How to apply for VA Pension

• Never pay upfront fees for assistance with initial VA claims — legitimate help is available for free
• Apply directly through VA.gov or at your regional office
• Verify any representative using the VA accreditation search tool
• Report suspected fraud to the VSAFE fraud hotline at 833-38V-SAFE (833-388-7233)

For more on protecting yourself, see our Veteran Fraud Protection guide.

Contact: VA Benefits Hotline: 800-827-1000 | MyVA411: 800-698-2411