The Department of Veterans Affairs pays a monthly pension to some wartime veterans and their survivors who have limited or no income. Veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities, or who are housebound, can apply for extra pension on top of it.
The VA’s pension page, last updated July 24, 2026, lays out who can apply.
Who can draw a VA pension?
The VA says pension benefits “are available to some wartime Veterans and their survivors.” It describes the program as aimed at “wartime Veterans and survivors with limited or no income who meet certain age and disability requirements.” Surviving spouses and children of a deceased veteran with wartime service are included.
The VA’s eligibility page, last updated September 3, 2026, adds the tests. A veteran must have served during a recognized wartime period, a list that includes World War II (December 7, 1941, to December 31, 1946) and the Gulf War (August 2, 1990, onward). The applicant must also be at least 65 years old or have a permanent and total disability.
How do income and net worth count?
The VA says a person’s yearly family income and net worth must meet limits set by Congress. Net worth, the page explains, includes all personal property the person owns except the house, the car and most home furnishings, minus debts owed. It also includes the net worth of a spouse.
The eligibility page gives no dollar limits. It sends readers to the VA’s current pension rates, which are set by Congress and change over time.
For a retired couple on Social Security with modest savings, the practical question is whether household income and net worth sit under those limits.
Retirement deadlines, in your inbox: Miss an enrollment or claim deadline and the money can be gone. The Retirement Money Brief keeps you ahead of the ones that matter, every weekday.
Get the Retirement Money Brief →
We may earn a commission from links on this page.
What is the extra pension for daily help?
The VA’s pension page says: “If you need help with daily activities or you’re housebound, find out how to apply for extra VA pension benefits.” Those extra payments are known as Aid and Attendance and Housebound. The VA publishes separate pension rates that include the Aid and Attendance and Housebound amounts.
That gives the program three levels: the basic pension, a higher rate for veterans and survivors who are housebound, and a higher rate still for those who need Aid and Attendance. The extra rates matter most for families already paying for in-home help or an assisted living bill.
How does a veteran or widow apply?
The VA’s page tells applicants to prepare and apply for a VA Veterans Pension and says people can work with an accredited attorney, claims agent or Veterans Service Organization representative. Filing the claim with the VA directly costs nothing. The VA benefits hotline is 800-827-1000.
The page also points to a check of eligibility for veterans and for survivors, and to protected pension rates for people on older programs known as section 306 and old law pension. Anyone already receiving one of those is covered by their own rate table.
The VA pension page does not say how long a claim takes. What it does give is the list of who can apply, which is wider than many families assume: a veteran with wartime service, a surviving spouse and a surviving child can each come under the program.
The program is separate from VA disability compensation. Pension depends on income, net worth, age or disability and wartime service, not on an injury from service, so a veteran who never filed a disability claim can still be a candidate. A widow whose husband served in wartime can check the same tests, starting with the dates of his service.
Has anyone in the family checked the VA pension?
A wartime veteran or widow who never filed leaves the pension unclaimed, and a family that pays for daily care out of pocket may not know the Aid and Attendance rate exists. Paid pension helpers who charge to file are a known trap, because the VA says people can file with the VA directly at no charge.
The Veterans Benefits Action Kit lays out the three VA pension levels including Aid & Attendance, and how to file for free using VA Form 21P-527EZ. It includes the pension-poacher warning signs and a claim tracker for keeping dates and documents in one place.
Get the three VA pension levels and the claim tracker in the Veterans Benefits Action Kit →
More Financial Reading
- 21 Ways to Stretch a $2,087 Social Security Check
- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- 15 Steps to Stop the Scams That Took $7.7 Billion From Seniors
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
