VA Pension for Wartime Veterans

What it is

VA pension is different from disability compensation. It is not about service-connected injuries. It is a safety net for wartime veterans who have low income and limited savings. VA pays the difference between your countable income and a yearly limit called the Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR).

Who qualifies

You may qualify if you meet all of these:

• You did not receive a dishonorable discharge.
• You served during a recognized wartime period. For most people that means at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during wartime. Later veterans generally need 24 months or their full call-up period. The Gulf War period, which started August 2, 1990, is still open, so many post-9/11 veterans meet this.
• Your yearly income and net worth are under VA limits.
• You are 65 or older, or you have a permanent and total disability, or you live in a nursing home, or you get Social Security disability or SSI.

How much it pays

The MAPR amounts effective December 1, 2025:

• No dependents: $17,441 a year
• One dependent: $22,839 a year
• Housebound, no dependents: $21,313 a year
• Aid and Attendance, no dependents: $29,093 a year

Your payment is the MAPR minus your countable income, paid monthly. The net worth limit is $163,699 through November 30, 2026. Net worth counts assets plus yearly income. Your home and car usually do not count.

Large, ongoing medical costs, including assisted living and in-home care, can be subtracted from your income. That is why many veterans who think they earn too much still qualify, especially for Aid and Attendance.

VA also looks back three years at assets you gave away or sold for less than they were worth. Moving money out of your name right before you apply can lead to a penalty period.

Aid and Attendance and Housebound

Aid and Attendance adds money if you need help with daily activities like bathing, dressing or eating, if you are bedridden, if you live in a nursing home due to a mental or physical disability, or if you have very limited eyesight.

Housebound adds money if a permanent disability keeps you mostly at home.

You can get one or the other, not both.

How it works when you are relocating

Many older veterans move closer to family or into assisted living. A move can change your pension, because care costs and household members may change. Report changes in income, address, marriage or dependents right away to avoid overpayments. Moving into assisted living may increase your medical expense deduction, which could raise your payment.

How to apply

1. File an Intent to File to lock in your start date.
2. Gather your DD-214, income records, bank statements, and medical expense receipts.
3. Apply online on VA.gov (form 21P-527EZ) or with a free accredited VSO.
4. For Aid and Attendance, have a doctor fill out form 21-2680, or send nursing home info on form 21-0779.

Common mistakes

• Paying a "pension planner" to move your assets. These schemes can cost you eligibility and money. It is illegal for them to charge you to file.
• Not counting unreimbursed medical costs.
• Forgetting to report a change in income.

Related benefits

Surviving spouses of wartime veterans may qualify for Survivors Pension. Read our survivor benefits guide. Pension recipients may also get help with VA health care copays.