Veteran Benefits Information

Veterans Long-Term Care Benefits Information

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pays for long-term care services for service-related disabilities and for certain other eligible veterans, as well as other health programs such as nursing home care and at-home care for aging veterans with long-term care needs.

The VA also pays for veterans who do not have service-related disabilities, but who are unable to pay for the cost of necessary care. Co-pays may apply depending on the veteran’s income level.

The VA has two more programs to help veterans stay in their homes:

1. The Housebound Aid and Attendance Allowance Program. This program provides cash to eligible veterans with disabilities and their surviving spouses to purchase home and community-based long-term care services such as personal care assistance and homemaker services. The cash is a supplement to the eligible veteran’s pension benefits
2. A Veteran Directed Home and Community Based Services program (VD-HCBS). This program was developed in 2008 for eligible veterans of any age. The program provides veterans with a flexible budget to purchase services. Counseling and other supports for veterans are provided by the Aging Network in partnership with the Veterans Administration

Many veterans who have savings obtain affordable Long-Care Insurance to safeguard their assets and ease the burden on their families. Vets who have a military pension and TRICARE for their health insurance will still get long-term care insurance (unless they have a full military disability or little or no assets). TRICARE, like any other health insurance or Medicare or Medicare Supplement will only pay for a limited amount of skilled long-term care service and only if a person is improving.

Visit the Department of Veterans Affairs https://www.va.gov/ to view available programs and services or download a Veterans Benefits fact sheet here. You can call the VA at
800-827-1000 to obtain information about services available in your area.

National Council for Aging has a guide for Veteran’s: Military Veteran Benefit Options