VA pension with Aid and Attendance or Housebound in Santa Clara County

A directory listing, not an eligibility decision.

UniHealth can identify a possible match, but the responsible program makes the final decision.

What to know

Why it may fit: Your circumstances can be checked against the program’s published guidelines.
What to do next: A monthly VA payment for wartime veterans with low income and savings. You must be 65 or older, or disabled. Aid and Attendance adds more if you need help with daily care. Housebound adds more if a lasting disability keeps you home. You can get one of these, not both.
Who runs it: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Pension Management Center

What the program may consider

At least 90 days of active duty with at least 1 day in wartime (service that began before September 8, 1980), or at least 24 months or the full period called or ordered to active duty with at least 1 day in wartime (enlisted after September 7, 1980, or officers after October 16, 1981); discharge other than dishonorable
You need help with daily activities, are housebound, or live in a nursing home
Net worth under the VA limit
Countable income, after unreimbursed medical costs, below the pension rate

How to get it

A monthly VA payment for wartime veterans with low income and savings. You must be 65 or older, or disabled. Aid and Attendance adds more if you need help with daily care. Housebound adds more if a lasting disability keeps you home. You can get one of these, not both.

How to apply

VA pension application (VA Form 21P-527EZ)

Apply online, by mail, or at a VA regional office. To ask for Aid and Attendance or Housebound, add form 21-2680 from your doctor, or form 21-0779 from your nursing home.

OnlineVA pension application online
MailVA Pension Intake Center: Department of Veterans Affairs, Pension Intake Center, PO Box 5365, Janesville, WI 53547-5365Keep a copy of everything you mail.
In personVA regional benefits officeYou can hand in a pension application in person. Find the office nearest you.
PhoneVA benefits line: 1-800-827-1000Ask about a pension or say you plan to file. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time. TTY 711.
PhoneCounty of Santa Clara Office of Veterans Services: (408) 918-4980Free help from accredited staff with VA applications, appeals and other veterans' benefits, like the veterans' property tax exemption.
In personCounty of Santa Clara Office of Veterans Services office: 68 N. Winchester Blvd., Santa Clara, CA 95050Walk in Tuesdays, 8:10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m., in person or on Zoom. On other weekdays, call for an appointment.

You can also use: Intent to file (VA Form 21-0966)

Holds your start date for 1 year. Call VA or mail form 21-0966. Starting the online pension application also does it.

Getting help

Someone can refer you, with your permission

You sign the application. If you sign with an X, two people must watch and sign too. If you cannot sign or understand it, someone may sign for you. It can be a court-named helper or your power of attorney. It can also be a relative caring for you, or your care home's manager. To have a veterans service officer deal with VA for you, name their group on form 21-22. They help for free. No one may charge you to help with a first claim.

Only an accredited representative can act for you: ask for Appointment of Veterans Service Organization as Claimant's Representative (VA Form 21-22).

What happens after you apply

Need time to gather papers? First tell VA you plan to file. Call VA, or mail form 21-0966. Starting the online application also does this. It holds your start date.
Optional, before you apply
YouA helper can help with this Send the full application within 1 year.
Send form 21P-527EZ online, by mail, or at a VA regional office. List your income and savings. List the medical and care costs you pay yourself. The form also asks about money or property you gave away in the last 3 years.
The VAA helper can help with this
For Aid and Attendance or Housebound, a doctor, physician assistant or nurse practitioner fills out form 21-2680. If you live in a nursing home, the home fills out form 21-0779.
Your doctor or clinicianOnly you can do this
VA may ask for more papers or a VA exam. Go to any exam VA sets up.
If VA needs more
The VAA helper can help with this
VA mails a letter with its decision and your monthly amount.
The VAOn average about 2 months. Some take longer.
VA pays by direct deposit each month. Pay counts from the first of the month after VA got your claim or intent to file. You get back pay for the months you waited.
The VAA helper can help with this

What only you can do

Sign the application. If you cannot, an allowed person signs for you and says why.
Have your doctor fill out form 21-2680, or your nursing home fill out form 21-0779.
Give proof of your income, savings, and the medical and care costs you pay.
Go to any VA exam that VA asks for.
Tell VA right away when your income, savings, marriage or nursing home stay changes.

How long it takes: On average about 2 months after VA gets your claim. Some take longer.
You are enrolled when: You are enrolled when VA's letter grants the pension with Aid and Attendance or Housebound. The first monthly payment must also reach your bank.
To keep it: There is no yearly renewal. Tell VA right away if your income, savings, marriage or nursing home stay changes. If VA mails you a form to check your income, fill it out and send it back.

Can’t be combined with

Long-Term Care Medi-Cal. Does Medi-Cal pay for your nursing home? If you have no spouse or child, VA then pays at most $90 a month.

Coming changes

Starting December 1, 2026: On December 1, 2026, pension amounts and the net worth limit change. They follow Social Security's yearly cost-of-living raise. Net worth is your savings and property, not your home, plus your yearly income.