Does the VA Offer Assisted Living? Payments, Costs, and How To Apply

The VA does not offer assisted living directly, but it helps veterans get into and pay for it through three separate programs. The Community Residential Care program places veterans in approved private homes and group residences where the VA handles medical oversight and the veteran pays the housing costs. Aid and Attendance adds a monthly payment to a VA pension that can be spent on assisted living bills. And for veterans with high service-connected disability ratings, the VA is required to cover nursing home care in full.

Community Residential Care Is the VA’s Version of Assisted Living

Community Residential Care, or CRC, is the closest thing the VA runs to an assisted living program. CRC facilities are privately owned homes and group residences that provide a room, meals, personal care, and supervision to veterans who cannot live independently but do not need hospital or nursing home care. More than 550 approved facilities operate across the country.¹

The VA does not pay rent or room and board at these facilities. The veteran covers those costs from their own income, which can include VA disability compensation, VA pension, Social Security, or retirement pay.¹ The monthly rate is negotiated directly between the veteran and the facility before placement.² National median assisted living costs run around $4,500 per month, with wide variation by location.

What the VA does cover is the medical side. Veterans in CRC get their care through outpatient VA appointments and receive visits from VA healthcare professionals. Federal standards require approved facilities to provide meals, laundry, transportation to medical appointments, 24-hour supervision when needed, and help with activities of daily living.³

Getting into CRC starts with enrollment in VA healthcare. Once enrolled, ask a social worker or case manager at your local VA Medical Center for a referral. They review your medical records, arrange a clinical assessment of whether you can safely handle daily tasks like bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, and moving around, and match you to an approved facility.⁴ Expect to visit any potential facility before placement is finalized.

Aid and Attendance: The Monthly Payment That Helps Pay the Bill

For most veterans, the direct financial help toward an assisted living bill comes from Aid and Attendance. This is an added amount on top of the VA pension for veterans who need another person’s help with everyday activities like bathing, dressing, or eating. Veterans who are bedridden, live in a nursing home, or have severely limited eyesight also qualify.⁵

Because it’s an add-on to the pension, you have to qualify for the pension first. That means wartime-era service: Vietnam (1955–1975 for those who served in Vietnam, 1964–1975 for others), Korea (1950–1955), the Gulf War (August 2, 1990 through a date to be set by law), and other recognized periods. You also need at least 90 days of active duty, or 24 months if you enlisted after September 7, 1980, with at least one day during a wartime period.⁶

There is also a net worth limit. Countable net worth, which generally excludes your primary home, cannot exceed $163,699 as of the adjustment effective December 1, 2025. The VA updates this figure each year for cost of living.⁷

2026 Maximum Payment Rates

Your actual pension is calculated by subtracting your countable income from the Maximum Annual Pension Rate for your household and dividing by 12. For veterans who qualify for Aid and Attendance, the 2026 maximums are:

Veteran with no dependents: $29,093 per year, up to $2,424 per month.
Veteran with one dependent: $34,488 per year, up to $2,874 per month.⁸

The money can be spent on any care expense, including assisted living room and board, in-home aides, or adult day programs. Lower countable income moves your payment closer to the maximum.

When the VA Pays the Full Cost

Some veterans do not pay anything for residential care. Federal law requires the VA to provide nursing home care to two groups: veterans who need nursing care for a service-connected condition, and veterans with a combined service-connected disability rating of 70 percent or higher who need nursing care for any reason.⁹ Care can be delivered in a VA-run nursing home, a state veterans home, or a contracted community nursing home.

One deadline to watch: the current authorization for mandatory nursing home care is set to expire on September 30, 2026.⁹ Congress has renewed it before. If you already have a 70 percent or higher rating and need nursing home care, applying now is the safer move.

State veterans homes are worth a separate look. Every state operates at least one, offering nursing home care, domiciliary care, or both, typically at rates below private alternatives. The VA pays a daily per diem directly to the state home, which reduces the veteran’s out-of-pocket cost. Veterans rated at 70 percent or higher who need nursing care pay nothing in state homes because the VA covers the full daily rate.¹⁰ Admission rules vary by state but generally require an honorable discharge and state residency, and many homes also accept spouses and Gold Star parents. Waiting lists are common, so start early.

Surviving Spouses Can Get Aid and Attendance Too

Aid and Attendance is not veteran-only. A surviving spouse who receives a VA Survivors Pension can also qualify if they need help with daily activities, are bedridden, live in a nursing home, or have severely limited eyesight.⁵ The same $163,699 net worth limit applies, and the wartime service criteria are based on the deceased veteran’s service.

The 2026 maximums for surviving spouses with Aid and Attendance are:

Surviving spouse with no dependents: $18,697 per year, up to $1,558 per month.
Surviving spouse with at least one dependent: $22,304 per year, up to $1,859 per month.¹¹

How To Apply

The paperwork depends on which benefit you’re after. Many veterans file for both healthcare and Aid and Attendance.

VA Healthcare Enrollment

Enrollment is the gateway to a CRC placement. File VA Form 10-10EZ, the Application for Health Benefits, online, in person at any VA medical center, or by mail.¹² The form asks about service history, finances (for a means test if your disability rating is under 50 percent), and basic health details. The VA will pull your DD Form 214 on your behalf, though a copy on hand speeds things up.¹³

Aid and Attendance

Your physician must complete VA Form 21-2680, which documents your functional limitations: diagnoses, hours per day in bed, and whether you need help bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, managing medication, and moving around your home.¹⁴ A detailed exam gives the VA a stronger basis for approval. Include your gross annual income, deductible expenses such as unreimbursed medical bills, and any medical records from non-VA doctors.

File an Intent To File First

Before you have every document ready, submit VA Form 21-0966, the Intent to File. It sets a potential start date for your benefits, so if the VA later approves the claim you may get back pay covering the months between the intent filing and the approval.¹⁵ You then have one year to submit the full application. Because gathering medical records and scheduling the Form 21-2680 exam can take weeks, and processing typically takes several months, the intent form is worth doing on day one.⁵

Medicaid and Tax Deductions

Many veterans qualify for both VA benefits and Medicaid, and in most cases you can hold both, though amounts may adjust. A single veteran in a Medicaid-funded nursing home typically sees the VA pension reduced to $90 per month. Married veterans and veterans receiving care at home generally keep the full VA pension. In most states, the Aid and Attendance portion of a pension does not count as income for Medicaid eligibility, but the base pension does. Coordination rules vary by state, so a VA-accredited claims agent or a veterans service organization can help you avoid a surprise cut to either benefit.

If you’re paying out of pocket, some of the cost may be deductible on your federal return. The IRS allows a deduction for medical expenses above 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income. When the main reason for living in an assisted living facility is to receive medical care, the full cost including room and board qualifies. If the reason is personal, only the portion tied to medical or nursing care is deductible. To claim the full deduction you generally need certification from a licensed healthcare provider that you cannot perform at least two activities of daily living without substantial help, or that you need supervision because of severe cognitive impairment.¹⁶ Keep the facility’s billing breakdown between care and housing.

1
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Community Residential Care – Geriatrics and Extended Care
2
Veterans Affairs. Community Residential Care (CRC) Program
3
eCFR. 38 CFR 17.63 – Approval of Community Residential Care Facilities
4
eCFR. 38 CFR Part 17 – Hospital, Domiciliary and Nursing Home Care
5
Veterans Affairs. VA Aid and Attendance Benefits and Housebound Allowance
6
Veterans Affairs. Eligibility for Veterans Pension
7
Federal Register. Veterans and Survivors Pension and Parents’ Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA)
8
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Current Pension Rates for Veterans
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 USC 1710A – Required Nursing Home Care
10
eCFR. 38 CFR 51.41 – Contracts and State Home Care Agreements for Certain Veterans With Service-Connected Disabilities
11
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Current Survivors Pension Benefit Rates
12
Veterans Affairs. About VA Form 10-10EZ
13
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Request Your Military Service Records (Including DD214)
14
Veterans Benefits Administration – VA.gov. VA Form 21-2680 – Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance
15
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Your Intent to File a VA Claim
16
Internal Revenue Service. Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses