In order to help as many people as possible, the American Veterans Institute asks you to please e-mail your questions, AFTER carefully reviewing this site.
We cannot accept phone calls or mail inquiries because we are a very small non-profit operation and we must direct our efforts to maintaining our website and responding to the hundreds of e-mail inquiries we receive. We try to answer each e-mail personally, even those that do not deal specifically with the Improved Pension. Please do not send us your pension application. We are not the VA and cannot process the forms. You can also contact your local Veterans Services Officer for help filling out the forms or with questions not related to the Improved Pension. To find a VSO near you, please click on the following link: http://www.nacvso.org/cvso.asp.
This page is NOT interactive. You must write the figures on a separate piece of paper, or download the question and answer sheet.
This is a self pre-qualification form. You do not submit it anywhere but, rather, answer the questions and then refer to the highlighted text to see if your answers put you in the eligibility range. If you do appear to be eligible, please proceed to the Next Step section of this web site.
If you would prefer to print out the questions and answers below, you can
open and download the Question sheet here and the Answer sheet here.
Please answer the questions below in order to determine if the veteran or surviving spouse is eligible for Aid & Attendance, Housebound Benefits or Basic Pension:
1. The Veteran (living or deceased) on whose service the claim is based was discharged from service under what conditions:Honorable General Dishonorable
Answer: The veteran MUST have been discharged under ‘Honorable’ or ‘General under honorable’ conditions in order to be eligible.
2. The veteran served at least one day during the following periods and had 90 days of continuous military service.
World War II: December 7, 1941 through December 31, 1946
Korean War: June 27, 1950 through January 31, 1955
Vietnam War: August 5, 1964 (February 28, 1961, for veterans who served “in country” before August 5, 1964), through May 7, 1975
Gulf War: August 2, 1990, through a date to be set by law of Presidential Proclamation.
Answer: The veteran MUST have served a MINIMUM of 90 days in the military, at least ONE of which was during one of the above named combat eras.
3. List below the veteran’s or surviving spouse’s assets (do not include value of primary residence & vehicle) Estimate total liquidatable assets:___________
Answer: Net worth is a bit of a hazy issue. The VA suggests that its adjudicators use a certain amount of personal judgment on this issue. But the bottom line is: does it realistically appear that the veteran or surviving spouse may outlive their assets? If so, they are likely eligible.
Do NOT count their residence or vehicle when estimating net worth.
Do NOT count a life insurance policy (because the policy holder must be deceased in order to benefit from it).
DO count CDs, annuities, stocks, bonds, savings, checking, IRAs, Keogh, etc.
DO count any assets owned by the spouse as well.
As a rule of thumb, assets should not exceed $80,000. That amount drops depending on the age of claimant.
4. List below the estimated ANNUAL income of the veteran or surviving spouse:
Estimate total income (If married include spousal income): ______
Answer: All income must be included. This includes social security, pension, interest income, dividends, income from rental property, etc.
If the veteran is married, then any spousal income must also be included. 5. List all unreimbursed, recurring health care expenses:
This includes:
Assisted Living costs (per month): _________________
Nursing Home costs (per month):________________
Home health care service (per month):_______________
Health Insurance premium (per month):_______________
Medicare premium (per month):_________________
Regular (unreimbursed) prescriptions
(per month & verifiable through a pharmacy print-out): _____________
TOTAL Expenses per month: __________
(multiply x 12 to get total annual expenses)
6. Subtract your total annual health care expenses from your total annual income and write the amount here: _____________. This is your “countable income.”
Note: The figures below also reflect the VA's Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) for each level of the Improved Pension. So, for example, the highest pension a veteran can receive at the basic level is $14,643, if he is married. The highest at the Housebound level for a married veteran is $17,126, and so on.
Determining Eligibility from an income standpoint:
VETERAN: To be eligible for Basic Pension:
A veteran alone must have countable income LESS than: $11,181/yr.
A veteran with a spouse must have countable income LESS than: $14,643/yr.
VETERAN:To be eligible for Housebound Benefit:
A veteran alone must have countable income of LESS than: $13,664/yr.
A veteran with a spouse must have countable income LESS than: $17,126/yr
VETERAN:To be eligible for the Aid & Attendance:
A veteran alone must have countable income LESS than: $18,654/yr.
A veteran with a spouse must have countable income LESS than: $22,113/yr.
SURVIVING SPOUSE:To be eligible for Basic Pension:
A surviving spouse must have countable income LESS than: $7,498/yr.
A surviving spouse with a dependent must have countable income LESS than: $9,815/yr.
SURVIVING SPOUSE:To be eligible for Housebound Benefit:
A spouse alone must have countable income LESS than: $9,164/yr.
A spouse with a dependent must have countable income LESS than: $11,478/yr.
SURVIVING SPOUSE:To be eligible for the Aid & Attendance:
A spouse alone must have countable income LESS than: $11,985/yr.
A spouse with a dependent must have countable income LESS than: $14,298/yr.
SUMMARY: If the claimant meets the income criteria, the service criteria, and the net worth criteria, he or she is likely eligible for one of the Improved Pensions (A&A, Housebound or Basic Pension). It is not necessary to request the “Basic Pension” or “Housebound.” Simply fill out the form as though you are requesting the full Aid & Attendance benefit. The VA will determine which level of the Improved Pension is appropriate to your situation. Send the completed forms to your REGIONAL VA OFFICE. You can find your regional VA office by clicking here.
Determining your pension amount: Once you have decided that you may be eligible, you can estimate your possible pension by subtracting your countable income from the Maximum Annual Pension Rate. For example, if your countable income is $10,000 per year and you are a married veteran who qualifies for the Housebound pension, the VA will subtract $10,000 from the MAPR of $17,126 and will arrive at a pension figure of $7,126. This figure will be divided by 12 and paid in monthly installments.
"AVI and Project VetAssist cannot guarantee an individual's eligibility or approval for a VA pension. The final decision on such matters is administered solely by the Veterans Administration. We do not claim to represent them nor do we speak on their behalf."
"The contents of this site (except for the government forms contained therein) are the exclusive property of the American Veterans Institute. Use or replication by other web sites or commercial entities without written permission from the American Veterans Institute is strictly prohibited."
