Does the VA pay for nursing home care?
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Key takeaways
- VA does not pay for nursing home care for every veteran. It depends on your service-connected disability, your need for care, your income and whether a place is available.
- VA provides nursing-home-level care in three settings: its own Community Living Centers, community nursing homes it contracts with, and State Veterans Homes.
- In 2026, long-term care copays are $0 for the first 21 days in a 12-month period and up to $97 a day after that, unless you are exempt.
- Aid and Attendance is extra money added to a VA pension. It is paid to you, and the amount depends on your income.
Sometimes. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pays for nursing home care for some veterans, depending on service-connected disability, the need for care, income and whether a place is available. It does not pay for every veteran, and it does not normally pay for a spouse's care.
Where does VA provide nursing home care?
VA describes three settings. In each, you live there full time with nursing care and help with daily tasks around the clock.
| Setting | Who runs it | What VA says about paying |
|---|---|---|
| Community Living Center | VA. These are VA's own nursing homes, with more than 100 across the country. | VA provides the care if you meet criteria involving service-connected status, level of disability and income. |
| Community nursing home | A non-VA nursing home that VA contracts with. | VA pays only if you meet the same kinds of criteria. Otherwise you use your own resources, which may include Medicare or Medicaid. |
| State Veterans Home | The state. VA does not manage these homes. | A VA-recognized home may receive VA payments that help cover the cost of a veteran's care. What you pay varies by state. |
Which veterans must VA cover?
Federal law requires VA, within the funding Congress provides, to provide nursing home care that it determines is needed to two groups: a veteran who needs the care for a service-connected disability, and a veteran who needs the care and has a service-connected disability rated at 70 percent or more. Congress has renewed this requirement many times, and the current extension runs through December 11, 2026.
For its long-term care services in general, VA lists three conditions: you are signed up for VA health care, VA concludes that you need the service, and the service or space is available near you. VA says it may also consider your service-connected disability status and insurance coverage, and that help paying for nursing home care depends on your income and the level of your service-connected disability.
What are the copays in 2026?
| Long-term care | 2026 copay |
|---|---|
| First 21 days of care in a 12-month period | $0 |
| Inpatient care, such as a stay in a Community Living Center, from day 22 | Up to $97 a day |
| Outpatient care, such as adult day health care | Up to $15 a day |
| Domiciliary care | Up to $5 a day |
Those are maximums. From day 22, VA bases the copay on the level of care and on the financial information in your Application for Extended Care Services (VA Form 10-10EC), so the amount can be lower. Some veterans owe no copay, including a veteran with a compensable service-connected disability. VA does not charge a copay for hospice care.
What is Aid and Attendance?
Aid and Attendance is a monthly amount added to a VA pension. It is paid to the veteran or surviving spouse, not to the nursing home. To get it you first have to qualify for a VA pension, which is for wartime veterans who meet age or disability requirements and whose income and net worth are within limits set by Congress.
You may qualify for Aid and Attendance if you get a VA pension and at least one of these is true: you need another person's help with daily activities such as bathing, feeding and dressing; you have to stay in bed for a large part of the day because of illness; you are a patient in a nursing home because of the loss of mental or physical abilities related to a disability; or your eyesight is very limited.
| Who | Maximum a year |
|---|---|
| Veteran with no dependents | $29,093 |
| Veteran with one dependent | $34,488 |
| Surviving spouse with no dependents | $18,697 |
The maximum is a ceiling. VA pays the difference between it and your countable income, and unreimbursed medical expenses such as nursing home fees can reduce the income VA counts, but only the part above 5% of the basic maximum pension rate.
- Net worth limit. $163,699 for December 1, 2025, through November 30, 2026. Your home and car are not counted.
- Look-back. VA reviews asset transfers in the 36 months before a pension claim and can apply a penalty period of up to 5 years.
- Medicaid-covered nursing home. A veteran with no spouse or child whose nursing home care is covered by Medicaid is limited to a pension of $90 a month. VA says the home cannot count that payment toward the cost of care. The limit does not apply in a State Veterans Home that receives VA per diem payments.
How do State Veterans Homes work?
State Veterans Homes are owned and run by state governments, and VA says there are homes in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Each state sets its own eligibility and admission rules. Some admit spouses and Gold Star parents, and others admit only veterans. A VA-recognized home may receive VA payments toward the cost of a veteran's care, and VA does not pay for the care of non-veterans. VA points to the directory kept by the National Association of State Veterans Homes to find one.
Does VA pay for a spouse or for assisted living?
Spouses. VA says it does not normally provide care for veterans' family members. A surviving spouse who has not remarried, whose spouse was a wartime veteran meeting VA's service requirements, and who is within the income and net worth limits may qualify for a Survivors Pension, with Aid and Attendance added if the spouse meets the criteria above.
Assisted living. VA says it does not pay for room and board in assisted living. It may pay for some of the extra services a veteran needs there. See nursing home vs. assisted living.
How do you start?
- Enroll in VA health care. The form is the Application for Health Benefits (VA Form 10-10EZ). VA's health benefits hotline is 877-222-8387.
- Talk with a VA social worker. VA says its social workers can discuss your eligibility, help you find a nursing home and help with the arrangements.
- Ask about the copay. The amount is set from VA Form 10-10EC.
- For Aid and Attendance, the form is VA Form 21-2680. A resident of a nursing home also files VA Form 21-0779. VA's benefits hotline is 800-827-1000.
VA says the help an accredited Veterans Service Organization representative gives on a claim is always free, and that an accredited attorney or claims agent can charge a fee only after VA has decided the initial claim.
If VA does not cover the stay, see what Medicare covers and how Medicaid pays for a nursing home.