VA pension and Aid and Attendance in central Iowa

What is VA Aid and Attendance, and who can get it?

Aid and Attendance is an increased VA pension amount for a wartime veteran or surviving spouse with limited income and assets who needs help with daily activities, is bedridden, lives in a nursing home or has limited eyesight.

It is not a separate check. It raises the Maximum Annual Pension Rate, and the VA pays the difference between that rate and the claimant's countable income. Because unreimbursed care costs, including assisted living and home care fees, reduce countable income, many central Iowa veterans and widows with modest pensions qualify once care begins.

How much can VA Aid and Attendance pay in 2026?

For December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026, the maximum annual pension with Aid and Attendance is $29,093 for a veteran with no dependents, about $2,424 a month, and $18,697 for a surviving spouse with no dependents, about $1,558 a month.

VA pension rates in effect December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026.

The net worth limit for this period is $163,699, counting assets plus annual income. A primary home and vehicle are generally excluded. The VA also reviews asset transfers in the three years before a claim.

Where do Des Moines-area veterans get free help with a VA claim?

From their county veterans affairs office: Polk, Dallas, Warren, Jasper, Madison and Guthrie counties each have one, and accredited service officers prepare pension claims at no charge.

Bring the DD-214, a marriage certificate for a surviving spouse claim, current income and asset figures, and receipts or a contract showing monthly care costs. Avoid anyone who charges a fee to file the claim; accredited representatives may not charge for preparing an initial claim.

What VA long-term care options are there in central Iowa?

The VA Central Iowa Health Care System's medical center in Des Moines provides medical care and can authorize some home and community-based services and contract nursing home care for eligible veterans, and the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown provides long-term care for veterans and eligible spouses.

The Iowa Veterans Home is run by the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs and has its own admission process. Ask the VA social worker about home-based primary care, respite and the veteran-directed care program, which in some cases pays for help at home.

Can VA pension and the Elderly Waiver be used together?

Yes, but carefully: VA pension counts as income for Iowa Medicaid, while Aid and Attendance tied to unreimbursed medical expenses is treated differently, so the order and timing of applications matter.

Ask a county veterans service officer and Iowa HHS how the two interact before applying for both. For a veteran in a nursing facility on Medicaid, the VA pension is generally reduced to a small monthly amount.