Aid and Attendance (A&A) and Housebound are additional benefits paid on top of your regular disability compensation if you need help with daily living activities or are substantially confined to your home. These benefits can significantly increase your monthly payment. Aid and Attendance may be granted if you need help with activities like bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, or adjusting prosthetic devices. It also applies if you are bedridden or if your disabilities make you a patient in a nursing home. You do not need to have an attendant currently helping you; the need for such assistance is what matters. Housebound benefits apply if you are substantially confined to your home or immediate premises due to your disabilities. To qualify, you generally need a single disability rated at 100 percent plus additional disabilities rated at 60 percent or more, or you must be actually housebound due to your service-connected conditions. You can receive either Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits but not both simultaneously. A&A is generally the higher benefit. These benefits also extend to surviving spouses and can be paid to the spouse of a living veteran who has their own need for assistance. To apply, submit a statement from your doctor detailing your care needs along with your claim. The medical evidence should specifically describe what activities you need help with and why.
Note: This article references sections of the VA's M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual. The VA periodically reorganizes the M21-1 and section numbers may have changed since this article was written. For the most current section references, visit the VA's public M21-1 Web Automated Reference Material System (WARMS).