Benefits Navigator · Illinois

VA Aid & Attendance, Illinois Veterans & Surviving Spouses

Up to $2,727/month tax-free for wartime veterans and spouses who need help at home or in assisted living.

Veteran, alone (2024)

Up to $2,300/mo

Veteran w/ spouse

Up to $2,727/mo

Surviving spouse

Up to $1,478/mo

Net-worth limit (2024)

$155,356

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Aid & Attendance (A&A) is a pension enhancement paid on top of the basic VA Pension. For a wartime veteran, surviving spouse, or veteran couple who need help with daily activities, it can add $1,478 to $2,727 per month, tax-free, money that pays for in-home care, assisted living, or memory care. It is the single most impactful benefit most Illinois veteran families miss.

The three parts of eligibility

1. Service, 90+ days of active duty with 1 day during a wartime period, discharge other than dishonorable.

2. Medical, Needs help with at least one Activity of Daily Living (bathing, dressing, eating, transferring, toileting), is bedridden, in a nursing home, or has severe visual impairment. A VA physician form (21-2680) documents this.

3. Financial, Net worth (assets + annual income minus recurring unreimbursed medical expenses) under $155,356 in 2024. Medical expenses include assisted living rent, in-home caregivers, and Medicare premiums, which is why many families qualify even when they think they have too much money.

How Aid & Attendance actually gets paid

The VA sends the money directly to the veteran or spouse, not to the facility.
Payments are tax-free.
The benefit is retroactive to the month of application (not to when you first became eligible), apply the day you're ready.

The 3-year lookback (added in 2018)

Since Oct 2018, the VA reviews the prior 36 months for gifts and asset transfers below fair market value. Improper transfers trigger a penalty period (up to 5 years). This lookback is shorter than Medicaid's, but the two interact, moving assets to qualify for A&A can create Medicaid problems later.

How to apply in Illinois, for free

Do not pay anyone to file a VA claim. Federal law prohibits charging fees for claim preparation.

Use instead:

Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA), Free accredited officers in every region.
County Veterans Assistance Commissions (Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry).
VSOs: American Legion, VFW, DAV, PVA, all accredited, all free.

Watch out for insurance and annuity salespeople offering "free VA benefit help", they often earn commissions from products that may or may not fit the family.

Frequently asked in Illinois

Can my mother-in-law, widow of a Korean War vet, get A&A while at home?

Yes, A&A doesn't require assisted living. If she needs help with at least one ADL at home and is under the net-worth limit, she can qualify for Survivors Pension with A&A up to $1,478/mo. Her in-home caregiver costs count against her income for eligibility.

How long does approval take?

Typically 3 to 9 months in 2024, though we've seen faster with well-documented Illinois VSO submissions. Retroactive pay covers the wait.