- Net worth limit$163,699
- MAPR, A&A, no dependents$29,093 a year
- Asset look-back3 years
- Cost to file with a VSOFree
Benefit briefing, St. Louis metro
Dad served. Somebody at the post said the VA pays for help at home. Here is the file.
Aid and Attendance is real, and narrower than the pitch. Here are the three gates, the forms by number, the free filing doors in St. Louis, and what the pitch leaves out: a claim puts nobody in the house tonight.
- It is cash added to a VA pension, not a caregiver.
- An accredited VSO files it, and VA says that is always free.
- Help at home can start on private pay while the claim is pending.
Not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Orders for tonight, before anyone signs anything
Six moves that cost nothing.
- Do not move money.VA reviews transfers in the 3 years before filing; penalties run up to 5 years.
- Find the discharge papers.Gate one is dates of service.
- Call a service officer.Missouri Veterans Commission, St. Louis County: (314) 421-8654.
- Protect the start date.An intent to file sets a potential effective date; an identity-verified online application sets it automatically.
- Book the exam page.Take a blank Form 21-2680 to his next appointment.
- Cover the hours separately.The claim is paperwork. The nights at home are another job.
The three gates, in the order the file clears them
All three must clear. This desk grades no one's file; it shows where each line is printed.
- Gate 1
Wartime service
- Active duty before September 8, 1980: at least 90 days, with at least 1 day during wartime.
- Enlisted after September 7, 1980: generally 24 months, with 1 day during wartime.
- Korea: June 27, 1950 to January 31, 1955. Vietnam: November 1, 1955 (in country) or August 5, 1964 (elsewhere) to May 7, 1975.
- No dishonorable discharge, plus age 65, a permanent and total disability, a nursing home stay, or SSDI or SSI.
VA.gov, updated September 3, 2026
- Gate 2
Need for aid
- He needs another person for bathing, feeding and dressing, or
- illness keeps him in bed much of the day, or a disability put him in a nursing home, or
- eyesight of 5/200 or less in both eyes.
- Housebound is the other add-on; never both at once.
VA.gov, updated May 8, 2026
- Gate 3
Income and net worth
- Net worth limit $163,699 through November 30, 2026. The house, car and most furnishings do not count; a spouse's net worth does.
- Payment is the gap between income for VA purposes and the MAPR.
- Unreimbursed medical expenses may reduce income for VA purposes.
VA.gov, updated December 18, 2025
Briefing index: every read on this desk
Grouped the way a file gets built.
| No. | Read | What it settles |
|---|---|---|
| 01 The three gates | ||
| 1.1 | What is the difference between Aid and Attendance and Housebound, and can Dad get both? | Two add-ons on a VA pension. You cannot receive both at the same time. The examining physician completes Form 21-2680. This desk does not decide need. |
| 1.2 | Aid and Attendance eligibility wartime dates: the three gates Dad has to pass | Service, need, and money, in that order, with the VA wartime period table linked rather than restated from memory. |
| 1.3 | What is the VA Aid and Attendance income limit and net worth cap for this rate year? | There is no secret income number besides MAPR versus countable income. Net worth is $163,699 this rate year. Look-back is three years. Do not move money tonight. |
| 02 The forms | ||
| 2.1 | VA Form 21-2680: who fills it out, and the other forms in the same stack | The examining physician attests on 21-2680. The pension application, survivors form, expense report, and intent to file sit next to it. |
| 03 How long | ||
| 3.1 | How long does Aid and Attendance take to get approved, and can care start before the check? | VA processes claims in the order received unless a claim needs priority processing. The status tool is how you check. Care at home can start on private pay while the claim is pending. |
| 04 Who files it free | ||
| 4.1 | What does a Missouri Veterans Commission service officer actually do on an Aid and Attendance file? | MVC's public page names Veterans Service Officers who provide counseling and assistance and who complete and submit claims. People search benefits counselor. This is the job, statewide. |
| 4.2 | Does the St. Louis VA Regional Office on Page Avenue take a pension claim if I walk in? | Page Avenue is a benefits office and one listed apply door. Health care is a different campus. Mail often goes to Janesville. A VSO is usually the first practical door. |
| 4.3 | How do you file VA Aid and Attendance in Missouri without paying a consultant? | Missouri Veterans Commission VSOs file pension claims at no charge. The three gates, the form stack, and MO HealthNet as a separate door. |
| 4.4 | Dad lives in St. Charles County. Where do I file Aid and Attendance from here? | The free St. Charles claim door, the county programs that are not his, and the VA offices that handle benefits and health care as separate jobs. |
| 4.5 | Veteran service officer, St. Louis County: who files Aid and Attendance for free | The free accredited doors by name, and the tells of a paid pitch. |
| 05 Two VA doors | ||
| 5.1 | Can VA Aid and Attendance pay a family member who is already doing the care? | The pension is cash paid to the Veteran or surviving spouse. They decide how to spend it. Whether a relative's hours count as unreimbursed medical expenses is a VSO documentation question. |
| 5.2 | Does Aid and Attendance cover non-medical home care? Pension vs the Homemaker Aide program | Two VA doors: a cash pension you spend on care you hire, and VA-arranged Homemaker and Home Health Aide hours. |
| 5.3 | Is VA Home Based Primary Care in St. Louis the same thing as Aid and Attendance? | Four VA doors that get mixed at the kitchen table: pension cash, Homemaker Aide hours, a home-based clinical team, and PCAFC. Nights are still an hours problem. |
| 5.4 | If Dad already has VA compensation, is Aid and Attendance still a pension add-on? | Form 21-2680 can sit on compensation or pension. This desk covers the pension add-on. Tell a VSO about the existing file before anyone files pension as the only door. |
| 06 Survivors | ||
| 6.1 | VA Aid and Attendance for a surviving spouse: home care on Dad's wartime service | Survivors Pension with Aid and Attendance, Form 21P-534EZ, evidence, and who files it in St. Louis. |
| 07 Expenses | ||
| 7.1 | How much does Aid and Attendance pay in 2026, and which MAPR row is Dad actually on? | MAPR is an annual maximum on a VA pension, not a monthly flyer number. This desk quotes the Veteran with no dependents row and sends you to the VA table. |
| 7.2 | What counts as unreimbursed medical expenses on a VA pension, and why paying for care can change the math | 38 CFR 3.278 on in-home attendant care, Form 21P-8416, and the net worth limit for the rate year. |
| 08 Medicaid | ||
| 8.1 | Can Dad get Aid and Attendance and Medicaid? The Missouri questions to ask before you apply | MO HealthNet and VA pension are both needs-based. Order can matter. Take the questions to a VSO and an elder law attorney. |
New to this? Start here walks the reads in order.
The service officer takes the paperwork. The hours at home still need someone.
It is not the VA and files no claims. It provides non-medical hours at home, on private pay.
New Plan Care Solutions is independently owned and operated in St. Louis by Stacie Postol. Non-medical in-home support for St. Louis and St. Charles counties: personal care and daily routines, companionship, homemaking, respite for family caregivers, and help while recovering at home. Support can start with a few hours.
It is the only provider featured here, and the guides on this site are educational, not medical advice.
Who to call in the St. Louis metro
As printed on each office's page, checked September 12, 2026. More on local help.
| Office | Number or door | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri Veterans Commission, St. Louis County | (314) 421-8654 | MVC office list |
| MVC, St. Louis City | (314) 421-8676 | MVC office list |
| MVC, St. Charles | (314) 421-8622 | MVC office list |
| St. Louis VA Regional Benefit Office | 9700 Page Ave. | VA.gov |
| VA benefits hotline | 800-827-1000 | VA.gov |
| VA Caregiver Support Line | 1-855-260-3274 | caregiver.va.gov |
| Aging Ahead caregiver program | (636) 207-0847 | Aging Ahead |
| Missouri Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline | 1-800-392-0210 | Missouri DHSS |
What help at home looks like while the VA decides
The pension, if granted, is paid to him to spend. Most families spend it on non-medical help at home. None of it is nursing.
- A few hoursThe morning routine, a shower with someone nearby, lunch, laundry, the ride to the 21-2680 appointment.
- OvernightSomeone awake in the house for the bathroom trips.
- RespiteTime off for the family caregiver to work or sleep.
Care before the check. VA says it processes claims in the order it receives them unless a claim needs priority processing. Nobody has to wait. Keep every receipt for the service officer.
The questions men actually ask
Does the VA send a caregiver, or does it send money?
Money. VA-arranged aide hours are a separate program, Homemaker and Home Health Aide care, started with a VA social worker.
Who fills out the 21-2680, me or his doctor?
A medical examiner fills out the examination section. You bring the form, not the findings.
A man offered to file it for a fee. Is that normal?
A VSO files free. If anyone says to move assets first, call a service officer before you call him back.
Mom is a widow. Can she get it on Dad's service?
A surviving spouse who has not remarried may be eligible for Survivors Pension on Form 21P-534EZ, with an Aid and Attendance rate. The survivors brief
How long until the first check comes?
VA prints no month count. Protect the start date, then follow the file with VA's claim status tool.
VA.gov and Missouri pages read September 12, 2026. Every source: sources.