Which Income Counts When Social Security Is the Only Check: Sizing a Single Veteran's Household

A single veteran whose only regular money is a Social Security check has the simplest income picture a claim can have. That simplicity is useful, but only if every line is sorted by what it is before anyone totals it. The gross figure on a statement is rarely the figure VA uses.¹

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Start with the statements, not the memory

Gather the most recent award letter, the last twelve months of deposits, and any other regular payment the household receives. A payment you remember may not appear in the deposits, and a deposit you did not expect may turn out to be a refund or a one-time item. Build the list from the paper.

Sort each line into one of three bins

Every line goes into one of three bins: money that clearly counts as income, money that clearly does not, and money you need to ask about. Social Security is usually in the first bin, but the amount on the award letter is a gross figure, and the deductions that come out of it are a separate question. Ask the representative which deductions VA allows and what paperwork it needs to see for each one.

Medical costs as a deduction

Some unreimbursed medical costs can be deducted when VA works out countable income. Those costs have to be documented, dated, and tied to the veteran, which means a receipt is worth more than a memory. The mechanics of keeping the records belong with the expense work covered elsewhere on this desk, so here the only question is whether the household has the records at all.

What to compare before you size anything

Compare the gross on the award letter with the net that lands in the bank. Compare the annual total with the monthly figure you plan to use. Compare what the representative says counts with what the statements show. If the three do not line up, the sizing is not ready, and the work should stop until they do.

For the person who will answer VA's questions, the Start Here page gives the order to read before the numbers go on paper, and How We Write This Briefing explains why this desk does not supply the figures itself.

¹ VA.gov, information on how VA counts income for pension claims.