How to apply for Veterans Pension — wartime service, age or disability, the income and net worth tests, VA Form 21P-527EZ and the rates effective December 1, 2025
Veterans Pension is a needs-based benefit, separate from disability compensation, for a veteran who did not receive a dishonorable discharge, served at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a wartime period (24 months or the full period of the call-up for enlisted service that began after September 7, 1980), and is 65 or older, permanently and totally disabled, in a nursing home for long-term care because of a disability, or receiving Social Security disability (SSDI or SSI). Yearly family income must be below the maximum annual pension rate (MAPR) for your household, and net worth — assets plus annual income, not counting your home, car and most furnishings — must be at or below $163,699 from December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026. VA pays the difference between the MAPR and your countable income, in twelve monthly payments; unreimbursed medical expenses above 5 percent of the MAPR reduce countable income. A veteran who needs help with daily living, or is housebound, gets a higher MAPR. Apply online or on VA Form 21P-527EZ.
What you'll need
- VA Form 21P-527EZ (Application for Pension), or the online application
- DD-214 or other proof of service dates and discharge
- Gross monthly income for the household (Social Security, pensions, wages, interest, rental income) and the value of assets
- Unreimbursed medical expenses: Medicare and other premiums, prescriptions, in-home care, assisted living or nursing home costs
- Medical records if you are under 65 and claiming on disability; VA Form 21-2680 for Aid and Attendance or Housebound
- A free accredited representative (CVSO or VSO)
Step-by-step
Step 1: Check the service, discharge and age or disability rules
Service: you began active duty before September 8, 1980 and served at least 90 days with at least one day in a wartime period; or began as an enlisted member after September 7, 1980 and served at least 24 months or the full period for which you were called or ordered to active duty (with some exceptions), with at least one day in wartime; or were an officer who began after October 16, 1981 without 24 months of prior active duty. Wartime periods: World War II (December 7, 1941 – December 31, 1946), Korea (June 27, 1950 – January 31, 1955), Vietnam (November 1, 1955 – May 7, 1975 for service in the Republic of Vietnam; August 5, 1964 – May 7, 1975 otherwise) and the Gulf War (August 2, 1990 to a date to be set by law). You must not have a dishonorable discharge. And one of these must be true: you are at least 65; you have a permanent and total disability (service connection is not required); you are a patient in a nursing home for long-term care because of a disability; or you receive SSDI or SSI.
Step 2: Do the income and net worth math
Maximum annual pension rates effective December 1, 2025: veteran with no dependents $17,441 ($21,313 if Housebound, $29,093 with Aid and Attendance); with one dependent $22,839 ($26,710 Housebound, $34,488 Aid and Attendance), with an added amount for each further dependent child; two veterans married to each other $22,839 up to $46,143 when both need Aid and Attendance. Countable income is the household's gross income minus unreimbursed medical expenses that exceed 5 percent of the MAPR for your household (38 CFR 3.272). Example: a veteran alone with $14,000 of Social Security and $4,000 of unreimbursed medical expenses deducts the part above $872 ($3,128), leaving $10,872 of countable income; the pension is $17,441 minus $10,872, or $6,569 a year, paid as about $547 a month. Net worth — assets plus annual income, excluding your residence, a reasonable lot, your vehicle and personal effects — must be $163,699 or less; VA looks back three years for assets given away for less than value and can impose a penalty period of up to five years (38 CFR 3.274–3.276).
Reference: https://www.va.gov/pension/veterans-pension-rates/
Step 3: Gather the documents
You will report your Social Security number, VA file number, military, marital and work history, dependents, the household's gross monthly income, the value of assets and your unreimbursed medical expenses; if you are under 65 you submit medical records showing permanent and total disability. Have the award letters and statements that back the numbers — Social Security, pension or annuity statements, bank and investment statements, premium notices, care-facility invoices and caregiver agreements — because VA may ask for them. If you need Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits, have your physician complete VA Form 21-2680 (and VA Form 21-0779 if you live in a nursing home).
Step 4: File VA Form 21P-527EZ
Apply online at VA.gov, upload a completed VA Form 21P-527EZ through QuickSubmit, mail it to Department of Veterans Affairs, Pension Intake Center, PO Box 5365, Janesville, WI 53547-5365, bring it to a VA regional office, or file through a free accredited representative. If you are still gathering documents, submit an intent to file first (online, by phone at 800-827-1000, or VA Form 21-0966); a claim filed within a year of the intent to file is paid from the intent-to-file date. VA cannot pay pension and disability compensation at the same time — if you are entitled to both, you receive the greater one.
Step 5: After the award
Pension is paid monthly and is not taxed. Report changes that affect the amount — income, assets, dependents, marital status, a move to or from a care facility — promptly, since VA adjusts the award from the date of the change and recovers overpayments. If your health declines, apply for the Aid and Attendance or Housebound increase with VA Form 21-2680; Aid and Attendance raises the MAPR by $11,652 a year for a veteran alone at the current rates. Surviving spouses and children of wartime veterans have their own benefit, Survivors Pension, claimed on VA Form 21P-534EZ.
Reference: https://www.va.gov/pension/aid-attendance-housebound/
Critical tips
- Keep receipts for medical expenses through the year; recurring costs such as assisted living, in-home care and insurance premiums are what most often bring countable income under the MAPR.
- Post-9/11 veterans qualify on the service test — the Gulf War period is still open — once they are 65 or permanently and totally disabled.
- If you received an other than honorable, bad conduct or dishonorable discharge, VA can review the character of your service or you can seek a discharge upgrade; see the discharge upgrade guide.
- A county veterans service officer can file the application and the financial forms for free: warriorsfund.org/find-cvso.
- In crisis: dial 988 then press 1, or text 838255.