The veteran is living
Screen for Veterans Pension
Start with discharge, active-duty service dates, wartime service, age or disability, household income, net worth, and unreimbursed medical expenses.
Walk through the application → Florida-first guidance for veteran families
Long-term care is complicated.
Your next step shouldn’t be.
Understand care options, how they may be paid for, and who can help—before your family is forced to figure it out during a crisis.
✓ Free public resource · No account required · We don’t collect personal information
Start with your situation
What is your family facing?
You don’t need to know the name of a benefit or program. Choose the situation that feels closest to yours.
We need help at home
Explore in-home care, caregiver support, insurance, VA benefits, and Florida programs.
Explore this path →I’m caring for a veteran
Find respite, caregiver programs, planning tools, and ways to ask for help.
Explore this path →We’re considering a care home
Compare assisted living, memory care, nursing homes, and state veterans homes.
Explore this path →I’m planning ahead
Put documents, permissions, benefits, and a care plan in place before a crisis.
Explore this path →?
“They never received a VA pension.”
That doesn’t mean they weren’t eligible
A VA pension is not military retirement.
It is a needs-based monthly benefit for certain wartime veterans who meet age or disability requirements and whose income and net worth are within VA limits. The veteran does not need a service-connected disability or an existing VA disability rating.
Understand VA pension →Two benefits people often confuse
VA pension and disability compensation are not the same.
Both can provide monthly payments, but they answer different questions. A lack of service-connected disability should never end a pension screening for an older wartime veteran.
The question
VA pension
Disability compensation
What is it for?
Financial need among qualifying wartime veterans
A condition caused or worsened by military service
Must the disability be service-connected?
No
Yes
Does age matter?
Age 65 can satisfy the age-or-disability requirement
No age requirement
Are income and net worth considered?
Yes
No
Is wartime service required?
Yes—plus applicable service-length rules
No
01
Social Security does not automatically disqualify someone. It generally counts as income, but some unreimbursed medical expenses may reduce income for VA pension purposes.
02
Aid and Attendance is usually an increased pension amount. First establish the veteran’s or survivor’s pension pathway, then consider the need for regular assistance or housebound status.
03
VA generally won’t pay pension and disability compensation together. If a veteran qualifies for both, VA generally pays the greater benefit.
The veteran has died
Screen the surviving spouse
The veteran did not have to receive pension while living. A qualifying spouse may have a Survivors Pension path based on the veteran’s wartime service.
See the complete survivor guide →Official information last reviewed August 2026. Eligibility and payment decisions are made by VA.
Why this guide exists
“Start planning early, before the need arises—so you aren’t dealing with everything all at once.”
Built from lived experience helping parents navigate dementia care, home-care costs, Medicaid, VA benefits, and the challenge of speaking with VA on a loved one’s behalf.
Featured starting guide
My parent needs help at home, and we can’t afford enough care.
We’ll help you work through the major pieces in the right order—from immediate safety and long-term care insurance to VA services, Aid and Attendance, and Florida Medicaid long-term care.
- 01Understand the care needWhat help is needed today, and what may change soon?
- 02Map possible payment sourcesVA, insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, and personal funds work differently.
- 03Prepare for the first callsKnow who to contact and what information to have ready.
Make the system understandable
Different needs. Different doors.
Families are often handed a form without being told which system it belongs to. These quick guides separate the most commonly confused paths.
It may take more than one source.
- VA health careMay arrange or pay for eligible health and support services.
- VA pensionA monthly cash benefit that may increase with Aid and Attendance.
- MedicareMay cover qualifying skilled care—not indefinite custodial care.
- Florida Medicaid LTCRequires separate medical and financial eligibility decisions.
“Permission to speak” can mean several things.
- 1Receive benefit informationThird-party disclosure authorization
- 2Help with a VA claimAccredited VSO or representative
- 3Receive health informationSeparate health-record authorization
- 4Make future care decisionsAdvance directive or health-care agent
Before care is urgent
A one-afternoon planning checkup.
Even a few preparations can prevent weeks of confusion later. Start with what you know; missing information can become your to-do list.
✓Locate discharge and service records
✓Confirm VA health-care enrollment
✓Review insurance and current benefits
✓Discuss care wishes and likely helpers
✓Put permissions and directives in place
More focused guides
Go directly to the task in front of you.
Each guide uses the same step-by-step format and ends with a practical plan you can print or share with family.
01
Apply for Pension and Aid and Attendance
Choose the Veteran or survivor path, protect the filing date, and assemble the application.
Open guide →02Florida State Veterans’ Homes
Review eligibility, all nine locations, application steps, and payment questions.
Open guide →03Benefits for a surviving spouse
Separate DIC, Survivors Pension, accrued benefits, burial help, and health coverage.
Open guide →Northeast Florida pilot
Local help, not another dead-end directory.
We’re organizing verified starting points for St. Johns, Duval, Clay, Nassau, Flagler, Putnam, and Baker counties.
Research in progress