VA Aid and Attendance for Greenville-area veterans

What is VA Aid and Attendance?

Aid and Attendance is an increase to the VA's needs-based Veterans Pension or Survivors Pension for wartime veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities, are bedridden, live in a nursing home or have limited eyesight; it raises the Maximum Annual Pension Rate rather than paying a separate benefit.

VA pays the difference between the maximum rate and the household's countable income, and unreimbursed medical and care costs, such as CRCF fees or home care, are subtracted from income first. That is why a veteran whose income looks too high on paper can still qualify once assisted living costs are counted.

VA pension rates effective December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026.

Can Aid and Attendance help pay for assisted living in Greenville?

Yes. When a veteran or surviving spouse lives in a CRCF because they need help with daily activities, the facility's fees generally count as unreimbursed care costs that reduce countable income, which can produce a monthly pension of up to the full Aid and Attendance rate.

A married veteran who needs Aid and Attendance can receive up to $34,488 a year ($2,874 a month) under the rates effective December 1, 2025; a surviving spouse up to $18,697 a year. Those amounts rarely cover a full CRCF bill, but they meaningfully extend savings. Keep receipts and the facility's statement of care services, because VA asks for both.

What are the VA pension net worth limits?

For the period beginning December 1, 2025, VA's net worth limit for pension is $163,699, counting assets plus annual income, with the primary home and a reasonable lot excluded; VA also applies a three-year look-back for assets transferred to get under the limit.

A transfer during the look-back can produce a penalty period of up to five years. Be wary of advisers who charge to reposition assets for VA eligibility; accredited veterans service officers and attorneys help for free or for regulated fees.

Is there a state veterans nursing home near Greenville?

Yes. The Richard M. Campbell Veterans Nursing Home in Anderson is one of South Carolina's state veterans nursing homes and holds a DPH nursing home license for 220 beds; it is also certified by CMS, and its ratings appear on its directory page.

Admission to a state veterans home has its own eligibility rules, separate from VA pension, and there can be a waiting list. Ask the county veterans affairs office for the application and current wait. VA medical care for Upstate veterans is also available through VA clinics in the region.

Who helps Upstate veterans apply for Aid and Attendance?

Each South Carolina county has a county veterans affairs office whose accredited officers help veterans and surviving spouses file pension and Aid and Attendance claims at no charge; Greenville, Anderson, Pickens and Laurens counties all have one.

Bring the veteran's discharge papers (DD-214), a marriage certificate for a spouse claim, income and asset records, and a statement of care costs. A physician's statement of the need for help with daily activities supports the claim. The VA's own forms are free; nobody should charge simply to prepare them.