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Veterans Affairs (VA) Benefits - Disability Pension

This topic contains information about a number of Veterans Affairs (VA) Disability Pension subjects. You may read them in sequence or jump to a specific section by following one of the links below.

·          General

·          Improved Pension

·          Protected Pension Programs

·          Aid and Attendance or House-bound

·          Medal of Honor Pension

·          Incarcerated Veterans

General

Veterans with low incomes who are permanently and totally disabled may be eligible for monetary support if they have 90 days or more of active military service, at least one day of which was during a period of war.

Generally, veterans who entered active duty on or after Sept. 8, 1980, or officers who entered active duty on or after Oct. 16, 1981, may have to meet a longer minimum period of active duty. The discharge from active duty must have been under conditions other than dishonorable. The veteran must be permanently and totally disabled for reasons other than the veteran's own willful misconduct.

Payments are made to qualified veterans to bring their total income, including other retirement or Social Security income, to a level set by Congress. Countable income may be reduced by the amount of un-reimbursed medical expenses, although they must exceed 5% of the maximum annual pension rate to be deductible for some categories of recipients.

Veterans of a period of war who are aged 65 or older and meet service and income requirements are also eligible to receive a pension, regardless of current physical condition.

Improved Pension

The Improved Pension program provides for the maximum annual rates listed in the "Veterans Affairs (VA) Benefits - Improved Pension Amount" topic. The payment is reduced by the amount of the countable income of the veteran and the income of the spouse or dependent children. When a veteran without a spouse or a child is being furnished nursing home or domiciliary care by VA, the pension is reduced to an amount not to exceed $90 per month after three calendar months of care. The reduction may be delayed if nursing-home care is being continued for the primary purpose of providing the veteran with rehabilitation services.

Protected Pension Programs

Beneficiaries of Old-Law or Section 306 pension as of Dec. 31, 1978, who do not elect to receive a pension under the Improved Pension program, continue to receive pension benefits at the rate they were entitled to receive on Dec. 31, 1978, as long as they remain permanently and totally disabled, do not lose a dependent, a dependent pensioner retains surviving spouse or child status, net worth limitations are not exceeded, and their incomes do not exceed the income limitation, adjusted annually. VA also must adjust rates for other reasons, such as a veteran's hospitalization in a VA facility.

Rates and income limitations for this program are available online at:
http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Rates/pen03.htm#BM06

Aid and Attendance or House-bound

A veteran who is a patient in a nursing home, who is otherwise determined by VA to be in need of the regular aid and attendance of another person or who is permanently house-bound, may be entitled to higher income limitations or additional benefits, depending on the type of pension received.

Medal of Honor Pension

VA administers pensions to holders of the Medal of Honor. Since at least World War I, the VA has paid a monthly stipend to holders of the military's highest decoration for combat valor.

The Veterans Benefits Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-330) set up a formula for future increases in the Medal of Honor stipend based on the annual rate of inflation. The new law also provides for a retroactive payment of stipends to cover the period between the act of valor and the awarding of the Medal of Honor. For those previously non-covered months or years, the payment will be based on the rate in effect at the time of the act of valor.

Previously, each increase in the Medal of Honor stipend required a specific act of Congress. The rate went from $10 in 1916 to $100 in 1961, $200 in 1979, $400 in 1993, and $600 in 1998. Under the new rates, the payments rose from $600 monthly to $1,000 monthly. The new rate was reflected in regular monthly payments starting November 1, 2003. On December 1, 2005 the rate increased to $1,069 per month, on December 1, 2006 the rate became $1,104 per month, on December 1, 2007 the rate became $1,129 per month, and on December 1, 2008 the rate became $1,194 per month.

Effective December 1, 2011 the rate is $1,237 per month.

NOTE: You can read every Medal of Honor citation online at:
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/moh1.htm

Incarcerated Veterans

A veteran may not receive VA pension benefits while incarcerated for more than 60 days. The veteran's dependents, however, may receive a portion of such benefits. Failure to notify VA of a veteran's incarceration will cause the loss of all financial benefits until any overpayment is recovered.

Source

Some information for this topic was drawn from:
http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Rates/special1.htm

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