Benefits Estimator

How the Benefits Estimator Works

Some home care agencies in our directory offer an online estimator that helps you explore a potential monthly benefit amount for the veteran or their surviving spouse. It is offered through the agency you choose, so the first step is finding an agency.

Find Agencies Offering the EstimatorLearn About VA Programs
A caregiver leaning beside an older woman in a wheelchair by a sunny window
About 3 minutesan estimate, not a determination

How It Works

Three Steps, Once You Have Chosen an Agency

The estimator guides you through a short step-by-step process. It is built for clarity and helping you understand what support may be available based on the information you enter.

  1. Step 1

    Provide Basic Information

    Share key details like service history, age, and medical needs.

  2. Step 2

    Input Income, Expenses, and Assets

    Enter approximate monthly income, caregiving and living costs, and total assets.

  3. Step 3

    Get Estimated Benefits

    Receive an automatic estimate based on your inputs, plus your next steps.

What May Be Worth Exploring

Three Sometimes Overlooked VA Home Care Benefits

These VA programs may help veterans and surviving spouses access care at home.

Aid and Attendance Pension

A monthly cash addition to a VA pension for veterans and surviving spouses who need help with everyday activities. The money goes to the family, who may spend it on the care they choose.

Type
Pension enhancement, paid as cash
Administered by
Veterans Benefits Administration

Who may qualify

  • Veterans who need help with activities such as bathing, dressing, eating, or toileting
  • Veterans who are bedridden, or living in a nursing facility
  • Veterans with severe vision impairment
Read the Guide

Homemaker and Home Health Aide Care

A VA health care program that sends a trained aide into the veteran's home. VA purchases the care through community agencies, so this is a service VA arranges rather than money it pays out.

Type
VA health care service, arranged and purchased by VA
Administered by
Veterans Health Administration, through individual VA medical centers

Who may qualify

  • Veterans enrolled in VA health care
  • Veterans who need help with activities of daily living
  • Veterans whose care needs have been assessed by their VA care team
Read the Guide

Veteran-Directed Care

A VA program that hands the veteran a budget and lets them hire and manage their own caregivers, including, in many cases, family members.

Type
Self-directed care program with a managed budget
Administered by
Veterans Health Administration, in partnership with Area Agencies on Aging

Who may qualify

  • Veterans enrolled in VA health care
  • Veterans who need help with daily activities and want to direct their own care
  • Veterans in an area where the program is offered, since availability is not yet nationwide
Read the Guide

Common Questions

Before You Start

Why do I choose an agency before using the estimator?

Because the estimator is a tool that individual agencies license from us, not a service this site runs on its own. Choosing your agency first keeps the decision yours. It also means no calculator result decides which agency you end up with, and no agency can pay to be the one you are sent to.

How long does the estimator take?

Most families finish in under three minutes. The estimator asks a short series of questions about service history, care needs, income, and assets, then returns an estimate immediately.

Does it cost anything to use?

No. Our directory is free to search, agencies are listed free of charge, and the estimator costs you nothing when an agency offers it.

Is this an official VA eligibility determination?

No. Homecare for Veterans is a private, non-government website. The estimator provides an educational estimate only. It does not make eligibility determinations and does not guarantee benefit approval. Only the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs can determine eligibility.

Can surviving spouses use the estimator?

Yes. Surviving spouses of veterans may be eligible for the Aid and Attendance benefit, and the estimator covers that scenario. The Homemaker and Home Health Aide and Veteran-Directed Care programs are VA health care benefits available to veterans only.

Find Out What Your Benefits Can Cover

Search home care agencies near you, free, or answer eight questions to see whether a VA benefit is worth looking into.

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