Did You Serve? You May Be Leaving VA Benefits on the Table
Health care, income, home care and survivor benefits that many older veterans and their families never claim, and how to get free help applying.
Nearly a third of America’s 15.7 million veterans are 75 or older, and the largest group served during the Vietnam era. Yet only about half of veterans are enrolled in VA health care. Many assume they won’t qualify, that benefits are only for people injured in combat, or that it’s too late to apply.
None of that is necessarily true. Here in Loudoun County alone, more than 22,000 veterans live among us, and Virginia is home to more than 650,000. If you, your spouse, or a parent served in the military, it’s worth a closer look.
Start With One Question
Ask, “Have you ever served in the military?” rather than “Are you a veteran?” Some people who served, especially those in the Guard or Reserve or who served briefly, don’t think of themselves as veterans. And don’t forget surviving spouses: widows and widowers of veterans are often eligible for benefits and rarely asked.
Find the paperwork. Most benefits require proof of service, usually the DD-214 discharge form. If it’s lost, veterans and next of kin can request records from the National Archives at archives.gov/veterans. Start early; it can take time.
VA Health Care: You Don’t Need a Disability Rating
Enrollment is the door to most VA services, and a service-connected disability is not required. In general, veterans qualify with active service and a discharge other than dishonorable. Those who served before September 7, 1980, have no minimum length of service.
Since March 2024, veterans who served in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan or other post-9/11 combat zones, as well as those exposed to toxins in training or stateside, can enroll directly, with no claim or illness needed.
How to apply: VA Form 10-10EZ online at VA.gov, by phone at 1-877-222-8387, or in person at any VA medical center.
VA and Medicare Work Side by Side
You can have both, and enrolling in one doesn’t cancel the other. A few things to know:
VA coverage counts as creditable coverage for Medicare Part D, so there’s no Part D late penalty.
VA coverage does not protect you from the Part B late penalty, which is 10% for each full year you went without it and lasts for life.
Keeping Part B lets you see non-VA doctors and hospitals.
Military retirees using TRICARE For Life must keep Medicare Parts A and B.
Income Benefits
Disability compensation is tax-free monthly pay for conditions caused or worsened by military service. It isn’t based on income, and it’s never too late to file. In 2026, a veteran alone receives from $180.42 a month at a 10% rating to $3,938.58 at 100%.
The PACT Act (2022) added more than 20 presumptive conditions linked to burn pits and other toxic exposures and expanded the list of Agent Orange locations to include Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Guam, American Samoa and Johnston Atoll. Veterans stationed at Camp Lejeune for 30 or more days between 1953 and 1987 may also qualify for conditions including Parkinson’s disease and several cancers. Every enrolled veteran should ask for a toxic exposure screening at VA. Veterans previously denied can submit new evidence for a fresh review.
VA Pension is needs-based income for wartime veterans who are 65 or older (or permanently disabled), with limited income and net worth. No service-connected condition is required.
Aid and Attendance raises the pension for veterans or surviving spouses who need help with bathing, dressing or eating, or who live in a nursing home. At the maximum, it’s worth about $2,424 a month for a single veteran, and it can be used toward care at home, assisted living or adult day care.
A word of caution: Pension has a net worth limit ($163,699 through November 30, 2026) and a three-year look-back on assets given away or sold below value. Be wary of “pension advisors” who sell annuities or trusts to help you “qualify,” or who charge a fee to apply. These moves can leave families worse off. There is no fee to apply for VA Pension.
Care at Home
This is where many families are pleasantly surprised. Enrolled veterans may qualify for home and community services based on clinical need, not a disability rating, including:
Home-based primary care for veterans with complex conditions
Homemaker and home health aide help with daily activities
Skilled nursing and therapy at home
Adult day health care
Respite care to give family caregivers a break
Veteran-Directed Care, a flexible budget to hire your own workers, even family members
The Elizabeth Dole Act, signed in January 2025, lets VA spend up to the full cost of nursing home care to support a veteran at home instead, and is expanding Veteran-Directed Care to all VA medical centers. VA is phasing in the law’s provisions over time.
Family caregivers can get training, coaching and peer support through VA’s general caregiver program, regardless of the veteran’s era. Caregivers of veterans rated 70% or higher who need ongoing personal care may qualify for a monthly stipend. Call the Caregiver Support Line at 1-855-260-3274.
Rehab, Nursing Homes and Assisted Living
If a veteran goes to a non-VA emergency room, notify VA within 72 hours at 1-844-724-7842.
VA supports nursing home care through its own Community Living Centers, contracted community nursing homes and State Veterans Homes. Veterans rated 70% or higher, or needing care for a service-connected condition, are generally covered.
Closer to home, the new Puller Veterans Care Center in Vint Hill (Fauquier County) opened in December 2025 with 128 beds offering skilled nursing, memory care, short-term rehab and palliative care. Admissions: (540) 680-5200.
One common surprise: VA does not pay room and board in assisted living. However, VA Pension with Aid and Attendance can help cover those costs, and Virginia’s Auxiliary Grant assists eligible low-income residents. Ask your local Department of Social Services.
Benefits for Surviving Spouses
DIC (Dependency and Indemnity Compensation): tax-free, starting at $1,699.36 a month in 2026 for qualifying survivors. Remarrying at 55 or older doesn’t end it.
Survivors Pension: needs-based income for spouses of wartime veterans, up to $18,697 a year with Aid and Attendance.
CHAMPVA: health coverage for certain spouses and survivors. Call 1-800-733-8387.
Burial benefits include allowances, headstones, flags and burial in national cemeteries such as Quantico and Culpeper. You can confirm eligibility in advance with VA Form 40-10007, sparing your family stress later.
Get Free, Trustworthy Help
No one may charge a fee to prepare or file an initial VA claim. Free help is available from:
Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS): 1-844-838-7838, dvs.virginia.gov
Veterans service organizations such as DAV, VFW and the American Legion
VA-accredited attorneys and claims agents (who can charge only after an initial decision)
Verify anyone’s credentials with VA’s accredited representative search. Walk away from anyone who asks for a percentage of back pay, guarantees a rating or pressures you to sign quickly.
Protect your date first. Filing an Intent to File (VA Form 21-0966) locks in your potential start date and gives you up to a year to complete your claim. Call 1-800-827-1000 or ask an accredited representative.
Virginia also offers real estate and vehicle tax exemptions for veterans rated 100% permanently and totally disabled, and the home exemption continues for surviving spouses who don’t remarry.
Numbers to Keep
MyVA411 (main VA line): 1-800-698-2411, 24/7
VA benefits and Intent to File: 1-800-827-1000
VA health care enrollment: 1-877-222-8387
Caregiver Support Line: 1-855-260-3274
Virginia DVS: 1-844-838-7838
Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988, then press 1 (24/7, free, confidential)
Benefit amounts are effective December 1, 2025, through November 30, 2026. A cost-of-living increase is expected December 1, 2026; check VA.gov for updated figures.
Peter Chung, MPH, CDP, is Client Relations Manager and Veterans Care Specialist at BrightStar Care of Leesburg. Reach him at 571-655-1322 or peter.chung@brightstarcare.com.