This often-overlooked VA pension can add up to roughly $2,900 a month toward senior care. Here's how Puget Sound veterans and surviving spouses qualify.
By Diane Whitfield, CSA · June 20, 2026
Aid & Attendance is an enhanced VA pension for wartime veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities. It can add roughly $1,800–$2,900 a month toward assisted living, memory care, an adult family home, in-home care, or nursing care — a major lever in a region anchored by VA Puget Sound Health Care System, with campuses in Seattle and at American Lake in Lakewood near Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Eligibility generally requires qualifying wartime service, a medical need for assistance with daily living, and income and asset limits (with a look-back period on asset transfers). Surviving spouses of eligible veterans may also qualify. Washington also operates State Veterans Homes — including Retsil in Port Orchard and Orting — for eligible veterans. The rules are detailed, so getting the application right the first time matters.
Start with a County Veteran Service Officer in King, Snohomish, or Pierce County — their help is free and they know the paperwork — or the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA). An accredited VA agent or attorney can also assist; be cautious of anyone charging large fees to 'qualify' you.
A free senior-care advisor can coordinate around the benefit and point you to Puget Sound communities and adult family homes experienced with Aid & Attendance residents.
Free, no-pressure call. We work for families, not facilities.