Veterans Home Care Benefits in Orange County

Helping Veterans and Their Families Understand VA Home Care Benefits

If you or a loved one served in the military, you may qualify for VA programs that help pay for in-home care. Understanding which benefits are available can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to figure it out alone.

As a contracted provider for the VA Homemaker and Home Health Aide Program and Respite Care Program, CareWorks Health Services helps eligible veterans receive compassionate in-home care while guiding families through available VA home care options.

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VA Caregiver Programs That Can Help Pay for Home Care

There isn’t just one in home care for veterans benefit. Depending on your military service, VA health care enrollment, financial situation, and care needs, you may qualify for one or more programs. Each program has eligibility requirements, benefits that can or can’t be combined.

Compare VA Home Care Programs

Program	What Is it?	What You May Receive	Who May Qualify	Combined With Other Benefits?	Learn More
Homemaker & Home Health Aide (H/HHA)	An in home caregiver from a VA-contracted home care agency comes to your home to help with personal care and daily activities.	Typically 6–28 hours of in-home care per week*	Enrolled in VA health care, meet eligible for community care and meet clinical requirements. See if you can get VA Health care as a veteran eligible	✅ May be used with Respite Care, Aid & Attendance OR Housebound, or PCAFC, if eligible ❌ Veteran Directed Care	↓ Homemaker Program
Aid & Attendance	Tax-Free, extra money on top of your VA Pension to pay for medical expenses not covered by insurance veterans and eligible surviving spouses	Up to $3,845/month (2026), depending on eligibility	Eligible wartime veterans and surviving spouses Must already qualify for or receive a VA Pension. 90 days of active duty 1 day during a wartime period OR Active or service requirements Discharge other than dishonorable Meets Net Worth Limit	✅ May be combined with VA Homemaker & Home Health Aide, Respite, PCAFC, or Veteran Directed Care ❌ Cannot be combined with Housebound	↓ Aid & Attendance
VA Housebound Benefits	Tax-free monthly pension increase for veterans who are largely confined to their home because of a permanent disability.	From $1,191 to 4,544.87 / mo, depending on if its needs based or service connected (2026)	Must already qualify for or receive a VA Pension: Spend most of your time in home because of a permanent disability	✅ May be combined with VA Homemaker & Home Health Aide, Respite Care, PCAFC, or Veteran Directed Care ❌ Cannot be combined with Aid & Attendance	↓ Housebound Benefit
Veteran Directed Care	The veteran or their representative recruits, hires, schedules, and manages their own caregivers using a VA-approved care budget.	Customized, flexible, monthly budget that rarely exceeds $4,500 (2026)	Eligible veterans enrolled in VA Health Care Disability requirement Clinical need	✅ May be used with Respite Care, Aid & Attendance OR Housebound, or PCAFC, if eligible ❌ Homemaker & Home Health Aide	↓ Veteran Directed Care
VA Respite Care	Temporary care for Up to 30 days of respite care per calendar year or home respite visits of up to 6 consecutive hours	Up to 30 days of respite care per calendar year or home respite visits of up to 6 consecutive hours	Veterans enrolled in VA health care whose caregiver needs temporary relief	✅ May be used with Homemaker & Home Health Aide (H/HHA), Aid & Attendance OR Housebound, or PCAFC, if eligible	↓ VA Respite Care
Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC)	Provides training, education, respite care, and a possible monthly stipend for eligible family caregivers of qualifying veterans.	Caregiver is paid tax-free monthly stipend ranging from roughly $1,605 to $3,979 based on Level 1 or Level II veteran care needs. (2026)	Eligible veterans enrolled in VA Health Care Veteran must have service-connected disability rating of 70% or higher, a need for continuous personal care for at least six months Caregiver is 18+ years old, family member living with veteran who completed training	✅ May be combined with VA Homemaker & Home Health Aide, Aid & Attendance OR Housebound, Respite Care,	↓External VA Caregiver Support Program

NOTE: *Actual authorized hours vary based on each veteran’s clinical assessment and VA approval. Combining programs depends on the veteran’s eligibility, care plan and VA approval

A veteran cannot receive both Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits at the same time, and must be receiving a monthly pension in order to qualify for either of these additional benefits. The VA will assign the higher-paying option if you qualify for both

Veterans’ Aid and Attendance and Housebound Benefits Information

Who May Be Eligible for VA Aid & Attendance?

Veterans and their spouses may be eligible for benefits to help with the cost of care in the home.

To qualify for VA Aid & Attendance, you must first be eligible for a VA Pension:

Have been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
Have doctor’s orders stating he or she needs the aid and assistance of others daily
Meet the VA’s income and net worth limits
Have served 1 day during an active war and had no less than 90 days of service
You’re a wartime veteran or the surviving spouse of a wartime veteran.

Eligibility for Surviving Spouses

The surviving spouse of a veteran may also qualify, providing he or she was still married to the veteran at the time of the veteran’s death. In most cases, this includes remaining unmarried after the veteran’s death, although certain exceptions may apply.

What Are Aid and Attendance and Housebound Benefits?

Aid and Attendance (A&A) is a tax-free benefit paid in addition to a VA monthly pension that may be available to eligible wartime veterans and surviving spouses, who need help with everyday activities because of age, illness, or a disability. It does not need to be repaid.

Before you can receive the VA Aid & Attendance benefit or Housebound benefit, you must first qualify for a VA Pension. A veteran may be eligible for A&A when:

The veteran is bedridden, in that his/her disability or disabilities require that he/she remain in bed apart from any prescribed course of convalescence or treatment, OR,
The veteran is a patient in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity, OR,
The veteran requires the aid of another person in order to perform personal functions required in everyday living, such as bathing, feeding, dressing, attending to the wants of nature, adjusting prosthetic devices, or protecting himself/herself from the hazards of his/her daily environment, OR,
The veteran is blind, or so nearly blind as to have corrected visual acuity of 5/200 or less in both eyes, or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less.

Housebound is a benefit paid in addition to a monthly pension. Like the Aid and Attendance benefit, Housebound benefits may not be paid without eligibility to pension. A veteran may be eligible for Housebound benefits when:

The veteran has a single permanent disability evaluated as 100 percent disabling AND, due to such disability, he/she is permanently and substantially confined to his/her immediate premises, OR,
The veteran has a single permanent disability evaluated as 100 percent disabling AND another disability, or disabilities, evaluated as 60 percent or more disabling.

How to Apply for Aid and Attendance and Housebound Benefits:

A veteran may apply for Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits by writing to the VA regional office having jurisdiction of the claim, found online at www.benefits.va.gov/PENSION/resources-contact.asp. This is the office where the claim for pension benefits was filed. If the regional office of jurisdiction is not known, information on benefits may be requested from any VA regional office.
Copies of evidence should be included, preferably a report from an attending physician, validating the need for Aid and Attendance or Housebound type care.
The report should be in sufficient detail to determine whether there is disease or injury producing physical or mental impairment, loss of coordination, or conditions affecting the ability to dress and undress, to feed oneself, to attend to sanitary needs, and to keep oneself ordinarily clean and presentable.
In addition, it is necessary to determine whether the claimant is confined to the home or immediate premises.
Whether the claim is for Aid and Attendance or Housebound, the report should indicate how well the individual gets around, where the individual goes, and what he or she is able to do during a typical day.

NOTE: This veteran benefit process can take 4–6 months to process, but all benefits are retro‑dated back to the original filing date.

Source: Department of Veteran’s Affairs

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