The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can help veterans with Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia cover memory care costs. Veterans enrolled in VA health care can turn to various VA programs, health benefits, pensions, and disability benefits to cover the cost of living in a memory care facility and other dementia-care costs. The VA also offers memory care facilities for veterans to provide them support for memory-related illnesses and dementia.
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The VA offers many health benefits for veterans with dementia through their Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) programs. These programs don’t directly pay for rent in a memory care facility, but they aim to make it more affordable for veterans.
The CRC program is for veterans who don’t need skilled nursing care, but still need assistance with activities of daily living due to medical or psychiatric conditions. There are over 550 community residential care settings across the U.S. inspected and approved by the VA. Some settings may offer specialized care for people with dementia.[01]
This program intends to make long-term care settings, like assisted living and memory care, more affordable and accessible for veterans. However, veterans still pay for rent with their VA compensation, VA pension, Social Security, retirement income, and other personal funds.[01]
The VA can pay for some services in an assisted living facility chosen by the veteran. Oftentimes, assisted living facilities also offer memory care. Therefore, the VA can help pay for services in both settings. Covered services will vary from situation to situation, but may include services like assistance with activities of daily living, nursing assistance, and medication assistance.[02]
The VA offers other nursing home options like Community Living Centers (CLCs) and State Veterans Homes for veterans who need a skilled nursing level of care but prefer to live in community settings. These facilities are only in some cities across the U.S., but some may dedicate rooms to veterans with Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia.[03]
To get accepted into a CLC, the veteran should be medically and psychiatrically stable. Services are provided in a home-like setting and include 24-hour skilled nursing care, restorative care, access to social work services, and more.
State Veterans Homes aim to provide veterans who need skilled nursing services a community living environment. Some facilities even have an adult day program, so the veteran can socialize or receive care during the day and return home at night. These options help prevent caregiver burnout and promote a safe atmosphere for veterans with dementia.[03]
Eligible veterans can participate in the State Home Per Diem Program, where the VA pays for the veteran’s care at State Veterans Homes on a per diem basis. Per diem rates are determined by a lengthy set of regulations and may vary based on individual situations.
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The VA offers pensions and financial benefits that can give eligible veterans and their surviving spouses money to pay for their long-term dementia care needs. These benefits assist military-connected people with the costs of memory care.
The VA Pension program offers wartime veterans monthly payments that can be used to pay for anything a veteran chooses — including memory care. However, eligible veterans must meet stringent guidelines to qualify for these payments. Generally, a veteran must meet certain age or disability, wartime service, and financial need requirements, but each situation is unique.[04]
If a person is a surviving spouse of a wartime veteran, they may be eligible for similar monthly payments through the VA Survivors Pension. This pension offers support for eligible surviving spouses who meet financial requirements set by the U.S. Congress. Similar to the VA Pension for veterans, this pension can also be used to pay for memory care or however a surviving spouse chooses.[05]
The VA Aid and Attendance can provide substantial monthly income on top of existing VA Pensions for eligible veterans and their surviving spouses if they need help with their activities of daily living. This additional income can help pay for long-term care, including memory care.[06]
Niki Gewirtz, who trains senior living advisors at A Place for Mom, once helped a woman look into this benefit for her father. The woman was concerned about her father’s finances and ability to afford care in a senior living community. Because her father was a wartime veteran, the Aid and Attendance benefit helped him afford care for the rest of his life.
To qualify, a veteran or their surviving spouse must meet specific service, financial, and clinical requirements. If the veteran qualifies, they can apply through the mail or in person with the VA Form 21-2680.
Gewirtz acknowledges that the application process is complicated, so she advises families to have some information ready before applying for this benefit. She recommends that families gather discharge paperwork from the military, the dates that they served, and an overview of their assets.
If the veteran or spouse doesn’t feel comfortable completing the application on their own, they can reach out to an accredited professional using the VA’s accreditation search for accredited attorneys, claim agents, or veterans service organizations (VSOs).
Gewirtz also says families often don’t realize that their loved one needs to be actively paying for care to get the benefit and there are often waiting periods. Therefore, families need to be prepared to pay for memory care out of pocket until the Aid and Attendance benefit claim is approved.
Veterans with 20 or more years of military service may be eligible for a military pension. Those who joined the military prior to 2018 and are eligible for a military pension can qualify under the legacy or high 36 retirement system. This pension offers a lifetime monthly annuity. A military formula determines the monthly amount the veteran will receive. This amount can vary greatly and is calculated at 2.5% of the veteran’s highest 36 months of basic pay.[07]
Veterans can calculate what they’re eligible to receive with the Department of Defense’s High-3 Calculator.[07]
The money from this lifetime monthly annuity may be spent however a veteran chooses to spend it, including paying for memory care at any community of their choice.
If a military retiree wants to learn more about this benefit, they will need to contact the appropriate organization for their branch of services, listed below:
The VA also offers disability compensation that may help veterans with memory loss. The disability benefit is a monthly tax-free payment paid to qualifying veterans who got sick or injured while serving in the military, or to veterans whose service made an existing condition worse. Veterans must also meet the following requirements to qualify:[08]
If you’re unsure about you or a veteran loved one qualifying, the VA has a list of presumptive conditions. If one of these conditions is present, the VA will automatically assume that a veteran’s service caused their condition.[08] You can also talk to a veterans service officer to see if a specific condition qualifies.
If a memory care community isn’t the right choice for a veteran with dementia, the VA can help with other dementia care options. With the programs listed below, veterans can pay for some dementia care costs at home or in a nursing home.
The Veteran Directed Care program helps veterans continue to live at home and have more control in coordinating their care. It lets the veteran decide how their budgeted funds are spent.[09] VDC services include companionship, personal care, and support with activities of daily living.
The veteran can easily adjust their health care team and services as their memory care needs progress, as well as choose which specialists and doctors are on their care team. However, this also means the veteran is responsible for hiring, managing, and evaluating their care workers. As memory conditions progress, this may become difficult for the veteran to manage independently. In that case, a caregiver with power of attorney may be able to help facilitate the veteran’s wishes.
VDC is only offered through select VA medical centers, so interested veterans should consult the Administration for Community Living’s list of participating VA medical centers.
The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) provides support to caregivers of veterans as long as the veteran and the caregiver meet the program’s guidelines. This program trains and pays a veteran’s family member to take care of a veteran with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. The veteran may name a primary family caregiver and up to two secondary family caregivers.[10]
PCAFC provides caregivers with the following types of support and more:[10]
The chosen caregiver must be an eligible family member or plan to live with the veteran on a full-time basis. The veteran must also meet certain criteria for this program.
The Home Improvements/Structural Alterations (HISA) program can help veterans with dementia who experience mobility decline. As dementia progresses, a veteran may have trouble with mobility and navigating their home. The HISA program aims to address this concern by paying for the cost of home modifications. Circumstances vary, but it can pay for improvements to any primary residence, including rentals.[11]
The following are some examples of home modifications covered by HISA funds:[11]
If the veteran is approved for HISA funding, they may receive up to $6,800 from this program during their lifetime. That money may be used for one or many approved projects, depending upon their cost.[11]
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The median cost of memory care communities currently sits at $6,200 a month, according to A Place for Mom’s 2024 report on the cost of long-term care. So it’s essential for veterans and their families to understand how much money they may be eligible to receive through their military-connected status.
The money available for memory care services through the VA varies greatly depending on a veteran’s unique circumstances. A veteran’s service-connected disability rating, current financial status, discharge status, and more may play a role in the VA benefits and health care services provided. You can learn more by reading our Veterans Benefits Guide.
Veterans can also reach out to Senior Living Advisors at A Place for Mom. They help you learn more about how to use veterans benefits to pay for memory care. They can also help you find memory care options near you within your budget.
The amount of money a veteran can receive for memory care depends on numerous factors, including the number of dependents, their income, and which VA programs they qualify for. Monthly payments from the VA can range from anywhere from $100 to $2, 500.
Yes, a veteran’s spouse can be eligible for VA disability benefits if they meet certain VA disability eligibility requirements per the Department of Veterans Affairs.
VA assistance programs, such as the VA Pension or Aid and Attendance, can be used on anything the veteran chooses. This means VA benefits can pay for memory care.
The VA helps with dementia patients by offering affordable care through VA health care, caregiver support for their caregivers, home care services, compensation benefits, and care coordination.
The VA disability rating for dementia is based on the severity of the condition. To receive compensation, a veteran must have a disability rating of 10%. When the condition doesn’t significantly affect the veteran, the rating is at 0%, while 100% means they have severe symptoms and can’t care for themselves.
The VA tests for dementia using a variety of common medical tests and evaluations. These may include a cognitive screening, neuropsychological testing, physical exam, lab tests, and imaging. The process may also include discussing symptoms and reviewing medications and family history.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2023, October 18). Community residential care.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2024, May 21). Assisted living facilities.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2023, February 15). Residential settings and nursing homes.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2024, February 28). Eligibility for veterans pension.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2024, November 15). Survivors pension.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2024, July 18). VA Aid and Attendance benefits and Housebound allowance.
USA.gov. (2024, September 7). Military and veteran retirement benefits.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2023, August 15). Eligibility for VA disability benefits.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2023, October 18). Veteran-directed care.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2024, November 15). The program of comprehensive assistance for family caregivers.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2024, May 30). Home improvements/structural alterations (HISA).
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