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Veterans Affairs Pension

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Pension program provides a monthly pension to veterans, the surviving spouse of a veteran, who served during an eligible wartime period and meet certain age or disability requirements. There are effectively three essential requirements for eligibility of VA Pension program: 1) service requirements; 2) medical requirements; and financial requirements.

Service Requirements

In order for a veteran or his or her surviving spouse to be eligible for VA Pension, the veteran must have better than dishonorable discharge, and either 1) started on active duty before September 8, 1980, and served at least 90 days on active duty with at least 1 day during a wartime period; or 2) started on active duty as an enlisted person after September 7, 1980, and served at least 24 months or the full period for which you were called or ordered to active duty (with some exceptions) with at least 1 day during a wartime period; or 3)the veteran was an officer and started on active duty after October 16, 1981, and hadn’t previously served on active duty for at least 24 months. Under current law, the VA recognizes the following wartime periods to decide eligibility for VA pension benefits:

  • Mexican Border period (May 9, 1916, to April 5, 1917, for Veterans who served in Mexico, on its borders, or in adjacent waters)
  • World War I (April 6, 1917, to November 11, 1918)
  • World War II (December 7, 1941, to December 31, 1946)
  • Korean conflict (June 27, 1950, to January 31, 1955)
  • Vietnam War era (November 1, 1955, to May 7, 1975, for Veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam during that period. August 5, 1964, to May 7, 1975, for Veterans who served outside the Republic of Vietnam.)
  • Gulf War (August 2, 1990, through a future date to be set by law or presidential proclamation)

Medical Requirements

And at least one of these must be true:

  • You’re at least 65 years old, or
  • You have a permanent and total disability, or
  • You’re a patient in a nursing home for long-term care because of a disability, or
  • You’re getting Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income
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