VA Aid and Attendance for Mesothelioma: Eligibility, Amount, How to File

VA Aid and Attendance is one of the most under-claimed VA benefits available to veterans with mesothelioma. If you need help with daily living, you may qualify for an additional $2,300 to $2,727 per month on top of your base VA disability compensation. Most veterans who qualify never apply because nobody tells them about it.

This page covers what Aid and Attendance is, who qualifies, how to apply, and how it interacts with the rest of the VA benefit system and with Medicare.

What Aid and Attendance is

Aid and Attendance is a VA benefit that adds to your base disability compensation when you need help with at least two activities of daily living. It is also called “Special Monthly Compensation Aid and Attendance” or SMC(L).

Activities of daily living include:

• Bathing
• Dressing
• Eating without assistance
• Transferring (getting in and out of bed, chair, etc.)
• Using the toilet
• Continence management

If you need help with two or more of these activities, or you are bedridden, or you require nursing-home-level care, you may qualify. The VA also accepts the need for help due to severe visual impairment or being unable to leave home without assistance.

Why most mesothelioma veterans qualify

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer. Treatment is exhausting. Pleural mesothelioma in particular makes breathing difficult, which makes climbing stairs, walking long distances, and doing many activities of daily living progressively harder. Many veterans with mesothelioma develop the need for help months before their family realizes it qualifies for Aid and Attendance.

The threshold is “regular” need, not “constant” need. You do not have to be bedridden. You do not have to need 24-hour care. If your mesothelioma has progressed to the point where you need help bathing AND help with one other activity of daily living, you should be filing.

Aid and Attendance payment amounts (2026)

The exact amount depends on your dependents and your existing disability rating. As of 2026 federal rates:

• Single veteran, no dependents: $2,302 per month additional
• Veteran with spouse: $2,727 per month additional
• Veteran with one dependent child: $2,432 per month additional
• Veteran with spouse + one child: $2,857 per month additional

The amount is added to your base disability compensation. So a Navy veteran with mesothelioma rated at 100 percent service-connected, married, qualifying for Aid and Attendance, would receive approximately $3,946 (base disability) + $2,727 (Aid and Attendance) = $6,673 per month, all tax-free.

That is approximately $80,000 annually in tax-free benefits. Over 5 years (typical mesothelioma survival), that is approximately $400,000.

How to apply

If you already have a service-connected disability rating

If your mesothelioma is already rated as service-connected at any level, applying for Aid and Attendance is an “increase” claim. File VA Form 21-2680 (Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance). Your VA primary care physician usually completes the medical portion of the form.

If you have not yet filed a VA disability claim

File the disability claim first. Form 21-526EZ. The Aid and Attendance request can be included in the same packet, but the VA processes the underlying disability rating before evaluating Aid and Attendance.

Through a VSO

The fastest and most reliable path is through a Veteran Service Officer. State VSOs, the American Legion, VFW, DAV, and AMVETS all have accredited VSOs who file Aid and Attendance claims at no cost. They handle the paperwork. They follow up with the VA. They know what evidence the VA wants.

Timeline

Most Aid and Attendance claims for veterans with mesothelioma are decided within 60 to 120 days. Some are decided faster because mesothelioma claims are often expedited.

Aid and Attendance vs. the VA caregiver program

These are two different programs that can both apply.

• Aid and Attendance: pays the VETERAN extra monthly compensation. Used to pay for hired care, family care, modifications, transportation, anything the veteran chooses.
• VA Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers: pays the FAMILY CAREGIVER a monthly stipend, provides healthcare coverage to the caregiver, respite care, and training.

You can have both at the same time. They serve different purposes and are funded separately. Most veterans with mesothelioma who have a primary family caregiver are eligible for both.

For more on the family caregiver program, see Veteran Caregiver Support.

Aid and Attendance and Medicare

Aid and Attendance is a VA benefit. Medicare is a separate federal health insurance program. They do not coordinate or offset each other. Medicare does not pay you cash; it pays for medical care. Aid and Attendance is cash.

If you have both VA healthcare (under your service-connected rating) and Medicare, you can use either. Most mesothelioma veterans use VA for routine care and prescriptions, and Medicare or private insurance for non-VA specialists. Aid and Attendance does not change which insurance you use; it just gives you cash to spend on whatever you and your caregiver decide.

Common reasons claims are denied (and how to avoid them)

• Insufficient documentation of need. The VA wants specific evidence of which activities of daily living you cannot perform without help. The VA Form 21-2680 specifically asks. Have your physician complete every section.
• Filing without a current service-connected rating. Aid and Attendance requires an underlying service-connected condition. File the disability claim first.
• Missing evidence of a regular need. Occasional help is not enough. Document the regular pattern of needing assistance.
• Claims filed before mesothelioma has progressed enough to require help. If you have been newly diagnosed and are still walking, working, and managing daily life, Aid and Attendance is unlikely to be approved. File when symptoms warrant it. Most mesothelioma veterans qualify within 6 to 12 months of diagnosis.

If a claim is denied

You can appeal. Most denials are reversed at the appeals stage when additional medical documentation is provided. Your VSO will handle the appeal. Aid and Attendance appeals typically take 4 to 9 months.

Where to start

Find a Veteran Service Officer. Search “[your state] VSO” or visit va.gov/find-locations. Tell them you are a veteran with mesothelioma who needs help with daily living. They will pull your records and file. The service is free.

For background on VA disability rating and the broader benefit system, see VA Benefits for Mesothelioma.

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This page was reviewed by the editorial team at Mesothelioma Funds Administration. VA payment rates change annually; we update this page when the VA publishes new rate tables. For our editorial standards, see Editorial Policy. Last reviewed: 2026-05-07.