Right to veterans' pension | Veterans Affairs (2024)

The Veterans Pension Program provides monthly payments to combat veterans who meet certain age or disability requirements and who have income and assets within certain limits. Find out if you qualify for this benefit.

Am I entitled to a veteran's pension?

If you meet these requirements, you may be eligible for the Veterans Retirement Program.

Both must be true:

  • You did not receive an honorable discharge,In
  • Your annual household income and net worth meet certain limits set by Congress. Your net worth includes all the personal assets you own (except your house, car, and most home furnishings), minus any debts you owe. Your assets include your partner's assets.
    Read more about pension rates for veterans

And at least one of these must be true about your service:

  • You entered active service before September 8, 1980 and you served at least 90 days on active duty, of which at least 1 day was in wartime,of
  • You entered active service as a conscript after September 7, 1980 and have served for at least 24 months or the entire period for which you were called up or ordered to active duty (with some exceptions) with at least 1 day in wartime,of
  • You were an officer and entered active duty after October 16, 1981, and you had not previously served at least 24 months on active duty

And at least one of these must be true:

  • You are at least 65 years old,of
  • You have a permanent and total functional disability,of
  • You are a patient in a long-term care nursing home due to a disability,of
  • You will receive disability insurance or a supplementary security income

How do I know if I served during a qualifying period of war?

Under current law, we recognize the following wartime periods for purposes of determining eligibility for VA retirement benefits:

  • Mexican Frontier Period (May 9, 1916 to April 5, 1917 for veterans who served in Mexico, on the border, 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 for veterans who servedin the Republic of Vietnam(November 1, 1955 to May 7, 1975)
  • Vietnam War era for veterans who servedoutside the Republic of Vietnam(August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975)
  • Gulf War (August 2, 1990, with a future date to be determined by law or presidential proclamation)

What should I do if I have received a dishonorable, bad conduct or dishonorable discharge?

If you received one of these discharge statuses, you may not be eligible for a VA pension.

There are two ways you can try to qualify:

Find out how to request an emissions upgrade
Learn more about the VA Character of Discharge review process

How do I register?

You can sign up by email, in person, or with the help of a trained professional.

Learn more about how to sign up

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Right to veterans' pension | Veterans Affairs (2024)

FAQs

Right to veterans' pension | Veterans Affairs? ›

Veterans must have at least 90 days of active duty, including one day during a wartime period. If the active duty occurred after September 7, 1980, you must have served at least 24 months or the full period that you were called up (with some exceptions). You must also be: Age 65 or older with limited or no income, OR.

What are the rules for the VA pension? ›

Eligibility for Veterans Pension
  • You didn't receive a dishonorable discharge, and.
  • Your yearly family income and net worth meet certain limits set by Congress. Your net worth includes all personal property you own (except your house, your car, and most home furnishings), minus any debt you owe.
Feb 28, 2024

When a veteran dies what happens to his pension? ›

Military retired pay stops upon death of the retiree! The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) allows a retiree to ensure, after death, a continuous lifetime annuity for their dependents. The annuity which is based on a percentage of retired pay is called SBP and is paid to an eligible beneficiary.

How does Veterans Affairs pension work? ›

How Does the VA Calculate Pension? Annual pension is calculated by first totaling all of the veteran's countable income and then subtracting any deductions from that total.

Who is entitled to a military pension? ›

You must serve for at least 20 years to qualify for Army pension benefits. After retiring from at least 20 years of service, active-duty Soldiers can start pension pay at any age they choose. Army Reserve and Army National Guard Soldiers can start pension pay after turning 60 years old.

Can you receive 100% VA disability and military retirement pay? ›

Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) allows military retirees to receive both military retired pay and Veterans Affairs (VA) compensation. This was prohibited until the CRDP program began on January 1, 2004. CRDP is a "phase in" of benefits that gradually restores a retiree's VA disability offset.

Can you collect VA disability and a pension at the same time? ›

In addition, veterans may receive benefits from both the VA Disability Compensation Program and the VA Disability Pension simultaneously. This may occur were the disability compensation is at a level that remains below the income maximum of the VA Pension Program.

How can a veteran lose their pension? ›

Pension. Veterans in receipt of VA pension will have payments terminated effective the 61st day after imprisonment in a Federal, State, or local penal institution for conviction of a felony or misdemeanor.

Does 100% VA disability go to spouse after death? ›

Unfortunately, your spouse cannot receive your VA disability compensation after you die. However, they may get a monthly allowance if they qualify for Dependency and Indemnity Compensation.

Does the widow of a veteran get his pension? ›

A VA Survivors Pension offers monthly payments to qualified surviving spouses and unmarried dependent children of wartime Veterans who meet certain income and net worth limits set by Congress.

How do I get the $16728 social security bonus? ›

Have you heard about the Social Security $16,728 yearly bonus? There's really no “bonus” that retirees can collect. The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a specific formula based on your lifetime earnings to determine your benefit amount.

Do Veterans automatically get a pension? ›

To receive Pension, a veteran must have served on active duty at least 90 days, during a period of war. There must an honorable discharge or other qualifying discharge. Single surviving spouses of such veterans are also eligible.

How long does VA pension last? ›

The VA does not place an arbitrary time limit on disability benefits. Veterans can continue to receive this compensation for as long as they meet the eligibility requirements, whether that's for several months or a lifetime.

Who gets military pension after death? ›

The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) provides financial support to military spouses and/or children when a military member dies while on duty or after retirement. SBP provides eligible beneficiaries with a monthly payment known as an annuity. The recipient of an SBP annuity is referred to as the annuitant.

Can I collect my military pension and Social Security? ›

You can get both Social Security benefits and military retirement benefits. Generally, there is no reduction of Social Security benefits because of your military retirement benefits. You'll get your Social Security benefit based on your earnings and the age you choose to start receiving benefits.

Is my wife entitled to my military pension? ›

California is a community property state, which means that any asset acquired or earned during marriage is presumptively divided equally at the time of a divorce. Examples of assets include real property, bank accounts, vehicles, and retirement accounts, including military pensions.

Can you have VA pension and Social Security? ›

Veterans may apply for both VA and SSA benefits concurrently, and those applying for SSI must attest they have applied for any VA benefits for which they may be eligible. The decisions are made by separate organizations, and eligibility or ineligibility for one benefit will not affect eligibility for the other.

Can you make too much money to receive VA benefits? ›

Section 306 disability pension yearly income limits for Veterans without dependents Pension benefit 2023 yearly income limit Basic monthly payment for a Veteran only (no spouse or dependent children) Your yearly income must be $18,824 or less to continue receiving this benefit.

What are the exceptions to the 55 year rule for VA disability? ›

This is sometimes called the 55-year rule. One noteworthy exception to the 55-year rule is that Veterans with certain types of cancers may need to be reexamined six months after completing treatment.

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