VA Pension Math Demystified

I promise it’s not this difficult.

Believe it or not, VA Pension math is not a dark art or some kind of obscure black magic. Is it easy? Not really, but nor is it impossible. You, as a Veteran, spouse, caregiver, or VSO can do the math to see if your Pension application stands a good chance to get approved. There are always caveats and maybes and exceptions, so this is not a guarantee of anything related to receipt of benefits. The one thing I can say for sure is that your income being above the MAPR is not a denial waiting to happen; Pension is an equation and it has two sides. You have to remember to work the medical side and the income side to reach the right answer. Pension is based on income and net worth; this post only covers income. Net worth will be discussed when we show you how to fill out Pension forms in an upcoming post.

***Side note: it is unlawful for a third party to guarantee an award of benefits  – VA is the ultimate adjudicator. If you see an ad for a service that guarantees VA Pension acceptance, run like hell in another direction and tell everyone you know to do the same.***