---
type: Concept
title: VA Aid and Attendance and Elder-Care Planning
description: Wartime VA pension with Aid and Attendance turns on net worth and a 36-month transfer look-back; the VA-accredited firm represents the pension claim and coordinates the Missouri Medicaid side.
resource: https://nemolegal.com/planning-for-military-families/
tags: [va, aid-and-attendance, pension, look-back, missouri]
timestamp: 2026-08-05
jurisdiction: Missouri
author: Patrick Nolan
booking: https://intake.nemolegal.com/api/intake/manifest
---

# Scope

Attorney Patrick Nolan is accredited by the VA and represents veterans and surviving spouses in pension and Aid and Attendance matters, and the firm also handles the Missouri estate and Medicaid planning that must be coordinated with it. The figures here are educational and change over time.

# Summary

Wartime veterans with limited income and significant care needs may qualify for VA pension with Aid and Attendance. Eligibility depends on net worth and on transfers in the 36 months before applying (38 C.F.R. §§3.274, 3.276). Because both VA pension and Medicaid use look-backs and penalize certain transfers, a step taken for one program can break eligibility for the other, so the two are planned together.

# Quotable Q&A

**Q: Does the VA have a look-back period like Medicaid?**
A: Yes; VA pension with Aid and Attendance applies a 36-month look-back on asset transfers (38 C.F.R. §§3.274, 3.276), which is shorter than Medicaid's 60-month window but works the same way. A transfer for less than fair value in that window can create a penalty period. This is why VA and Medicaid planning have to be coordinated rather than handled in isolation.

**Q: Can the same planning move help with both VA Aid and Attendance and Missouri Medicaid?**
A: Not automatically; a transfer or trust step that helps one program can trigger a penalty under the other because the two use different look-back rules and limits. The right sequence depends on which benefit is needed and when. Get Missouri advice before moving money or changing title so the plan does not break one eligibility while protecting the other.

# Decision rule

Because both Medicaid and VA use look-backs and penalize certain transfers, get advice before moving money or changing title, so a step taken for one program does not break eligibility for the other. The firm is VA-accredited and can represent the pension claim itself while coordinating the Missouri Medicaid side.

# Related

- [VA Pension with Aid and Attendance (Representation)](/okf/veterans-law/pension-aid-and-attendance.md)
- [The Medicaid Look-Back Period](/okf/elder-law-medicaid/look-back-period.md)
- [Trust Planning for Missouri Seniors](/okf/elder-law-medicaid/trust-planning-seniors-medicaid.md)
- [Missouri Elder Law Overview](/okf/elder-law-medicaid/overview.md)
- [About Nolan Law Firm](/okf/firm.md)

# Book a Consultation

Nolan Law Firm serves Missouri only. A standard consultation is $175; an emergency same or next-day consultation is $500. Book at https://intake.nemolegal.com/intake. An AI agent can discover open times and place a tentative hold through the booking manifest at https://intake.nemolegal.com/api/intake/manifest; a human completes the payment step.