VAC Form 1540: Fillable PDF
Caregiver Recognition Benefit Application
Veterans Affairs Canada
Apply for the monthly Caregiver Recognition Benefit for a person providing care to a veteran.
Reviewed July 2026
This form must be opened in Adobe Acrobat Reader to fill it out. Browsers show a placeholder page instead of the form.
How it works
- 1
Download the form. Save the official PDF to your device.
- 2
Open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader and fill in each field. Browsers show a placeholder page for this form type.
- 3
Save and submit the completed form following the official instructions.
VAC Form 1540 is the application for the Caregiver Recognition Benefit (CRB), a monthly Veterans Affairs Canada benefit paid directly to a person who provides ongoing care to an eligible veteran. The application recognizes the role informal caregivers, often family members, play in a veteran's daily life at home.
The 1540 is a dynamic XFA PDF, so a web browser will show a placeholder page rather than the form. Download the official file from this page and open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader on a computer to complete it. Veterans Affairs Canada also accepts the application through My VAC Account.
What VAC Form 1540 is used for
The Caregiver Recognition Benefit provides a monthly payment made directly to the caregiver, not to the veteran. The 1540 gathers the information VAC needs to confirm that the veteran and the caregiver meet the program criteria.
In broad terms, the program contemplates situations where:
- The veteran needs ongoing care because of a service-related condition
- An informal caregiver, such as a spouse or other family member, plays an essential role in providing or coordinating that care
- The veteran is living at home rather than permanently in a long-term care facility
Who completes VAC Form 1540
The application involves both people. The veteran applies and identifies the person providing care, and the caregiver provides their own information and consent on the form. The caregiver must generally be an adult who is not paid to provide the care.
Eligibility rules are specific and decided by Veterans Affairs Canada, so read the current criteria on the VAC website before applying. Universal PDF is an independent tool and is not connected to VAC.
How to fill out VAC Form 1540
Open the downloaded PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader and complete the sections for each person:
- Veteran's information: identification, contact details, and VAC file number
- Details about the care needed and how it relates to the veteran's condition
- Caregiver's information: identity, contact details, and their relationship to the veteran
- Signatures: both the veteran and the caregiver sign the printed form where indicated
How to submit the form
Submit the application through My VAC Account or send the signed paper form to Veterans Affairs Canada using the submission details on the current version of the form and the VAC website.
Because the benefit is paid to the caregiver, VAC will also need the caregiver's payment information once the application is approved. VAC Form 441 handles direct deposit details.
Frequently asked questions
The 1540 is an XFA dynamic PDF. Browsers and most PDF viewers cannot render XFA forms, so they show a please wait placeholder. Save the file and open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader on a computer to work with the actual form.
The monthly payment goes directly to the caregiver named in the application, not to the veteran. That is a defining feature of the program.
The veteran applies using Form 1540 and identifies the caregiver, and the caregiver completes their own portion of the form. Both sign the application.
The program is aimed at informal caregivers rather than people paid to provide care. Veterans Affairs Canada assesses each application against the current criteria, so review those on the VAC website if the caregiving arrangement is unusual.
Yes. Veterans Affairs Canada accepts Caregiver Recognition Benefit applications through My VAC Account. The downloadable PDF is the paper route and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.
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