A Salute to Veteran's Day Aid & Attendance

      On this Veteran's Day I am grateful to our veterans and to a VA program called Aid and Attendance.   

     Aid and Attendance is a benefit for veterans or their widows who reside in assisted living or nursing homes.  The primary requirements are that the veteran must have served at least one day in a war zone and the veteran or widow must now need assistance in an assisted living or nursing home facility.     The program is not well known. The best source for information can be found at Veteran Aid.         

     Both my father and father-in-law were veterans of World War II.  I first learned about the program when my father-in-law needed to be in an assisted living facility.    The program helped him afford the special care that he needed during the last year of his life. 

       My father died many years ago, and my mother now resides in assisted living.   As his widow, she was eligible for the program.   No one at the facility mentioned this program as a resource to help pay for her care.   But because I knew about Aid & Attendance through my father-in-law, I was able to help my mother apply.   The program pays a monthly benefit amount, which helps so much in affording the high cost of an assisted living facility.  

      My father would be very pleased to know that his service during World War II is now helping my mother.

     So on this Veteran's Day I salute not only our veterans, but also the VA and the congressional representatives who vote to fund and support these important programs.