Savvy Senior: The Long-Term Care Benefit Many Veterans Are Missing Out On

Dear Savvy Senior,

I have heard that the VA has a benefit that can help veterans and spouses with long-term care costs. We recently had to move my 86-year-old father – who served in the army nearly 60 years ago – into an assisted living facility, and my mom isn’t far behind. Can the VA help?

--Seeking Aid

Dear Seeking,

The Veterans Administration does indeed have a little-known, underutilized benefit that can help wartime veterans and their surviving spouses pay for a variety of long-term care costs.

This benefit, called “Aid and Attendance,” is a special pension that’s paid in addition to a b...