Ralph Klenik served an illustrious 20 year career with the U.S. Army, including all of World War II as an officer with an artillery group.

"I grew up in a military family, and that's what I wanted to be," said Klenik.

Klenik is one of a number of veterans at the Rio Norte Retirement Residences in East El Paso on Memorial Day who were finding out about Aid & Attendance.

"When they got the cost of assisted living and dependent living, even home healthcare, this can help defray some of those costs," said Jim McCracken with Veterans Financial.

To apply, McCracken said you have to be at least 65 years of age, have served in the military for at least 90 days, with one of those days during war time, and then there are some requirements when it comes to your income versus expenditures, and medical needs.

"For a surviving spouse, it can be anywhere from $1,056 a month tax free for the rest of their life all the way up $1,949 for a veteran and their spouse," McCracken told KFOX.

Klenik and most others in the small room at Rio Norte had never heard of the Veteran Affairs program before, and he said he will quickly apply.

"It's kind of like somebody is thinking about us, you know, we're just not doing this all by ourselves."

It can be a confusing process for veterans, so click here for more help.

You can also call toll free 1-800-827-1000 for more information.

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