Linn County Veteran Affairs hosting aid and attendance workshop for veterans Dec. 14

Linn County Veteran Affairs, in partnership with the Greater Cedar Rapids Elderly Consortium and the Iowa Department of Veteran Affairs, will host an Aid and Attendance workshop for Linn County veterans and senior service providers on Wednesday, December 14 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust, 500 1st Ave. NE in Cedar Rapids. A light lunch will be provided.

Aid and Attendance is a benefit for wartime veterans and their spouses. Certain medical qualifications must be met along with income and asset limits.

“Applying for veteran benefits can be complicated, so our goal is to explain this benefit to veterans and their spouses and help them apply for it if they qualify,” said Don Tyne, Linn County Veteran Affairs Director. “Some companies charge hundreds or thousands of dollars to help veterans apply for their benefits, and we want veterans to know the Linn County Veterans Affairs Office is here to help them at no charge.”

In addition to veterans, the workshop is also for senior service providers, including assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Tyne and Monica Hunter, president of the Greater Cedar Rapids Elderly Consortium, say staff at these living facilities should be educated about the Aid and Attendance veteran benefit so they know the types of questions to ask when a company requests access to their clients and residents to sell financial planning services.

For more information, contact the Linn County Veteran Affairs Office at (319) 892-5160 or

veteran@linncounty.org or Monica Hunter at the Greater Cedar Rapids Elderly Consortium at

mhunter@recoverhealth.org