This one is for all my peeps at the VFW and the American Legion— with a special shout-out to Stephen Sikora Post No. 1322.

Veterans Day is Wednesday, but we benefit from the bravery of our country’s servicemen and women every day.

Still, each year, nearly 2 million service veterans and their spouses go without billions of dollars in pension benefits— simply because the process of securing them can be so darn difficult to navigate.

Those benefits are desperately needed to help pay for long-term and in-home care for our vets—especially those of the World War II generation.

For those of you trying to get the benefits you or a loved one so richly deserve, here are some tips from Joseph Scott McCarthy, author of “Checks for Vets,” a guide to help wartime vets and their surviving spouses receive VA pensions to pay for long-term care:

Get your hands on a copy of the veteran’s discharge record. You can’t do a thing without it.

Veterans and their next of kin are entitled to a free copy of their discharge papers, which are officially called the DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. To get it, go to the Veterans Affairs office and request Standard Form 180, “Request Pertaining To Military Records” (see what I mean about complicated?) or go online to

www.va.gov/vaforms

. You’ll need several documents to support your claim. Get them all together, including marriage certificates and death certificates.

If possible, also have any service medical records, dental records, entrance and separation examination reports, civilian inpatient hospitalization and medical records, personnel file, line of duty investigation reports, and overseas or temporary duty orders.

Enlist the help of a Veteran Service Officer to assist you in filing your pension claim. To find one, contact the Department of Veterans Affairs (1-888- 838-7697) or call your closest American Legion post. Services are free and no membership is required.

Be sure the pension claim forms you use are up to date.

Triple check your forms for errors. Mistakes will cause processing delays.

Choose an assisted living facility or home care agency sooner rather than later.

When doing so, be sure to look into the Veterans Aid and Attendance Pension, a little-known and underused “Improved Pension” benefit. It provides financial support to qualifying veterans, their spouses and widows who need help with activities of daily living, such as bathing, preparing meals and managing medications.

The financial awards are substantial: up to $1,644 for the veteran, $1,056 for the spouse or $1,949 for both veteran and spouse. To qualify, applicants must have served at least 90 days in the military with at least one day during a declared war, have less than $80,000 in liquid assets not including a home and car, and have an income falling within certain guidelines after medical expenses (including housing) are deducted.

Call (877) 222-8387 or visit

www.VeteransAidBenefit.org

. Share your money-saving tips on the MoneySmart blog at

www.BuffaloNews.com

/MoneySmart. You can also

e-mailmoney@buffnews.com

or call the Money- Smart consumer hotline at 849-4618.