BILLS BILLS BILLS

VA Still Paying Civil War Benefits

War fees last long after fighting ends.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pays $73.13 every month to the last surviving child of a Civil War veteran still on its payroll. The VA is also still paying for pensions of 16 widows and children of the 1898 Spanish-American War and to 4,038 widows and children of World War I veterans. These expenses are indicative of just how long the country continues to pay for wars after they’ve technically ended. A feature in The Wall Street Journal Friday points out that the V.A. paid a total of $6.7 billion to the parents, spouses, and children of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans over the 2013 fiscal year.