When you spend your working years at a career that does not pay well, but promises to take care of you in the end you find a lot of this.
We have scrimped and saved for years. His 20 year career in the Navy starting as a E1 ending as a SCPO, was never a high pay job when you have children.
Higher prices, more taxes, are slowly eating away at our savings too. We knew we were going to have to have hearing aids for him this year because of the flight deck hearing damage. Because we have 2 SS checks and he has a pension, VA does NOT provide any healthcare. We did not expect to have to double that with hearing aids for me due to inner ear damage.
My brother has all that income too and the VA gave him hearing aids because his hearing loss was caused by his service on the flight line.
He needs to check with the VA again.