NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) – More and more military veterans in the area have been gathering at the new Veteran’s Coffee House at the Wallingford Senior Center. Each month the group comes together to socialize and hear from informative speakers.

The founder of the group, Mark Halliday with Assisted Living Services, Inc. stopped by our studio this morning to tell us more about the Coffee House and keeping veteran’s connected.What is Assisted Living Technologies and Assisted Living Services?

For twenty years, Assisted Living Services has provided In-Home care services to thousands of Connecticut’s seniors and people of all ages with varying disabilities. Our sister company Assisted Living Technologies Inc. offers a variety of electronic devices to address the key issues that impact this population the most: Falls, Personal Safety, Medication Compliance, Wandering, and Social Isolation. Our goal is combine the two to allow seniors to age in place.How did the Veteran’s monthly meeting come about?

We developed the Veterans Coffee House in conjunction with the Wallingford Senior Center. I have always had great respect and deep admiration for veterans and wanted to give them a chance to get together on a casual basis. The response has been incredible. At the last event there were nearly 30 men and women of various ages.What actually takes place at each get together?

We serve free coffee, pastries and muffins. Each time we have a presentation that vets hopefully find interesting followed by a discussion.  We introduce new members to the group then they all describe their service to our country. The last time we met the presentation was about a Medal of Honor recipient.What will your next presentation be about?

We have guest speaker Attorney Henry Weatherby, who is a veteran himself and was one of the first Connecticut attorneys to earn Veteran’s Administration accreditation. VA accreditation is required to be able to legally assist veterans with the preparation and presentation of claims for benefits. Older veterans and their spouses may be missing out on significant income simply because they are unaware of benefits that they are eligible to receive. A VA attorney can ensure a fully developed claim for maximum benefits and will aid in the timely processing of the claim.

All vets should be aware that no person or organization may charge a fee for assistance in preparing applications for VA benefits, meaning it is a free service.Can you give us all the details about the next gathering?

The next Veteran’s Coffee House is on Tuesday, August 29th at 10:00am.

Wallingford Senior Center is located at 238 Washington Street.

It’s free and veterans of all ages are welcome.

For more information head to www.assistedlivingct.com