Disabled Veteran, 85, Moves to Philippines After Wasting Back Pay on Bad Real Estate

Lemuel Bray, an 85-year-old disabled veteran, moved to the Philippines to better afford long-term care, telling Business Insider that the care he's receiving there exceeds what he got in the U.S. Bray served as a Navy hospital foreman for more than 13 years, including two in Vietnam, and suffered a traumatic brain injury that affected his ability to work; his last full-time job was in 1985.

Bray was married for nearly 52 years and said he and his wife lived in poverty for much of that time. He received a disability back-pay award in April 2020 but said he "wasted it on poor real estate investments."

In the Philippines, Bray has remarried and expanded a two-bedroom condo, where he says he has found a supportive community along with lower living costs. He plans to live out the rest of his life there.