Archive for 2021

Out in west Texas, Ward County is home to flat land, a big sky, the Pyote Rattlesnake Bomber Base and Veteran County Service Officer (VCSO) Willie Andino.

“Come see the Veteran Service Officer in your community; or, if you’re thinking of filing a claim and haven’t started, call 800-827-1000 and let the VA know you have an ITF (intent to file),” said Willie Andino, Ward County VCSO and Army veteran.

Andino assists veterans in Ward and surrounding counties with any paperwork needed ...

“All VCSOs (Veteran County Service Officers) have success stories. It’s the veteran we don’t get through to their benefits or have challenges with that we should focus on,” said Sabine County Veteran Service Officer and Navy veteran Thomas “Shorty” Warren.

And succeed he does, as exemplified by a WWII veteran who was assigned to Howitzer unit in Austria. “He came to me wanting hearing aids. We got him hearing aids and also $600 per month and $78,000 back pay,” said Warren.

He ...

A winter (snowbird)Texan checks in at the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) Claims office in Harlingen and gets a rating upgrade. Veterans on a weekend retreat meet a TVC Claims Benefits Advisor and get help with their VA health care and claims issues. A CBA goes cross country to advocate for a surviving spouse. All are recent examples of the TVC Claims team connecting with veterans and providing a range of assistance, free.

A veteran residing in Harlingen during winter contacted the ...