Claims

“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 ...

“When speaking to your County Veteran Service Officer feel free to address questions that you might have which may be outside of the scope of VA disabilities. Chances are they will know how to begin a specific process or have great resources that will help you through any issues you may be encountering,” said Sasha Mathews, Marine Corps veteran and Hays County Senior Assistant Veteran Service Officer, pictured. “We are here to address the ‘whole’ veteran and their families.”

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A south Texas veteran whose disability claim was originally denied by the VA recently had a successful appeal by working with Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) Claims Benefits Advisors (CBAs) which resulted in a tax-free retro payment of over $886,170.

CBAs Craig Hardwick and Margaret Jowers worked with the veteran on a claim to service connect a Squamous Carcinoma in the pelvic region caused by exposure to ionizing radiation to the veteran. The claim went all the way to the Board of ...

Larry Fisk, Veteran Service Officer for Dallam and Hartley counties, knows the importance of having proper documents to receive VA benefits. “I’ve helped out a bunch of veterans in getting their DD214. You’ve got to start with that.”

To help area veterans, Fisk has made his office in Dalhart available, literally. He recalled a job seeking veteran needing access to a computer. “He came in, The TWC (Texas Workforce Commission) was trying to help him get a job at the cheese ...

An increase in Claims compensation rating from 40% to 70% for a San Antonio area veteran is a recent example of how Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) Claims Benefits Advisors (CBA) assist veterans.

The Air Force veteran had been out of the service for over 24 years, since 1996. With a 40% Claims rating, he was receiving around $40 a month or about $480 annually.

“He was referred to me by another veteran we had assisted,” said CBA Diane Bowie. “We looked at ...

“I had to be medically retired. I want to say thank you to the military and the veterans service center … for helping during that time,” said Nyajuok Mangongo, a retired Army Captain. Watch her full story and others at Bexar VCSO video. Pictured is veteran Jeffery Hof telling his experience with Bexar VCSO.

“Our focus is to ...

“Every time that we are able to get someone their benefits, we consider that a success,” said Juan M. Rios, Sr., Tarrant County Assistant Veteran Service Officer.

Having completed nearly 2,700 claims for veterans disability, non-service-connected pension, and survivors benefits, Rios creates much success.

Rios’s advice to his fellow veterans is “Do not hesitate to ask. Most are too proud to ask for help but if you do not ask you will never know if you are eligible for the help.”

With his ...

Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) Senior Claims Benefits Advisor (CBA) Kathleen  Pino serves as the primary liaison for transitioning service members seeking to complete Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) claims for several military bases, as well as VBA claims support and referral for area veterans and their families. An Air Force veteran herself, she actively engages the active duty and veteran community by representing the TVC at pre-retirement briefs and ensuring continuing benefits awareness from active duty service to civilian life.

Based ...