Health Care Advocacy

The presence of Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) Health Care Advocates (HCAs) who assist veterans with VA health care issues is expanding into areas which previously had none. Lubbock and Abilene are among the latest, new locations to receive HCAs with Stephen Harrison in Lubbock and Susie Middlemas in Abilene. Both are veterans, Harrsion having served in the Navy and Army; Middlemas in the Marine Corps.

Pictured are HCAs Stephen Harrison and Susie Middlemas.

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The budget approved by the Texas Legislature and by Governor Greg Abbott included the Texas Veterans Commission’s (TVC) request to add 12 more Health Care Advocates (HCAs) in VA facilities to help resolve veterans’ health care questions and issues.

TVC HCAs advocate for individual veterans. They work with the veteran to resolve VA health care conflicts in areas such as doctor appointments, labs, testing, pharmacy assistance, getting outside referrals, and VA health care related billing.

TVC Chairwoman Laura Koerner and Executive Director ...

“Our top priority this session is to work with the legislature to address the challenges facing our veterans such as helping our veterans access our VA funded health care services with the assistance of our advocates,” Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) Chairwoman Laura Koerner told the Senate Finance Committee

Koerner, a Navy veteran, and TVC Executive Director Thomas Palladino, an Army veteran, presented to Legislature (Senate Finance Committee) the agency’s exceptional needs for additional funding on February 9.

Koerner began by showcasing TVC’s ...

Freddy Salazar served in the Marine Corps from 2005-2009. After he left the service, he was married and had two daughters. “Due to some mental health conditions and drug and alcohol use, I lost it all,” said Salazar. In 2012, he separated from his wife and was homeless.

“I was on the streets with 3 shirts, pants and shoes. I was in a shelter home for over 3 weeks while working for the Army National Guard Bureau. At that time in ...