 | | Veterans Day: Gratitude to Those Who Served | "On this Veterans Day, the Texas Veterans Commission expresses deep gratitude to the courageous men and women who have served our nation … To the families of veterans, we stand with you in recognition of your loved ones' | | | service and heroism," said TVC Chairwoman and Navy veteran Laura Koerner in her Veterans Day message. Watch her full message. TVC encourages all Texans to express their gratitude to all who served, both here at home and abroad. | | | | | Veteran Education Excellence Awards Presented at Texas A&M System Military-Affiliated Student Symposium | TVC's Veteran Education Excellence Recognition Awards were presented to 10 colleges and universities at the 16th Annual Texas A&M System Military-Affiliated Student Symposium in College Station on Oct. 21, 2024. "I am so grateful for the opportunities that education has afforded me; and, I am dedicated to ensuring that quality education is a resource for those that serve their country," said TVC Chairwoman Laura Koerner at the awards ceremony. The award recognizes universities and colleges that provide excellence in education and related services that significantly contribute to the academic success of student veterans and military-connected students. Find all schools awarded at this event. | | Alamo District Colleges Earn Veteran Education Excellence Awards | All five colleges of the San Antonio area Alamo Colleges District were presented TVC's Veteran Education Excellence Recognition Awards on October 26. The presentations were made at the Representative Barbara Gervin-Hawkins and St. Philip's College Good Samaritan Veterans Outreach and Transition Center 7th Annual Texas Veterans Service Fair & Open House. "To all these colleges, well done and thank you for providing education programs and creating an environment that fosters academic success for veterans, military connected students and their families" said TVC Chairwoman Laura Koerner, pictured center below, at the awards ceremony. Find the five awarded colleges. | | | | | | | Property tax exemptions available for veterans per disability rating | Property tax exemptions are available to Texas veterans who have been awarded disability from the VA*. The exemptions range from $5,000 for a 10-29% disability rating to full exemption from all property taxes for those with 100% disability rating. If the veteran is deceased and for service members killed in the line of duty, the property tax exemption may be passed on to surviving spouses who do not remarry or a child under age 18 and who is unmarried**. | officials in all 254 counties of Texas to raise awareness of the disabled veteran property tax exemption. * Tax Code Section 11.131 ** Texas Constitution Article 8 Sec. 1-b(m) | | Surviving spouse awarded over $183,600 after VA error pointed out | The surviving spouse of a Marshall area Vietnam veteran came to TVC Claims Northeast District Supervisor and Army veteran Kerry Easley with notification from the VA regarding reducing her survivor's pension retroactively back to 2018 due to her receiving Social Security Benefits. In the process of sorting | | | that out, Easley, pictured, found the VA had failed to recognize service connectivity on the veteran's death certificate. | | | | | Who are the veterans around you? Just Ask | Do you know who the military veterans around you are? Asking if someone served in the military can help connect them to veteran benefits and resources, education and employment opportunities, peer support, mental health care and more. It can also open the door for community and organizations to receive the benefits veterans have to offer. | | | That's why TVC is launching the Texans Ask: Did Y'all Serve? Initiative. Find out more at Ask. | | | | Get the guide on starting the conversation and resources. Listen to TVC Veterans Mental Health Department Program Manager, Navy veteran and Licensed Professional Counselor Don Hipp talk about the importance of asking if someone served, training organizations about military culture and more on The Voice of Texas Veterans. | | Warriors Research Institute's telehealth makes behavioral, mental healthcare convenient | Mental healthcare services can be as convenient as an online session or phone call for Texas veterans and their family members. The Warriors Research Institute (WRI) offers telehealth mental healthcare services to eligible veterans and their family members across the state at no cost. Telehealth allows greater flexibility in appointments, eliminates the need for transportation and allows people to receive counseling in a comfortable environment. WRI offers free behavioral health treatment to veterans, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics or family members of a veteran dealing with issues such as depression, anger, anxiety, substance use or post-traumatic stress. Culturally competent car is provided for veterans and their families. TVC's Fund for Veterans' Assistance awarded the Baylor Scott & White Research Institute a $500,000 grant for veterans mental health services in October. It marked the sixth consecutive year the institute has been awarded this grant. From July 2023 through June 2024, WRI completed 1,637 treatment sessions, serving 129 veterans and family members. Its success is also shown in how many participants stay with the program. "The program has experienced a very high retention rate among its participants. It has a higher number of individuals in comparison to traditional therapy programs who start the program and see it through to completion," said Elizabeth Coe, PsyD, WRI Program Director. Listen to Dr. Coe talk about conditions and therapies. WRI is a Waco based research center within the Baylor Scott & White Research Institute. It strives to improve the quality of care available to veterans and emergency responders via a program of scientific inquiry and training. Those interested in in WRI services may contact them online at bswhealth.com/vetmentalhealth or call 254-716-6208. | | | | | Hiring Red, White and You! job fair is underway across the state | The Hiring Red, White and You! (HRWY) statewide job fair series is underway. These free events connect employers with veterans, transitioning military members and spouses. HRWY has a record of employment success. Since the first HRWY was held in 2012, over 137,000 job seekers have connected with meaningful job opportunities, including more than 3,400 same-day hires. Plus, the event has worked with over 24,000 employers. HRWY job fairs are being held at 28 locations across Texas through Nov. 22, 2024. This job fair series is hosted by Texas Workforce Commission and Texas Workforce Solutions, in partnership with the Governor's Office, Texas, Veterans Commission and Texas Medical Center. Find the HRWY job fair in your area. | | Employment transition programs, skills conversion and other shifts to civilian life | Keith Millar talks about his military service and transition to civilian employment, starting with work at a homeless shelter. There, seeing veterans' lives change when they found jobs inspired Millar to work for TVC Employment Services. Hear how he works with employers, Workforce Solutions and job seeking veterans. Listen in and get tips on getting jobs. | Want help with your job search? The TVC Veteran Employment Services team can be found in 90 locations around Texas including 70 American Job Centers. Find your local office. | | Veteran-owned businesses saluted at Governor's Small Business Summit | Veteran-owned businesses and entrepreneurs are saluted by the Governor's Small Business Summit on November 14 in Wichita Falls. Current and potential veteran business owners can meet the TVC Entrepreneur team there. Registration is $20; find more information and register. The State of Texas provides benefits for new, veteran owned businesses. Learn more at Veteran Entrepreneur. | | Over $2.9 million in grants awarded to Veteran County Service Offices around Texas | Grants totaling $2,985,000 were awarded to 12 Veteran County Service Offices (VCSOs) across the state in the recent Fund for Veterans Assistance Grants Across Texas Tour in September and October. The VCSO grants are expected to serve over 2,600 veterans and their families with financial assistance, transportation, peer support services, and housing. "We are really excited to have this grant opportunity made possible by the Texas Veterans Commission," said Harris County Veterans Services Department Director and | | | Air Force veteran David Lewis, pictured. "This is a giant leap | | | | forward for all of us to do peer to peer counseling. Our thanks to Texas Veterans Commission." The Harris County Veterans Services Department was awarded $300,000 for peer support services, plus $295,000 for financial assistance services. "We received $300,000 from Texas Veterans Commission to help our veterans with mental health (services). This is going to help our veterans service office reach out and touch our veterans with those mental health problems to address their anxiety and their depression.," said Hidalgo County Director of Veterans | | | Services Office and Air Force veteran Samuel Perez, Jr., pictured. | | | | | Take TVC's customer satisfaction survey | Let us know how we are doing. It's quick. The TVC survey is only five questions. | | | | | | | Follow TVC on social media! | | | | | The mission of the Texas Veterans Commission is to advocate for and provide superior service that will significantly improve the quality of life for all Texas veterans, their families, and survivors.
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