For information on upcoming Veterans Events in your area, please visit the
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| The 83rd Texas Legislature makes unprecedented investment in Texas Veterans
The Texas Veterans Commission acknowledges the Texas Legislature and Gov. Rick Perry for making significant and meaningful commitments to Texas Veterans, their families, and survivors during the 83rd Regular Legislative Session. Both the state budget and bills passed this session benefit programs and services that help Texas Veterans.
“The unprecedented investment in Veterans and their families shows that the State of Texas understands that the sacrifices our Veterans have made to serve do not go unnoticed,” said Thomas P. Palladino, Executive Director of the Texas Veterans Commission. “We thank our state legislators and Gov. Perry for improving the quality of life for those who served.”
Due to the leadership of the state’s principal budget writers, Sen. Tommy Williams, Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and Rep. Jim Pitts, Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, the state’s new 2014-2015 budget increased funding to some specific programs providing services to Texas Veterans.
One of the programs began last summer at the Texas Veterans Commission, when Gov. Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and House Speaker Joe Straus committed over $1.5 million to a one-year State Strike Force and Fully Developed Claims Teams initiative to help address the backlog of federal claims in Texas.
In January 2013, state leaders committed an additional $500,000 to the effort. The 83rd Legislature continued these initiatives through the 2014-2015 biennium, appropriating an additional $4 million over the next two years to help address the backlog and file fully developed claims.
The Legislature also continued its commitment to providing funding for non-profit and local government organizations that provide housing services for Veterans by allocating another $3 million to the Housing4TexasHeroes grant program. Since the program’s inception, the Texas Veterans Commission has awarded ten Housing4TexasHeroes grants.
The Veteran Entrepreneur Program at the Texas Veterans Commission, a new program to foster and promote Veteran entrepreneurship and business ownership throughout the state, was formally created by the passage of Senate Bill 1476, authored by Sen. Royce West. The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Ralph Sheffield, who successfully secured funding in the state budget for this new program. The program is based upon a highly successful pilot project launched in April 2012. With a single dedicated staff member, the project provided assistance to over 1,000 veterans through a statewide seminar series, moving those Veterans closer toward entrepreneurship.
In the waning hours of the regular session, state leaders passed Senate Bill 1158 and Senate Bill 1159, both authored by Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, Chair of the Senate’s Veterans Affairs and Military Installations Committee. Both bills focus on sustaining Texas’ commitment to Veterans education by:
- Creating a Permanent Fund to defray the cost of the Hazlewood exemption to institutions of higher education across the state;
- Moving administration of the Hazlewood Exemption program to Texas Veterans Commission;
- Establishing a network of Veteran Education Counselors to assist Texas Veterans in maximizing their educational benefits and to assist institutions of higher education in expanding services offered to Veterans and their families;
- Establishing the Veteran Education Excellence Recognition Award to recognize institutions of higher education that meet or exceed standards for providing specific services to Veterans; and
- Directing a study of the sustainability of federal and state Veteran education benefits in Texas.
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The Legislature also passed House Bill 633, spearheaded by Rep. Joe Farias and Sen. Wendy Davis, which allows Texans to make donations to the Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans' Assistance (FVA) when applying for or renewing a drivers’ license. Sen. Davis authored similar legislation during the 82nd Legislature which created an option for Texans to donate to the FVA when registering their vehicle with the Department of Motor Vehicles. Since the passage of that legislation, that revenue source has generated over $600,000 in donations to the FVA. It is anticipated that the new revenue source created by House Bill 633 will yield similar results.
The Legislature also recognized the need to expand and enhance mental health services available to Texas Veterans. The passage of House Bill 2392, led Rep. Jose Menendez, Chair of the House Defense and Veterans Affairs Committee, and Sen. Van de Putte, formalizes and strengthens the state’s Veteran Mental Health Program within the Department of State Health Services. State budget writers allocated an additional $4 million to the program, in effect doubling its size and capacity throughout the state. Sen. Van de Putte was also able to secure, through emergency appropriation, additional mental health resources for the Texas National Guard.
The Legislature also passed significant legislation affecting a number of critical issues and services for Veterans including mental health services, professional and occupational licenses and certifications, state contracting preferences for service-disabled business owners, discounts on utility bills for certain disabled veterans and property tax exemptions for surviving spouses of service members killed in action.
For a more complete list of Veteran-related bills passed during the 83rd Legislature, please visit http://www.tvc.texas.gov/Legislative-Update.aspx.
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TVC continues to help alleviate the VA backlog with Irving event
The Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) will host a “Beating the VA Backlog” event in Irving on July 13 in order to provide specific, one-on-one guidance to Texas Veterans, family members and survivors with pending disability claims from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This event will take place at the Westin Dallas Ft. Worth Airport from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
TVC holds backlog events in order to serve Veterans through the State Strike Force Teams, which were created by Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, and House Speaker Joe Straus last summer to help reduce the backlog of disability claims in Texas where the two VA Regional Offices had the third and fourth highest numbers of pending claims in the country.
"Since the TVC State Strike Force Teams were authorized by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House, we have already helped almost 19,000 Veterans with their backlogged claims, and provided over 5,000 cases to the VA for action," said Thomas Palladino, TVC Executive Director. "This 'Beating the VA Backlog' event is one of several events that the TVC is holding around the state as we try to help Texas Veterans get the benefits they deserve."
In addition to the work the Strike Force Team has been doing in the VA Regional Offices, the team and TVC claims counselors have also served over 1,760 Veterans at these events across the state, including Houston, Harlingen, El Paso, Arlington, Austin, Amarillo, Corpus Christi, and twice in San Antonio.
The success of the State Strike Force Team, as well as the Fully Developed Claims Team, and the continued need to serve Veterans, led the 83rd Legislature, through the leadership of Lt. Gov. Dewhurst, Speaker Straus, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Tommy Williams and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Pitts, to continue funding through the 2014- 2015 biennium for these initiatives and also authorized additional funding to increase the number of counselors for these teams.
The upcoming “Beating the VA Backlog” event is open to all Veterans, their families and survivors, and all services are free of charge. Preregistering will give staff an opportunity to research your claim prior to the event and provide you with the ability to select an appointment time. Walk-ins are allowed on a first-come, first-served basis as time allows. For details regarding this event, contact information and registration, please visit: http://www.tvc.state.tx.us/Beating-the-VA-Backlog.aspx.
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Beating the VA Backlog
Westin Dallas Ft. Worth Airport
4545 West John Carpenter Freeway
Irving, TX 75063
July 13, 2013
(Coincides with the American Legion 95th Department Convention)
8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
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New campaign "Keeps the Wheels Turning" by increasing direct support to Texas Veterans
The Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) is asking Texans to “Keep the Wheels Turning for Texas Veterans” and their families by making a donation through the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) vehicle registration form. All donations go to the TVC Fund for Veterans’ Assistance (FVA) program which provides grants to Veteran service organizations and non-profit charitable institutions that assist Veterans and their families at the community level throughout Texas.
“Overall, the FVA grants have had a major impact on the health and wellbeing of Texas Veterans and their families, but currently, the FVA only receives approximately 1/10 of the total funds requested by organizations helping Texas Veterans,” said Kathy I. Wood, Director of the FVA. “By promoting awareness that Texans can donate to the FVA on their vehicle registration forms, we want Texas vehicle owners to take advantage of this easy way to support Veterans and their families at the community level.”
The “Keep the Wheels Turning for Texas Veterans” campaign is intended to increase awareness about the opportunity to make a tax-deductible donation to help Veterans while registering a vehicle at local Tax Assessor-Collector offices or online at txdmv.gov. This donation opportunity is an easy way to show support for Veterans in Texas and make a big difference in their lives.
With these donations, organizations like Big Brothers, Big Sisters Lone Star can continue to mentor the children of military personnel and Veterans living in North Texas; Samaritan Center for Counseling & Pastoral Care can continue to provide post-traumatic stress and family counseling to Veterans and family members across Central Texas; and the Young Women’s Christian Association El Paso Del Norte Region provides financial assistance and money management services to Veterans and their families in West Texas.
Since its inception in 2009, the FVA has provided over $29.9 million through 145 grants to 100 local government and non-profit organizations. With these funds, FVA grantees have served over 135,000 Texas Veterans and family members through services that include counseling for Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS), housing assistance for homeless Veterans, short-term financial assistance, legal assistance, and family and child services.
The option to donate on the vehicle registration form was created during the 81st Legislature and moved to the front of the form during the 82nd Texas Legislature. Senate Bill 1635, spearheaded by State Sen. Wendy Davis and State Rep. Joe Farias, ultimately created an option box on front of the TxDMV’s vehicle registration form where Texans could contribute directly to the FVA.
Currently, the Texas Veterans Commission FVA program also receives funding from the proceeds of the $2 scratch-off lottery game, Veterans Cash, and the newest game is in stores July 8. Since its introduction in November 2009, sales of the lottery game have provided over $25 million to the FVA. Individuals can also support the FVA by making online donation through www.tvc.texas.gov. Donations to the FVA are tax deductible under the provisions of Section 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code.
The statewide “Keep the Wheels Turning” campaign began May 18th with the help of local TxDMV and Tax Assessor-Collector offices. Texans registering their vehicles are encouraged to donate to support Texas Veterans and their families through the FVA. The campaign will conclude in October 2013.
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In Case You Missed It
TVC wants you to stay informed! Follow these links to find up-to-date information about Veterans in Texas. [color][font]
New employment pilot program
TVC in partnership with the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) has formed a pilot project to help returning U.S. Army Veterans find employment prior to separating from the service, called the State of Texas Soldier Employment Initiative (STSEI). Learn more here. (Facebook)
Military appreciation night
Service-members and their families enjoyed a baseball game and a Veteran services expo at the Round Rock Express.
See pics here.
Request for applications
The Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans’ Assistance has posted the Series XIV-A Request for Applications from eligible applicants for reimbursement grants. Applications are due no later than 4:00 PM on Thursday, August 8, 2013. See the announcement here. (Facebook)
Keep the wheels turning for Texas Veterans!
Support Texas Veterans! Donate online when you renew your vehicle registration at Texas.gov. (Twitter)[/font][/color] |
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