Texas Veterans Commission
Theresa A. Gibson, Program Specialist
Melanie A. Moynahan, L.M.S.W., Program Specialist
Ralph B. Devaul, Jr., PhD, Veterans Education Coordinator
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Veterans in Texas
• Texas is currently home to 1.67 million Veterans,
second in population only to California.
• Many Veterans either entered service in Texas or
were stationed at one of the 14 active military
installations spread throughout the state.
• Approximately 30,000 new Veterans per year remain
in or relocate to Texas for many reasons, including to
take advantage of a military-friendly culture and the
many services and Veterans benefits the state
provides.
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Background and Mission
• The Texas Veterans Commission was established
in 1927 and is the advocacy agency for Veterans
in the State of Texas.
• Our mission is to advocate for and provide
superior service to Veterans in the areas of
Claims Assistance, Employment Services,
Education, and Grants that will significantly
improve the quality of life for all Texas Veterans,
their Families and Survivors.
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Agency Programs
Provide Direct Services to Veterans
• Claims Representation & Counseling
• Veterans Employment Services
• Veterans Education Programs
Award Grants to Organizations that
Assist Veterans
• Fund for Veterans’ Assistance
Connect Veterans to Services
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Communications and Veterans Outreach
Women Veterans Initiative
Veteran Entrepreneur Program
Military Veteran Peer Network
No other state has
centralized all of these
program areas within their
state’s Veterans agency.
Texas is becoming recognized
for aggressively leading on
Veteran issues. National
leaders have referred to the
“Texas-model” when
advocating for the
integration of Veterans
services.
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Claims Representation
and Counseling
• The Claims Representation and Counseling (Claims)
Program assists Texas Veterans, their families and
survivors in obtaining federal benefits and
entitlements from the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA).
• The Claims Program ensures all Texas Veterans and
their families receive every benefit to which they are
entitled.
• Some of the most common benefits are:
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Service-Connected Disability Compensation
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
Pensions (Veterans and Survivors)
Appeals
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Claims Representation
and Counseling
• All TVC Claims Counselors are accredited by VA to
represent Veterans throughout the process of applying for
these benefits. Claims Counselors must possess a high
degree of competency in the medical field and be experts
in VA administrative law.
• In order to represent Veterans in the claims process, TVC
Claims Counselors:
– Interview Veterans and their families concerning their potential claims
and benefits
– Request, review, and evaluate service records and military medical and
health records, as well as private medical records
– Consider laws and regulations which apply to the individual’s claim
– Prepare the application for benefits
– Prepare and request the medical and other evidence necessary to prove
their claim
– Advocate on behalf of the Veteran throughout the processing of the
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application
Claims Representation
and Counseling
152 Staff in 42 offices
in 31 cities
All Counselors are Veterans;
many are disabled Veterans
Offices located in
VA Regional Offices,
VA Medical Centers,
VA Clinics and
Community-Based
Outpatient Clinics,
military installations
and county offices
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Claims Representation
and Counseling
• In FY 2014, the Texas Veterans Commission managed a
total caseload of 220,103 claims and filed over 102,768
monetary claims and represented 23,874 Veterans
with appeals.
• Due to representation by the Texas Veterans
Commission, Texas Veterans and their families received
over $3.0 billion in compensation and pensions during
FY 2014.
• Veterans benefits paid to Texas Veterans generated
$340 million in State tax receipts and another $120
million to local governments.
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Veteran Employment Services
• The Veteran Employment Services (VES) program
matches Veterans, particularly Veterans with significant
barriers to employment, with the best employment
opportunities available. This program also outreaches to
employers to encourage hiring of Veterans, recruit
positions, and match employers with qualified Veterans.
• The program includes components which provide:
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Specialized employment services to Veterans
Outreach to employers to promote the Veteran hiring opportunities
Employment services for military spouses and families
Specific assistance to public entities to enhance Veterans hiring
processes
– Targeted assistance to Women Veterans to overcome unique
challenges to employment
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Veteran Employment Services
165 Veteran Employment
Representatives*
in 88 locations in 75 cities
South Region= 36
Central Region= 26
North Region= 45
Gulf Coast Region= 37
West Region= 21
*All Veteran Employment Representatives are Veterans
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Veteran Employment Services
• Challenges
– Women Veterans are facing challenges to employment at a higher rate
than their male counterparts. The problem is even more dire for
recently separated Women Veterans.
•
The unemployment rate for Gulf War II Era Women Veterans was over 10% for
16 of the 24 months between 2012 and 2014.
– State agencies in Texas are lagging Federal departments when it
comes to hiring Veterans to positions within the state government.
•
From 2006 to 2013 the number of state employees has increased by over
35,000 employees, while the Veteran employment rate for state agencies has
decreased from 5.94% to 4.98%
• Successes
– During the last reported fiscal year, the Veterans Employment
Services program provided assistance to over 48,000 Veterans.
– Of those, almost 33,000 Veterans entered employment after
receiving assistance from the Texas Veterans Commission.
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Veterans Education Programs
Texas Veterans Commission’s Veterans Education Program
directs two programs with complimentary missions:
• The Federal Program functions as the State Approving
Agency and determines those programs of education and
training within the state which may be approved for
Veterans training and for which eligible Veterans and their
families may receive GI Bill educational benefits.
• The State Program (due to passage of SB 1158) oversees
the administration of the Hazlewood Exemption program,
manages the statewide Education Coordinator Program,
and facilitates the Veterans Education Excellence Award
Program.
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Veterans Education Programs
• Successes
– In FY 2014, the TVC Veterans Education Program, approved over 3,000
programs of education and training in Texas.
– In FY 2014, VA reported that 94,506 Veterans in Texas received $1.016
billion in federal educational benefits in their last reported fiscal year.
• Impact of Benefits
– The Perryman Group estimated the gains in business activity in Texas
from both federal educational outlays and the State’s Hazlewood
Exemption for FY 2013.
• The increase in business activity associated with federal educational outlays
for Veterans was found to include an estimated $6.34 billion in output (gross
product) each year, with fiscal effects (revenue) of $380 million to the State
and almost $160 million to local governments.
• Texas’ Hazlewood Exemption also leads to significant gains in business
activity of almost $2.61 billion in output (gross product) each year with
annual fiscal effects (revenue) of $145.4 million to the State and $60.4
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million to local governments.
Fund for Veterans’ Assistance
• The Fund for Veterans’ Assistance (FVA) was established in
2007 by the 80th Legislature and funded in late 2009.
• The FVA program awards reimbursement grants to non-profit
and local government organizations which, in turn, provide
direct services to Texas Veterans and their families.
• Grants are awarded in three categories:
– General Assistance Grants
– Housing4TexasHeroes Grants
– Veterans Mental Health Grants
• Since 2009, the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) program
has awarded nearly $45M in 245 grants to 127 non-profit and
local government entities. As of August 31, 2014, grantees
have served over 180,000 Texas Veterans and dependents.
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Fund for Veterans’ Assistance
• General Assistance Grants
– Grants address a broad range of needs, including: Limited emergency assistance;
Transportation services; Homeless/Housing assistance; Family and child services;
Veterans Courts; and Other supportive services.
– To date, the FVA program has awarded approximately $37.2M in General Assistance
grants to help over 179,000 Texas Veterans and dependents.
• Housing4TexasHeroes (H4TXH) Grants
– Awards grants to eligible organizations that assist Texas Veterans and their families in
maintaining or improving housing. Currently, these grants address the home
modification assistance needs of Disabled Veterans, Low Income, and Very Low
Income Veterans.
– These grants are funded through Housing Trust Fund money transferred from the Texas
Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
– Since 2011, the FVA program awarded $3 million in H4TXH grants to help 1,272 Texas
Veterans and dependents. In 2014, the program awarded $3 million in 7 H4TXH grants.
• Veterans Mental Health Grants
– In 2013, the TVC and Department of State Health Services (DSHS) partnered to create
the Veterans Mental Health Grant program to fund projects providing direct counseling
and mental health services to Veterans and their families.
– The program’s first Veterans Mental Health Grants were awarded in May 2014. 12
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grants, totaling $1.5M, began July 2014.
Fund for Veterans’ Assistance
• The FVA General Assistance and Veterans Mental Health
grants are funded through six funding sources:
– Portion of sales from the Texas Lottery scratch-off game
– State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC) donations
– Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Vehicle Registration Renewal
Notice donations
– Department of Public Safety (DPS) Driver License and ID Card
Application and Renewal donations
– Restricted and Unrestricted donations
– The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) provided $750,000
towards the first Veterans Mental Health Grants.
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Women Veterans Initiative
• The mission of the Texas Women Veterans Initiative is to ensure
that the Women Veterans in Texas have equitable access to federal
and state Veterans benefits and services.
• The program advocates for women Veterans and works to increase
public awareness about the gender-specific needs of Women
Veterans in three (3) main areas:
– Women Veterans Claims Representation and Counseling
– Women Veterans Employment Services
– Women Veterans Outreach
• Women Veterans Coordinators serve as advocates for Women
Veterans by:
– Collaborating with government and non-government programs in Texas to
identify resources within the Women Veterans’ communities;
– Assisting with health care, disability claims, employment issues;
– Identifying the challenges and barriers of Women Veterans;
– Advocating for changes on their behalf; and
– Increasing support for Women Veterans throughout the State and nation
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Veteran Entrepreneur Program
• The Veteran Entrepreneur Program at the Texas Veterans Commission has
existed in a pilot form since April 2012, but was formally established in
2013 by Senate Bill 1476, passed during the 83rd Legislature. The purpose
of the Veteran Entrepreneur Program is to foster and promote Veteran
Entrepreneurship throughout the state of Texas.
• Since its inception, the Texas Veterans Commission has planned a phased
implementation of the Veteran Entrepreneur Program, since it remains
one of the only programs of its kind in the nation.
• Throughout both the pilot and Phase I of implementation, the Veteran
Entrepreneur Program VEP has relied upon a statewide seminar series to
garner the attention of aspiring Veteran Entrepreneurs and to
disseminate information regarding business plan development, financial
guidance, government procurement, and information regarding franchise
opportunities.
• Since April 2012, the Veteran Entrepreneur Program has completed two
statewide seminar series conducting a total of 14 Veteran Entrepreneur
Seminars providing services to over 3,500 aspiring Veteran
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Entrepreneurs.
Veteran Entrepreneur Program
• Phase II of this implementation involves executing a
Veteran Business Education and Mentoring strategy,
turning aspiring Veteran Entrepreneurs into actual Veteran
Business Owners.
• A key component to this strategy is providing actual handson assistance at all phases of business.
• The program has just launched the Veteran Entrepreneur
Academy and, upon completion, graduates will qualify for
a loan for start-up capital up to $45,000 at 5% fixed rate.
• Full implementation of this concept requires additional
satellite staff on the ground in major centers of business
growth (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, and Austin).
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Military Veteran Peer Network
• House Bill 2393 (83rd Leg.) - Required the Department of
State Health Services to develop a mental health
program for veterans that includes:
– Peer-to peer counseling
– Access to licensed mental health professionals for volunteer
coordinators and peers
– Training for peers
– Technical assistance for volunteer coordinators and peers
– Grants to organizations providing services
– Recruitment, retention, and screening of community-based
therapists
– Suicide prevention training
– Jail diversion services
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Military Veteran Peer Network
Components of the Military Veteran Peer Network (MVPN)
• Volunteers
– Community-based (Over 1,100 statewide)
• Volunteer Coordinators
– Local Mental Health Authority (LMHA)-based (35 statewide)
• Field Clinicians
– Non-profit-based
• Statewide Coordination Team
– TVC-based (as of September 1, 2014)
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Military Veteran Peer Network
• During Summer 2014, the Texas Veterans Commission
(TVC) was asked by the Department of State Health
Services if the agency could ably execute the statewide
coordination function of Military Veteran Peer Network.
• TVC believed the move made sense to enhance the
capabilities of the MVPN:
– The move helps to ground the statewide coordination of the
MVPN within the infrastructure of a state agency.
– The Texas Veterans Commission executes a similar mission in the
statewide coordination of training and support for the network of
Veteran County Service Officers, who are appointed and employed
by the counties they serve.
– This concept falls in line with the “Texas Model” of consolidating
Veterans programs and services at the state Veterans agency, as
TVC has no other competing priorities than serving Veterans.
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