SAN PATRICIO COUNTY, Tx — Veterans across San Patricio County will have access to a week of in-person services as the county’s Veterans Service Office hosts its second annual Veterans Outreach Week.
The program brings resources directly to communities across the county, making it easier for veterans, surviving spouses and dependents to get help with benefits, claims and other support services.
Veteran Service Officer Jennifer Richardson said the outreach effort began last year as a way to reach veterans who may not be able to travel to the main office.
"Our veterans are a little bit older. They don’t always have the means to travel all the way to our office,” Richardson said. “So we started this last year so that we could really pinpoint those veterans specifically.”
This year’s outreach runs Monday through Friday.
“We spend at least a couple hours in each location, ourselves, doing claims, of course answering the basic questions of filing for your VA benefits,” Richardson said.
Veterans organizations and resource groups are also joining the events, offering information on VA health care, educational benefits and services from the Veterans Land Board.
Richardson said the goal of the weeklong outreach is simple: reach veterans who may not know they qualify for assistance.
“If we reach one person that was unable to come to our office, then that is one veteran who might have been unaware of his benefits or her benefits and how they can obtain them,” she said. “One veteran is a change in maybe 10 or 20 other veterans who didn’t know about it.”
She said some surviving spouses are also unaware of potential benefits available to them.
“I’m still in awe at how many people that walk into our office and have no idea what benefits are available to them,” she said. “Not just to the veterans, but also surviving spouses who had no idea that they could potentially have a benefit there waiting for them.”
The county will also provide information about its Texas Veterans Commission grant, which helps veterans, surviving spouses and dependents with utilities, mortgage payments and groceries.
Richardson encouraged anyone eligible to attend, adding that word of mouth remains one of the most effective outreach tools.
“Please spread the word,” she said. “This is for veterans, surviving spouses and dependents. There is information about everything from health care to VA disability to your educational benefits.”
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