Valuable information for Texas Veterans on TexVet.org

December 4, 2019 by

If you’re a veteran in Texas, you may find yourself endlessly seeking out information online that may or may not apply to veterans in the Lone Star State. There are a considerable number of blogs written by veterans for the veteran community, with a wide range of information available. Some of it may not be applicable or accurate.

Valuable information for Texas Veterans on TexVet.org

What you may not know is that a group of people at Texas A&M in College Station are looking out for the veteran community here. They’ve have put together one website where you can find information you need specific to Texas veterans.

TexVet

Since its beginnings in 2007, TexVet has served as a catalog website for a wide range of services and trustworthy information available to veterans. Their mission statement:

TexVet is the state clearinghouse for trusted information, resources, data, technical support, and research relevant to service members, veterans, their families, and those who serve them.

The idea is to make it easy for Lone Star veterans to find what they need, as well as organizations that serve them to reach both the military and veteran communities.

While there are a number of small nonprofits and other organizations that serve the veteran community, many may not have the resources to gather as much information, or keep it current. TexVet’s intentions are for their single website to have current information that veterans need at their fingertips.

The website receives funding and support from Texas A&M University Health Science Center as well as the Texas Department of Health & Human Services. The website’s resources are updated regularly and audited yearly.

Available Information

The website’s information is categorized so that you can find what you need quickly. Choose from:

  • Mental Health Resources
  • Legal Assistance
  • VA Claims
  • Transportation
  • Events
  • Property Tax (an important issue in Texas)
  • Finding a job and starting a business
  • The Hazelwood Act (for Texas veterans education)
  • Homeless Assistance
  • Social Groups
  • Women Veterans

Additional menu selections include Transitioning Vets and a section for Fun/Free things for veterans and their families, including discounts.

If you’re looking for information about GI bill higher education, click here to go to their Higher Ed page. You can also find information on the Hazelwood Act for Texas Veterans and their families, as well as a list of colleges and universities that accept both the GI bill and the Hazelwood Act. In the Houston area alone, you can choose:

  • Alvin Community College
  • Houston Community College
  • Prairie View A&M
  • Sam Houston State University (Huntsville)
  • Texas Southern University
  • Texas Women’s University
  • University of Houston
  • Texas A&M Galveston

The website lists all the colleges and universities statewide that you can choose from to receive higher education.

Criteria For Listing On Texvet.org

There are a wide range of companies that offer help or services to veterans and their families. Unfortunately, not all of them are legitimate, nor are they helpful, such as payday loan companies, which profit from veterans but do nothing to help.

Most of the listings on the website are governmental agencies, local services and nonprofits that are vetted to ensure that they meet TexVet’s standards.

To ensure that companies and organizations are legitimate and genuinely care about the veterans who may contact them, any organization must meet TexVet’s Standards Of Trust in order to appear on the site.

While most for-profit companies aren’t listed, TexVet will occasionally list one and mark it as a “for-profit” entity.

Doing a search for “veterans assistance” will bring millions of search engine results, but may not be what you need. TexVet strives to be the first website Texas veterans visit when they need information or resources.

More Assistance For Your VA Disability Claim

We respect our military and veteran community, and we’re ready to help you when you need it.

The Herren Law Firm has helped over 4,000 Houstonians get the benefits they deserve. Call us at (713) 682-8194 or (800) 529-7707 for a free consultation. We’ll talk with you about your case and let you know how we can help. Our contingency fee arrangement means you won’t owe us anything unless we win your case.

Filed Under: Veterans Disability Tagged With: , ,

What If My Application For Disability Benefits In Houston, TX Is Denied? Can I Appeal The Decision?

December 28, 2018 by

You’ve gathered all your medical records and filled out all the forms that were required. But after carefully preparing your application and sending it in on time, you were still denied. What do you do now?

The truth is, more than half the people who apply for benefits are denied the first time they apply. You have the right to an appeal within 60 days, so use it. Don’t assume that a denial is the end of everything, or worse, re-apply without legal help from a disability lawyer.

What If My Application For Disability Benefits In Houston, TX Is Denied? Can I Appeal The Decision?

The Process Of Appeals

Many people assume that a denial is the end of their application and either give up entirely or re-apply. Both are incorrect, and you will lose valuable time and your appeal rights in both scenarios.

There are four steps to the appeals process in Texas, and they have to be done in order.

  • Request for Reconsideration—this involves turning in your same paperwork to another SSA representative for review. You can also include additional information that was omitted from your original application. About one out of six people who request reconsideration are approved at this stage.
  • The Disability Hearing—you’ll go in front of an administrative law judge who will hear your case and decide if you are qualified for disability. Expert witnesses, such as a medical expert to discuss your condition and a vocational expert that can advise on what kind of work you may be qualified to perform. However, you are allowed to bring witnesses as well as present any new evidence that has come to light since your application or last denial.
  • ·The Appeals Council—if the judge denies your request, you can bring your case to the next level. This council consists of administrative law judges that were not involved with your case previously. These judges won’t consider any new evidence, however, they will make sure that the previous judge followed proper laws and procedure in deciding your case.

These judges can either agree with the original judge’s findings or overturn the decision and award your disability benefits. They can also send the case back to the prior administrative law judge with comments about any mistakes made in the case.

  • Federal Court Review—this is where you’ll file a lawsuit if you disagree with the decisions of the previous courts.

Why You Need A Disability Attorney

Just applying for disability is complicated and confusing. Going through the process of appeals is even more complicated as well as challenging. Finding an attorney who understands the process and knows what to do will make the process much easier, and increase your chances of winning on appeal.

Call Us For Help With Your Disability Appeal

If you didn’t have legal help with your disability application, don’t leave things to chance. The process can take many months, and in some cases, years. Don’t give up.  Let us help you with your appeal and increase your chances of winning.

We’re experienced in handling all types of disability claims and have helped more than 4,000 Houstonians get the disability benefits they need. Call The Herren Law Firm today at 713-682-8194 (or use our online contact form) to schedule your free consultation. There’s no obligation, and we’ll take your case on a contingency fee basis, with no up-front charges.

Filed Under: Social Security Disability Tagged With: , ,

Veterans Disability Attorney Houston

June 6, 2018 by

From the Sabine River to El Paso, Texas is home to more than 30 active, reserve and National Guard affiliated military installations for all branches of the service. Ellington Field, near NASA and where the President flies into when visiting Houston, as well as the Coast Guard’s installations in Galveston are outnumbered by the recruiting stations from every branch.

Veterans Disability Attorney Houston

Some veterans are native Texans and returned after their tours were over. Others were stationed here and stayed after their discharge. Whichever group you’re in, Texas respects and appreciates veterans as well as active duty military of all stripes and branches.

Famous Texas Veterans

Houston, as well as the state of Texas, considers a number of famous veterans to be Lone Star heroes:

  • Audie Murphy—born in Kingston, Murphy lied about his age to enlist in the army. During WWII, and before the age of 21, he earned 33 medals for bravery. Discovered by James Cagney on the cover of Life Magazine, he transitioned into film and made primarily Westerns. His first film, To Hell And Back, was based on his memoirs from his time during the war.
  • Gene Roddenberry—the creator of Star Trek, was born in El Paso in 1921 but grew up in Los Angeles. Son of a police officer, Roddenberry fostered his interest in airplanes and joined the Army Air Corps in 1941. Writing was a hobby to take his mind off his combat missions and had multiple published submissions, including poetry. After the war, he flew for Pan Am, and later became a police officer. During this period, he developed the idea for Star Trek, and it debuted in 1966. The original series ran for three seasons, but multiple continuations and intense fan interest have kept the franchise operating for more than 50 years.
  • Staff Sergeant Marcario Garcia: Medal of Honor, WWII—interred at the Houston National Cemetery, SSgt. Garcia was the first Mexican immigrant from the Houston area (Sugarland) to win the nation’s highest award for valor. His family emigrated in 1924, and he enlisted in the Army in 1942, assigned to 4th Infantry Division. As an infantry squad leader in Company B, 22nd Infantry Regiment, Garcia was involved in a battle in Grosshau, Germany, where he took out two enemy machine gun emplacements. While badly injured, Garcia crawled to the emplacements, took out both guns by himself, killed six Germans with his own rifle and captured four more. President Truman presented Garcia with the Medal of Honor on August 23, 1945. After WWII, he worked as a counselor for the VA for 25 years. He was buried in the Houston National Cemetery with full military honors.

Multiple veterans’ memorials are available in the Houston area. The Harris County War Memorial lists the names of military members who died in service from WWI to Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom.  The Heights is home to a World War II memorial in the Heights Boulevard Park.

Houston Veterans Organizations

Houston veterans also have options when they need help from a number of dedicated veterans organizations:

  1. Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)—with more than 30 posts throughout the Houston area, the VFW offers members free assistance with VA applications and issues, transition assistance, advocacy on behalf of veterans and specific veteran-only discounts (similar to the AARP’s discounts.)
  2. The American Legion—one of the oldest veterans’ assistance organizations, it was chartered in 1919 by Congress and is now a nonprofit with over 2 million members. The Legion offers a number of services to veterans, including benefits assistance, discounts for members, career guidance, resources specific to women veterans and more. Houston has two Legion Service Officers (two more are in Waco.)
  3. The Disabled American Veterans—offering assistance specific to disabled veterans, the DAV is a private organization that receives no government funding. For over 90 years, the DAV has offered free assistance to their members for transition, benefits, job training and assistance, advocacy on Capitol Hill, rides for members who need it and rehab programs for vets with debilitating injuries such as amputations and blindness. Members join for life, and volunteer opportunities are available. Discounts are also available for members through corporate sponsors. The DAV in Texas can be reached in the Waco VA office as well as the Houston regional VA office.
  4. The Wounded Warrior Project—a newer veterans organization, the Wounded Warrior Project focuses on veterans who served after September 11th, 2001. They can help with physical and mental wellness, personal independence, counseling and VA benefit assistance, as well as getting connected to a network of people who are ready to help. Wounded Warrior’s Resource Center can be reached at 888-997-2586, or by email, resourcecenter@woundedwarriorproject.org

We Help Houston Veterans

Getting the benefits you earned doesn’t have to be an obstacle course, and the VA’s application and appeals system can be particularly complicated. William Herren is a veterans disability attorney who has helped more than 4,000 Houstonians get their benefits, and we’re ready to help you. Call The Herren Law Firm today at 713-682-8194 (or use our online contact form) to schedule your free consultation. There’s no obligation, and we’ll take your case on a contingency fee basis, with no up-front charges.

Filed Under: Veterans Disability Tagged With: , ,
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