Ask Amy: 20+ ways Veterans can get help

Amy Davis, Investigative Reporter

Andrea Slaydon, Senior Investigative and Special Projects Producer

Published: May 23, 2023 at 1:55 PMUpdated: November 20, 2023 at 10:04 AM

I never know what I will find when I head to someone’s home to help them with a problem. When visiting with veteran Jessie Lara to talk about a water leak and bill issue, I learned he was not utilizing any Veterans benefits that could help him with several issues he was having.

That’s when we realized, a lot of you may have help available to you that you do not know about.

From rent relief to medical care needs there are resources available for Veterans in our community.

(AP2013)

Colonel Dave Lewis, Director of the Harris County Veterans Services Department, joined me for an episode of Ask Amy. (show notes here.)

“Somebody knows about a Veteran that’s struggling in the community. That’s our eyes and ears. And then we roll teams to them,” said Col. Lewis. “We take care of each other. You know, that’s one of the classic things we tend to be a little reticent about asking for help ourselves, but we’re really good at taking care of each other. So when somebody says, I’ve got a Veteran in need, usually, it’s, how can we help? We’ve got a team of people lined up to do that and we fill in the gaps, you know.”

Help to navigate healthcare for Veterans

Col. Lewis says one common need for Veterans is navigating the Veterans Health Administration.

“In fact, we help people work their claims. We don’t decide the claims. We help them get their paperwork together. We ask lots of questions. We file their paperwork for them and go to the VA for a decision. And I just read this morning, the average decision time is about 102 days right now, which is pretty good,”

Harris Vets can connect vets with mental health support, including workshops for family members of veterans, who may need help reaching their loved one. They can also help with education and job opportunities and health care needs including transportation to medical appointments.

Another few examples of Veteran services

Housing for Texas Heroes can help low-income Vets with home modifications like walkways, ramps, or handrails to their home.
If you are a veteran, you can get $30 off of your existing internet service through the Affordable Connectivity Program.
Comcast offers all former and active military members a $50 gift card.

Jesse Lara’s niece first reached out to me for help dealing with a huge water bill and a suspected water leak. Tonight at 10 on KPRC 2 News - I’ll get to the bottom of why he was getting that huge water bill. Then, see how an entire community came together to help Lara with his plumbing issues and much more.