During today’s Voice of Texas Veterans, Julia Conner spotlighted the growing outreach efforts aimed at Texans who once served, and who now face retirement age with questions that deserve answers. That segment—rich with stories of service and lingering silence—teed up today’s deeper dive: the Texas Veterans Commission’s (TVC) mission to equip veterans over 55 with the benefits they’ve earned but may not yet be using.

In communities across Texas, aging veterans—some long removed from their last salute—are just now learning that disability compensation, health care advocacy, home loans, education support, and even burial benefits may still be available to them or their surviving spouses. Why the delay?

“Many veterans never filed claims after discharge,” noted a recent guest from the TVC. “Some assumed eligibility had expired. Others didn’t want to ‘bother the system.’”

But these resources, both state and federal, are active and accessible—particularly with TVC’s free assistance programs designed to simplify the process.

Retirement doesn’t mean retreat. Veterans over 55 are tapping into:

• Employment support for second careers or part-time work
• Entrepreneur consultations to launch small businesses
• Mental health outreach and peer support communities
• Educational benefits—not just for themselves, but often for their children or spouses

And for widows and widowers, TVC helps uncover unclaimed benefits still waiting to serve.