By Jon Arnold Veteran and Military Caseworker for Congressman Will Hurd
Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. Last summer was my first time staffing a town hall-type event with Congressman Will Hurd. Being a good former soldier I showed up at the Uvalde Dairy Queen about 15 minutes before everyone else dressed in slacks and a blazer. People started walking up to me introducing themselves and thanking me assuming that I was the Congressman. Since then Will has called me
his stuntman.
Arnold and Hurd shake hands after Arnold receives a U.S. Flag flown over the U.S. Capitol commemorating the 10th anniversary of Arnolds injury while serving in Iraq.
I first came across my job as a veterans caseworker for Congressman Hurd at a job fair that I was attending as an Army Wounded Warrior Advocate. On a whim I gave my resume to the director of the Congressional Wounded Warrior Fellowship Program. Shortly after Hurds office called me for an interview and the rest is history.
Ive always worked in veteran advocacy but this job is different. Not only am I helping fellow veterans and military members get the benefits care and attention they deserve but I have a boss who listens to their concerns gives me the tools I need to tackle individual challenges and is committed to improving the system.
But my
favorite part has been traveling the district with Will meeting amazing people and hearing their stories. On behalf of Congressman Hurd I have personally interacted with over 500 Texas veterans at town halls outreach events on the phone and in our office. I have learned the story of WWI veteran Marcelino Serna met a 101-year old Uvalde resident who served alongside General Patton in WWII and participated in a Silver Star award ceremony. Another Silver Star recipient even shared with me the personal poems he wrote about his service in Vietnam. I am connected to so many great Americans throughout the district because of our military service.
Our office helps veterans and their families in a variety of ways. Last fall I was contacted by a Vietnam Veteran in San Antonio who had logged over 260 hours and 30 combat missions over the Republic of Vietnam and needed help getting his Vietnam Service Medal added to his records. Although it took some time we were able to get his medal added and Congressman Hurd personally presented it to him in March.
Another man we helped from Castroville was a Silver Star and Purple Heart recipient whose stories could serve as the script for an award winning movie. He needed assistance from the VA on a rating decision increase which we were able to swiftly provide with a full explanation of his benefit level.
The hardest cases I work usually include mistakes made by the Military or VA and are a struggle to correct because of the way the law is written. For example I have been working with a family of a veteran who was denied VA healthcare coverage in the 1990s because the veteran was not correctly rated. We were able to get them copies of his updated rating which clearly states that the VA failed to properly diagnose him. As a result the VA retroactively granted him 100 Permanent and Total Compensation backdated to the late 90s. However there is not a mechanism to compensate his familys
out of pocket medical expenses from 20 years ago. I am still working with the VA to see if we can come up with a solution.
Congressman Hurd listens to these challenges and helps me find solutions. I am proud to be on his team. I encourage you to reach out to our office if you need help fighting the federal bureaucracy or know someone who does. We may not be able to get folks the response they want 100 percent of the time but we will get you an answer and set the gold standard for constituent service. After all
we work for you.
To the men and women in the 23rd who have put on a military uniform please accept one veterans deepest gratitude.
