Latest news with #StillServingVeterans
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Give Back: Still Serving Veterans helps navigate VA benefits
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Still Serving Veterans helps veterans and their families navigate a complicated realm once the veteran hangs up their uniform: VA benefits. Terri Womack, team lead for the veteran claims and benefits division, has worked day and night for the past six years in an effort to help every veteran or veteran spouse who comes through her office door. Call of Duty supports Still Serving Veterans with a significant annual grant 'For so many veterans, they know what they were exposed to,' Womack said. 'They know what they did, and now they have a cancer, or they have this chronic illness that nobody else in their family has. It's a sense of recognition of your service and the sacrifice, and what that has now caused in your body.' Veterans injured or exposed to harmful chemicals during their service can apply for benefits and compensation after service. The 2022 PACT Act significantly expanded the medical issues that qualify for benefits. Specifically, it allows veterans exposed to Agent Orange, burn pits and other toxic substances to enroll in VA Healthcare without needing to prove a link between their health conditions and exposure. 'He was not service-connected for high blood pressure, but because of that, high blood pressure is now a presumptive service-connected issue,' Womack said. 'So now his surviving spouse can come see me and I can apply for service-connected death due to complications from hypertension, and get her $1,600 a month.' The Give Back: Still Serving Veterans changing lives, one resumé at a time VA benefits stretch beyond just service-related medical issues. 'They can also get non-service-connected pension if they have a financial need, and served during a wartime period,' Womack said. 'By the same token, their surviving spouse is also authorized to different kinds of care. So, a service-connected death…if they died of a service-connected illness, then their surviving spouse can apply for what we call dependency and indemnity compensation. It's kind of like VA life insurance…There's lots of options to be able to get help for military families in this area.' Navigating and applying for benefits is not always easy, and that's where Still Serving Veterans comes into the picture. Claims and benefits counselors are carefully trained in nearly everything the VA has to offer. Womack said that, unlike other organizations, benefit services at SSV are completely free, and clients keep all of the compensation they receive from Veterans Affairs. She added that the veteran-to-veteran relationships cannot be duplicated. 'We're all veterans, and we want to hear your story,' Womack said. 'Just don't go into the world of VA by yourself. We like to say we're VA sherpas. It's a high mountain to climb, but we know the way. So, just give us a call and we'd love to help.' Still Serving Veterans cannot give these free services and continue changing the lives of veterans across the nation without the community's help. To learn more on getting involved and donating, visit their website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Call of Duty supports Still Serving Veterans with a significant annual grant
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — A surprising partnership between a popular video game and local non-profit Still Serving Veterans has helped the organization provide several services for over a decade. 'It just takes 1 or 2 people to believe in you,' Ethan Fitzgerald, marketing director at Still Serving Veterans, said. 'And how cool is it that the video game Call of Duty, you know, is supporting a humble nonprofit in Huntsville, Alabama, which is also very synonymous with supporting veterans.' Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q brings home 13th first place title after Memphis in May competition The Call of Duty Endowment, or CODE, provides grants to organizations helping veterans find high-quality jobs, and SSV is one of only 8 U.S. non-profits that receive a grant. Still Serving Veterans gets $1 million from CODE annually that goes directly to its Veteran Career Transition program. 'That Call of Duty money is just a lifesaver,' Fitzgerald said. 'It's quite literally changed the lives of veterans every single year.' SSV's Veteran Career Transition program helps vets with all things job search: from resume building and interview preparation to salary negotiations and check-ins months into the new role. The non-profit said there has been significant success. 'That funding allows us to hire veterans to help veterans,' Fitzgerald said. 'If you think about counseling appointments and stuff like that, there's usually a charge for that. You know, we're basically, you know, taking that off the table for the veteran. They don't have to pay for anything.' Marshall County Schools breaks ground on multi-million-dollar elementary school CODE's website announces achievements from more than 150,000 veteran job placements to date, with a 90% retention rate within the first six months of a veteran starting a new job. While SSV is very grateful for the funding dedicated to its Veteran Career Transition Program, the non-profit notes some of its other programs that are in need of such financial support: its VA Benefits and Resource programs. 'Unfortunately, the endowment doesn't cover that,' Fitzgerald said. 'So we always are raising money to try to support those other two programs, looking for grants, looking for sponsors and and the people who donate 5 to $10 a month. Those grassroots donors that keep our other programs alive are super important.' For more information on how to donate, visit their website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Give Back: Still Serving Veterans changing lives, one resumé at a time
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — A core service at Still Serving Veterans is offering help with something many folks find stressful: finding a job. Dave Lakin changes the lives of veterans at SSV daily, one paper, highlighter, and pen at a time. The Give Back: Still Serving Veterans guiding vets in job search process 'Everything starts with a resume from a job search perspective,' Dave Lakin, the Veteran Career Transition Director at Still Serving Veterans, said. 'Do they use good format? Do they use the right fonts? Do they use the right language?' While looking for a job is stressful for many, veterans face unique hurdles along the way. 'Helping to translate all the things they did in uniform onto a resume can be very difficult,' Lakin said. SSV covers nearly every base when it comes to the job search process. The non-profit starts by consulting with a veteran to find a job that interests them and fits their skillset. From there, it will help with everything from resumé building, interview preparation, to even check-ins months into the veteran starting in the new role. 'How can we improve your presentation in an interview? Lakin said. 'How can we improve your resumé? And then once you do start getting offers, come back here and we'll help you to examine those offers and get through salary negotiation.' With the world changing as Artificial Intelligence emerges, Lakin said it's more important now than ever to consult with a professional when searching for a job. 'About 60% of the applicant tracking systems out there will reject a resume just because it takes 2 or 3 things to make it difficult for the software to read, for the software to move on to the next applicant,' Lakin said. The veteran-to-veteran relationships at SSV establish a level of trust that is nearly impossible to duplicate. That is one of the reasons the organization does not work with volunteers often. But, Lakin said, donations from the community are life-changing. 'Some people don't realize how much they $5 monthly donation allows us,' Lakin said. 'To go out there, get our message out there, put our counselors out there, let them go meet veterans more. I'm not even kidding, $5 a month.' To learn how you can donate and help SSV's mission, visit their website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Give Back: Still Serving Veterans guiding vets in job search process
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Many veterans say transitioning from their service back to civilian life can be very challenging. Huntsville non-profit Still Serving Veterans works to be a dependable resource to ease the life adjustment for vets. Corey Hopkins is a Veteran Transition Counselor with SSV, a pivotal role in changing the lives of those coming out of service. 'A chaotic mess': Vietnam Veterans reflect on war after 50 years 'It is a lonely process to look for a job, especially if you've been just getting out,' Hopkins said. 'That's your identity of being in the military and then transitioning to something totally different. So we like to make sure that we're a coach or a mentor, a cheerleader to everybody that comes through here.' A veteran transition counselor guides vets through the job search process. Hopkins said they handle whatever the veteran may need help with, from resume building to salary negotiations, to even figuring out what the veteran is passionate about doing for work in the first place. But what makes working with Still Serving Veterans so special? It's veterans helping veterans. 'We know, we've been there,' Hopkins said. 'You're talking, able to talk to people who've been there, have like-minded ways of approaching a job. So just reach out.' 'You're not a patient, you're a resident': State veteran-only nursing home provides resources, benefits Hopkins said this transition process with SSV is proven to work, saying veterans are 90% more likely to stay in their first year at a new job when working with the non-profit. The process of getting started with the organization is as easy as a form and a phone call. 'People will fill out an intake form from us, and they'll have when they got out, what service that they did, what kind of assistance do they need,' Hopkins said. 'We follow on with virtual meetings with them to really coach, teach and mentor them in their approach to getting a job and in an approach to transitioning out of the military.' Still Serving Veterans can't do their work without the help of their community. Hopkins said assistance can look as simple as spreading the word by letting veterans know of the services they offer. He added a couple of other things folks can do. 'Donate the funds to help us do that, or they could bring us donuts,' Hopkins said. 'That would work too.' To learn more about Still Serving Veterans or opportunities to donate to the non-profit, visit their website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
