Editor’s note: Nov. 11 is Veterans Day, and the Times-Review will publish stories of military veterans each Monday of the month.
About a year ago, Kathryn Fasci came to Cleburne to step in as the veterans service officer.
She said she loves the work, which she fell into by accident.
“I am a military widow,” she said. “I was helping my husband with a claim and sought help. I realized how difficult it was to complete the claims and how many obstacles there were.
“Like one time someone gave us the wrong paper to fill out. Years went by without any news until they realized they had given us the wrong form.”
Her husband died in 1995 after suffering for years from cancer he contracted from being exposed to chemical warfare while in service.
“My husband’s claim came in right after he died, which meant we got nothing, so that really motivated me,” she said.
Fasci started studying the laws and systems, determined this would not happen to another veteran.
She began helping veterans through her involvement with the American Legion and VFW.
“People came to me for help, and eventually they asked me if I wanted a job,” she said. “I never considered it a job but I was so driven.”
She began working at the veterans office in Hood County, where she worked for several years before moving to Cleburne.
Fasci wasn’t a stranger to the military before she met her husband. Her father was in the Navy, like her husband, and she was born in a military hospital.
She also chaplained for 10 years for the military and 10 years in a civilian hospital.
She is a minister and plays a role in a nonprofit ministry for widows called Widow to Widow.
“We get widows who lose their homes and everything when their husband passes away,” she said. “It’s an odd position. They’re usually exhausted and grieving the loss of the husband, and then they lose the benefits and have no money.”
Here to help
At the veterans office, Fasci helps veterans identify the benefits they are eligible for. Hundreds of types of benefits are available, she said, and each depends on different variables.
“There are never two cases alike, so that makes it interesting,” she said.
She, along with other veterans officers, help veterans fill out the necessary forms and find the necessary documentations.
“Without help it’s impossible for a veteran to navigate the system, or spouses or dependants,” she said. “We help out with state and national benefits for families and veterans. I have a chance to work with the whole family, which is nice.”
Fasci said the benefits and health care provided to veterans has improved over the years.
On Aug. 1, the government passed a GI bill that gives veterans a living allowance so they can attend school and not worry about rent.
Veterans who qualify do not pay property tax, and the health care had a 15 percent increase in its budget this year.
A new VA hospital is being built in Fort Worth and is expected to open October 2010.
“Benefits are improving all the time, which is wonderful,” she said. “We are strong advocates for vets and families so we push claims as fast as we can,” she said. “Even with as fast as we can do it, it’s still months and for some vets and wives, that’s too long.”
The veterans office is located in the basement of the Johnson County Courthouse. For information, call 817-556-6351.
Johnson County
Loss of husband motivates woman to help veterans
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