Texas Can Lead the Nation by Standing Up for Surviving Military Families
Why I am fighting for the Texas Office of Survivor Services and Advocacy (TX-OSSA)
Most people think the hard part ends when the memorial service is over. The flag is folded, the words of honor are spoken, and everyone promises to stay in touch. Then the crowd goes home and surviving families walk into a life that will never look the same again.
What follows is grief mixed with paperwork. Trauma mixed with government forms. Loss mixed with confusing instructions from agencies that do not talk to each other. You become a widow, a researcher, a benefits clerk, and a crisis manager all in the same month.
Texas has MORE than 1.4 million veterans and 45,956 survivors (receiving DIC per VA 2023), but not a single statewide office dedicated to helping the families of those who died in service or died of service-connected causes to this country. Surviving spouses and children are expected to navigate federal, state, and local systems without guidance. It is like being handed a map with half the roads missing and a polite reminder to “make sure you get everything you are owed.”
We talk a lot about supporting veterans in Texas. We build monuments, host ceremonies, pass bills, post tributes, and thank them publicly. That is good. That matters. But here is the uncomfortable truth. When a service member dies, the family becomes the next generation of people who carry the consequences of that service. And they are doing it without a net.
This is why I am advocating for the creation of the Texas Office of Survivor Services and Advocacy inside the Texas Veterans Commission. TX-OSSA would be a statewide, professional division that offers real, hands-on support to surviving spouses and, in a phased approach, expands to care for dependent children and surviving parents. It would give survivors a clear point of contact, trained advocates who understand the maze, and a coordinated system instead of the scattered one we have right now.
Imagine being a new surviving spouse and instead of guessing which agency to call first, you call one office that helps you navigate DIC, CHAMPVA, property taxes, TVLB programs, education benefits, employment barriers, and all the follow-up steps that come with rebuilding your life. Imagine having trained Survivor Advocates in every region of Texas. Imagine survivors not falling through the cracks. Imagine Texas leading the nation in something that matters.
The startup cost is relatively small. The impact is enormous.
This is not a charity project. This is a responsibility. If a service member gives their life in defense of our state and nation, Texas should not force their family to fight through confusing systems just to receive what they were promised. The moral math is simple. Take care of the family left behind, and you honor their service. Take care of the spouse, and you protect the legacy. Take care of the children and you strengthen the future.
I have watched too many surviving spouses collapse under the weight of grief and bureaucracy. I have watched families lose homes, benefits, opportunities, and stability because no one told them what help existed or how to access it. I have lived some of this myself. The system is not broken because people are bad. It is broken because it was never designed with survivors in mind.
TX-OSSA changes that.
This upcoming legislative session, I will be working with partners, VSOs, MSOs, community leaders, and surviving families to push this forward. I will knock on the doors. I will show up to the hearings. I will hand out data sheets and one-pagers. And I will do it because no surviving spouse or child should have to walk into this alone.
Texas can do better for its military families. Texas should do better. And with TX-OSSA, Texas can lead the nation.
If you believe in this mission, join the coalition. Sign the letter. Share the information. Speak up. Surviving families deserve a system that serves them with clarity, dignity, and compassion.
Let us build it.
