Veterans Spouse Care
Dorothy Warren: Surviving Spouse of the Month | September 2026
Dorothy Warren: Surviving Spouse of the Month | September 2026 Dorothy Warren is the surviving spouse of U.S. Army Veteran Bill Warren, who served during the Vietnam era as a helicopter pilot. Their story spans nearly 49 years of marriage, military service, loss, and Dorothy’s determination to remain independent at home. Dorothy Warren was…
Read MoreWhat the 2026 Cost of Living Adjustment Means for the Veterans You Serve
The Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for Veterans and surviving spouses who receive VA pension benefits, including Pension with Aid and Attendance, is an annual increase intended to help benefits keep pace with inflation. The adjustment is based on changes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), specifically the CPI-W (Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage…
Read MoreFamily Caregivers: You Are Not Alone
Honoring the Dedication of Family Caregivers This November Every year in November, we take the month to recognize and celebrate the dedication of caregivers. This year, with the integration of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), National Care at Home Month has been…
Read MoreVCC Veterans Day Visits | November 2023
On November 10th, VCC employees had the fortunate opportunity to step away from their desks and visit the Veterans and surviving spouses whom we are honored to assist daily. A team of eleven VCC members took to the streets, connecting with ten clients in the St. Louis area, including a 96-year-old WWII Veteran and…
Read MoreThe VA PACT ACT: What Your Agency Needs to Know
President Biden’s oldest son, Joseph, died of brain cancer on May 30, 2015. Since then, Biden has publicly connected his son’s brain cancer to toxic burn pits. According to Biden, Joseph’s exposure to burn pits was extensive; therefore, taking up the cause to ensure expanded healthcare and services would be available to soldiers like his…
Read MoreHelen Bandyke: Surviving Spouse of the Month | February 2023
Helen Bandyke was the youngest of three daughters born in Detroit, MI. At the age of 15, she lost her mother. Since she was eight years younger than her closest sister, she was the only daughter at home. Her father was a teamster that delivered bricks for a local brickyard. Back then, teamster referred to…
Read MoreSurviving Spouses Could Be Eligible for Pension with Aid & Attendance
There are nearly ten million U.S. Veterans over the age of 65, with 7 in 10 married. That’s at least 7 million military spouses who could be eligible for the Pension with Aid and Attendance benefit. The Pension with Aid and Attendance is a benefit provided by the VA for qualifying wartime Veterans and…
Read MoreEra Williams: Surviving Spouse of the Month | May 2021
Emma “Era” Williams, born Emma Baker, was the youngest of eight children born on a ranch in Fort Sumner, NM, in 1923. Era grew up in New Mexico, attending grade school there before her family moved to McLean, TX. In McLean, she attended high school and eventually met her future husband, James “Jake” Williams. Jake…
Read MoreThe Surviving Spouse: Finding Your New Normal
Losing a spouse changes the life that a person knows. What was normal is no longer an option. “Death of a spouse” is listed as No. 1 on the Stress Index Scale and is considered one of life’s most devastating events. The physical and emotional effects of losing a spouse range from trouble sleeping and…
Read MoreMilitary Spouses: A True Source of Strength
I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is, above all, to matter, to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all. – Leo Rosten No one knows more intimately the sacrifices our Military Veterans make in…
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