CHICAGO (WLS) — Wednesday is Veterans Day, when the nation honors the men and women who have served in the U.S. military. One meaningful way to recognize their service is to help ensure they receive the benefits and support they have earned.
The Veterans Assistance Commission of Cook County is one organization working to connect veterans with those resources.
“Many veterans need help with mortgage payments or assistance keeping their utilities from being shut off,” said Elizabeth Soto, superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission.
Soto said the commission’s work goes beyond emergency financial aid.
“We also provide long-term assistance for service-connected disabilities. Our role is to connect veterans with immediate and ongoing services that promote stability,” Soto said.
Grant Jacobson, a veteran and deputy superintendent of the VACCC, said the transition from military service to civilian life can be difficult.
“When you leave the military, you’re not just leaving a career—you’re leaving an entire ecosystem designed to support your survival,” he said. “You know your health care, food and housing are taken care of. Whether you leave after four years or 24, there are aspects of civilian life that can be difficult to understand when you return.”
Jacobson said many veterans also struggle to navigate programs written in complicated legal language. “You try to figure it out on your own, come home and can’t tell which way is up, so you eventually give up,” he said.
Helping veterans avoid that outcome is a central part of the commission’s mission.
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Soto noted that eligibility extends beyond veterans. “Spouses and dependent children can access both financial assistance and long-term services through our veterans service officers,” she said.
Although support is available, some veterans find it difficult to take the first step.
“Asking for help is one of the biggest challenges we see among aging veterans, particularly those from the Vietnam era, because many of these services were not available when they returned home,” Jacobson said.
A chance meeting with Soto and Jacobson at a Memorial Day parade two years ago revealed that McDonough had never applied for VA-eligible services.
“We were able to connect him with those resources, and after 56 years he was finally able to receive service-connected benefits,” Jacobson said.
McDonough said the assistance eased both his medical and financial burdens.
For more information about the VACCC:
Call 312-433-6010 or visit vaccookcounty.org/.
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