Veterans Assistance Commission of St. Clair County

09/11/2026

The Veterans Assistance Commission of St. Clair County will be taking a brief pause on Friday, September 11th to pay our respects to those that perished in New York, Shanksville & at the Pentagon 25 years ago. This seminal event charted the course for over 3.7 million veterans who stepped forward, volunteered and said I will, so help me God.

Many of these Veterans reside here in St. Clair County - IL. Many show the scars, lost limbs and visible physical damage of 20 years of repeated deployments to the most toxic battlefield in history. Many suffer with traumatic brain injuries, mental health challenges and other internal physical damage you cannot see. They survived thanks only to the advances of modern medicine and dogged determination of fellow Veterans to ensure they are not left behind.

Please join us at Belleville Fire House #4 to remember and honor those lost on September 11, 2001.

09/04/2026

We won an appeal for additional Aid & Attendance Compensation for a DIC recipient. Her monthly compensation was elevated from normal DIC at $1,699 to $2,120 per month. This extra compensation helps cover costs needed to assist the veteran's surviving spouse maintain indepdence at home as long as possible.

If we are able to service connect the passing of your veteran spouse, you are eligible for DIC compensation and the benefit of free CHAMPVA Health Insurance. It is not only the right way to care for our deceased veterans' spouses, but good public health policy.
Veterans Assistance Commission of St. Clair County
St. Clair County - IL
St. Clair County Office on Aging

09/01/2026

It’s hot out there, stay cool.

BE SAFE IN THE HEAT! BE SURE TO TAKE TIME TO COOL DOWN!
It's important to cool down during extreme heat conditions, even if it's only for a short period of time. Check out these Extreme Heat Cooling Centers in St. Clair County (IL): https://loom.ly/IhLOkJQ

08/21/2026

This post goes out to two women near and dear to our team.

📣Shout out to VSO/EA Alison Moon for a great week of returns for our St. Clair County - IL Veterans. Her work has netted over $51,000 of awards (cash payments direct to veterans) including a $23,000 retroactive payment to a surviving spouse.

VSO Karen Farria recently secured awards of over $58,000 for her veteran clients. Two awards were over $20,000 each!

The Veterans Assistance Commission of St. Clair County provides real tangible results and changes the lives of our veteran clients. Learning and perfecting this craft takes hours of dedication, networking with other VSOs and a passion for serving others.

🎉Well done Alison & Karen!

08/20/2026

🚨SCAM ALERT!🚨
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Heads up, Veterans and families: a new mail scam is targeting Veterans with official-looking postcards promoting a fake "Veterans Savings Program."

The postcards claim Veterans and spouses may qualify for up to $185 a month in additional VA benefits — including CHAMPVA, TRICARE, and dental coverage — regardless of disability rating. Scammers imply a VA connection and pressure recipients into calling within five days and sharing personal information like Social Security numbers and birth dates.

VA has received reports of this scam in multiple states, including Iowa, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.

Protect yourself: never share personal or financial info with unverified contacts, don't act on urgent unsolicited requests, and don't call the number or click any links on a suspicious postcard, email, text, or call. When in doubt, contact VA directly at 1-800-MyVA411 (698-2411). Additional resources in the comments.

Know someone who might get one of these postcards? Share this post — it could save them from becoming a target.

08/18/2026

What is an ITF and why does it matter? An Intent to File (ITF) acts as the date of filing (and effective date of rating) while a veteran or claimant gathers evidence to support a disability claim. Once filed, your ITF is good for 365 days. In this case, the claim was filed on the very last day of the ITF. The Veteran went from not rated to 90% with a deferred rating on one substantial condition. Because of the ITF, this Veteran received a Retroactive Compensation Award of over $43,000. Do not just file an ITF and think you are done! There is still work to do to prove the claim. Call your VSO!
Veterans Assistance Commission of St. Clair County

08/13/2026

The Veterans Assistance Commission of St. Clair County would like to thank Deputy Romero Davis of the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department, Belleville Illinois and Sheriff Rick Watson for their quick recocvery of a VA Direct Express payment card that was being improperly kept from a disabled dependent child of a World War II veteran. Recovering this card kept the dependent properly housed in one of our great assisted living facilities here in St. Clair County - IL. This is exactly how local agencies work together to deliver for our citizens. Thank you again.

08/12/2026

⚡🚨3 DAY AWARD TURN AROUND: While waiting for a meeting at VA St. Louis Health Care System Jefferson Barracks, our Superintendent struck up a conversation with a Veteran volunteer. It turns out this Veteran was also a surviving spouse. By the end of the conversation the Superintendent discovered the surviving spouse was not receiving Dependency & Indemnity Compensation (DIC).

After a quick look into the claim file, it was determined that Burial Benefits were granted as service connected death. But because VA does not automatically award DIC on a burial claim, the surviving spouse believed that was all she was entitled to receive. Long story short, claim filed & claim awarded in 3 days plus the month of death payment that she did not receive a couple years ago.

Talk to your surviving spouses and get them to a VSO!
Veterans Assistance Commission of St. Clair County

08/04/2026

Looking for a great volunteer opportunity? VA St. Louis Health Care System is hosting an event on September 12 to clean headstones at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.

08/02/2026

Racing returns Sunday night!

Buy tickets to festivals, conferences, tours and venues worldwide. Get rewards like discounts and upgrades for bringing your friends!