Member Assistance

Hospital Liaison

We fund monthly luncheons and holiday dinners for the inpatients, staff and numerous outpatients at the Houston and San Antonio spinal cord injury units. We have a Hospital Liaison Officer at both VA Hospitals. The Chapter also provides volunteer’s supplies, toiletries and various other benefits to our veterans who must spend time in the hospital. We also provide funding for various patient outings.

Peer Counseling

Texas Chapter members serve as peer counselors to newly injured or diagnosed spinal cord disease veterans in a VA approved Peer Counseling Program. Members with years of experience living with spinal cord injury or diseases like Multiple Sclerosis, match up with the newly injured or diagnosed veterans. These newly hospitalized individuals, both men and women, may have been injured while on active duty, or several years later long after having been
discharged. The program tries to assign counselors based upon age, injury level, and life experience. Counselors go through training for their assignments and adhere to strict federal guidance on patient privacy. The counselors are members who can truly say to the newly injured: “I know what you’re going through”. This program helps members of the Texas Chapter who may find themselves in need of emergency assistance. Members must be in good standing for a minimum of 6 months prior to qualifying for consideration. Assistance is limited to once per year. All payments must be made directly to the vendor and not to the individual requesting assistance. Request are confidential.

Emergency Assistance

This program helps members of the Texas Chapter who may find themselves in need of emergency assistance. Members must be in good standing for a minimum of 6 months prior to qualifying for consideration. Assistance is limited to once per year. All payments must be made directly to the vendor and not to the individual requesting assistance. Requests are confidential.

Recreational Event Reimbursement

A onetime per fiscal year event will be reimbursed, in an amount not to exceed $120.00, to a voting member of the Texas Chapter in good standing.

Family Hotel Assistance

This program is designed to assist members’ immediate family with hotel expenses when visiting with an inpatient that is a voting member of TPVA, or as a newly admitted patient to the SCI/D unit. A maximum of 6 nights per year may be allowed, but not consecutively.  A maximum of 2 nights consecutively may be allowed.  Individuals must live a minimum of 150 miles from the VAMC used.