The overview
Wilson highlighted several key points that demonstrate the department’s expanded reach. These include new locations, on-installation transition services, expansion of appointment times and growth in the number of processed claims.
Wilson said that over the last fiscal year, the department has expanded from one location to eight, with the majority of the expansions at no cost to the county.
Locations include:
- Endeavors, 6363 De Zavala Road, San Antonio
- Wayland Baptist University, 8300 Pat Booker Road, Live Oak
- North West San Antonio VA Clinic, 9939 Texas 151 Access Road
- Texas A&M University San Antonio, 1 University Way, San Antonio
Wilson said the department also offers grant-funded resources at the Alamo Colleges District Westside Education and Training Center and the Good Samaritan Veterans Outreach Transition Center.
Additionally, DMVS implemented two programs from late September to early October, which each received $300,000 in funding. Known as financial assistance programs and the peer support program, these services offer a variety of state funded programs, including housing assistance, utilities assistance, transportation assistance, sporting events, peer-to-peer connections and retreats.
Measuring the impact
Wilson said the primary goal of DMVS is to process claims against the federal government, which saw a drastic increase from FY 2022-23 to FY 2023-24.
According to city documents, the department processed 91.2% of 3,158 claims in FY 2023-24, resulting in over $25 million in federal benefits for veterans and surviving spouses. This is a drastic increase compared to FY 2022-23 in which county officials processed 2,215 claims resulting in $8.72 million in federal benefits for claimants.
“I tout that increase to the experience of our [veteran service officers] who now understand how to process claims as well as the expanded access in the community,” Wilson said.
Wilson also noted that due to the department’s outreach, claims from surviving spouses have also seen a significant increase.
What else?
Wilson said another major aspect of the DMVS assistance is employment and transition services.
During FY 2023-24, DMVS had a total of 337 clients seeking employment services. County officials directly placed 53 clients into positions, with an average salary of $64,697.
Top three industries for job placement:
- 15 clients placed in government and public sector jobs
- 13 clients placed in the automotive industry
- 11 clients placed in IT/cybersecurity roles
