A new year has been upon us, and Veterans Service Officer, Billy ‘Ron’ Langford, wants Jackson County veterans to know he’s there to help. All services are free.
Every second and fourth Monday of every month, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Langford, an Air Force veteran who served over 20 years, can be found in the JC Services Building inside the extension office, in room 118.
“About 800 veterans identify living in Jackson County, so it’s to their advantage to try and apply for the benefits as early as possible, because they’re probably cheating themselves out of some money,” he said. “I also work with dependents, survivors and widows for their benefits.”
The best way to begin is to find out what one qualifies for by taking an interactive quiz at TexasVeteransCommission. org. There, one can find a customized benefits list. According to TVC, there are free services and aids which the state of Texas provides, although each case is unique and unfortunately, there are exceptions to the rule.
“So if you visit me, we’ll sit here and talk, explore, and I get a copy of your discharge papers, and we can find out what’s available,” he said. “Even if you can’t find your discharge papers, we have ways to obtain those.”
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Here to help Langford shared that many times, veterans are unaware of their issues due to how long it can sometimes take for side effects to show up. For instance, anyone exposed to Agent Orange won’t see something for 30 to 40 years afterwards, and it can come in the form of cancers and other diseases.
The VA lists 23 presumptive conditions so far as a result of service. Most stem from what they call a toxic environment, due to oil wells burning, and most forward operating bases have burn pits, which can bring lung/bronchial issues, and also don’t show up for a number of years.
“Soldiers who are trying to start a family, get a job, their military service can be stuck in the back of their head,” Langford said. “Or because of their service, some of them may not even want to have anything to do with their previous military life.”
At his desk, Langford keeps a copy of a book by his computer, What Every Veteran Should Know.
In addition, he receives a newsletter every month filled with details highlighting important points for veterans, so if he doesn’t have an answer, he can find someone who does.
One topic he noticed nearly every veteran he meets has is hearing loss, due to not being provided with proper hearing protection. He can help file claims for that.
“Either they were in the rifle range, or because of their military occupation specialty, or if they were in the flight line in the Navy on an aircraft carrier, Air Force, or working with the big guns in the Army, helicopter work…there’s all kinds of ways to get hearing loss,” he said. “Sometimes they might argue with their wife about wanting to turn the tv up or they can’t be heard in the other room. So the VA provides hearing tests, and they can get something like a 10% disability, which is around $175 a month tax-free.
“I tell them if they can’t use it, they can always adopt me,” Langford joked. A 70% disabled veteran himself, Langford maintains his credibility with the TVC so he can keep the ability to look at a veteran’s documents and files. He does this by continuing his education and being tested every year.
“I’ve been doing this for a little over 10 years and my learning curve is still high because things change all the time for veterans,” he said. “I’m here to make that easier for everyone.”
Langford’s main office is out of Port Lavaca. One can reach him by visiting his office in Edna during the second and fourth Mondays of every month, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., calling him at 361-703-4580, or emailing him at [email protected].
