Letter from the Chairman
By: Texas Vlb
Tags: Letter From The Chairman, Vlb, Veterans, George P Bush, Texas

December 2020

Dear Veteran,

In what has been a challenging and uncertain year, Texans have shown their resiliency by coming together and adapting to this abrupt, temporary change in daily life. Looking back, the beginning of this year looks a lot different than the end. Through all these changes, one thing has remained the same, Texas puts our Veterans first.

It goes without saying that our team at the Veterans Land Board goes to great lengths to ensure our Veterans are well taken care of. This year, innovation wasn’t an option, it was a requirement. And Texans, as we always do, rose to the occasion. As I reflect upon this year, I am proud of the progress and flexibility by the VLB during this unprecedented year to better serve Veterans across Texas.

Here’s a shortlist of some of the highlights and successes of the VLB this year:

Ensured no Veteran was left behind or forgotten during the COVID-19 global pandemic, leveraging innovative technologies and ideas to host virtual Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies with thousands of Texans tuning in to honor our men and women in uniform.

Created and implemented “Mail Drop,” a letter-writing campaign to help generate community engagement with Veterans who reside in our Texas State Veterans Homes. Once a month, community members are encouraged to write our Veterans, thanking them for their service and sacrifice. Community members can sign up to write our Veterans here.

Hit a milestone 50 episodes of our Next Gen Warrior Series, a weekly podcast under our Voices of Veterans program that seeks to capture the success stories of post 9/11 Veterans as they step off the battlefield and transition into civilian life. Far too often, we hear the stories of Veterans suffering from PTSD and depression. While these stories show the very real struggles faced by Veterans, far too often, we fail to tell the stories of success in the Veteran community. From radio producers to businessmen and women, Next Gen Warrior stories encourage their peers and demonstrate the opportunities available to soldiers when they take off their boots. The series shares not only Veterans stories from combat, but stories of success as they continue to contribute to our society. I encourage you to check it out here.

Established the 100 for 100 Program, helping our Texas State Veterans Nursing Home residents celebrate their 100th birthday, with 100 cards from the community. Since its creation, each Veteran celebrating their centennial birthday has received over 1,000 cards on their birthday.

During the height of the COVID-19 global pandemic and resulting economic shutdown, the Veterans Land Board took measures to ease the burden of loan and housing penalties by providing temporary relief to Veterans with VLB loans. These measures included a temporary moratorium on credit reporting, evictions and foreclosures, and a temporary suspension of late payment penalties.

Integrated new technologies into the VLB’s daily operations to expand customer service options for Texas Veterans through the creation and implementation of a new AI virtual assistant, aptly named “Maverick.” Maverick utilizes cutting edge AI solutions from IBM Watson and is designed to help save Veterans time and frustration.

Launched a new lesson plan series utilizing Voices of Veterans oral history interviews to bring Texas Veterans’ tales of valor and bravery to life inside the walls of our classrooms. The lesson plans take interviews from each war or conflict, dating back to WWII, and helps students learn from primary source interviews.

While this is surely not a comprehensive list of all we’ve accomplished this year, I am pleased by the continuous improvements to better serve our Veterans. It is the mission of the VLB to ensure our heroes are supported long after they step off the battlefield and I couldn’t be prouder of the VLB’s efforts doing just that.

As next year rapidly approaches, I’m excited about the many new opportunities presented to serve our Veterans further. If you are a Texas Veteran or know of a loved one, please know that our team is ready and eager to assist you in a wide range of different aspects. From home loans to land loans, to Veterans' homes located near you, we look forward to helping each Veteran whom we have the privilege to serve. You can learn more about the many programs and benefits of the VLB here: vlb.texas.gov.

I wish each and every one of you a safe and healthy Holiday Season!

God bless Texas,

George P. Bush

Texas Land Commissioner

Veterans Land Board Chairman