2025 Community Impact Grant Spotlight: Still Serving Veterans

The mission of Still Serving Veterans is to make a lasting impact on Veterans and their families by providing professional support services that empower and equip them for a secure future. In 2025, Still Serving Veterans received a $1000 Community Impact Grant from Madison Visionary Partners to help further their impact in Madison.

Veteran Background

Mrs. C is a 74-year-old Air Force veteran who honorably served for 13 years as a Med Flight Nurse during the Vietnam War. Throughout her military service, she was regularly exposed to the traumatic and life-altering realities of combat as she provided urgent care to wounded service members in-flight. Following her discharge, Mrs. C pursued a long and meaningful civilian nursing career, driven by an unwavering commitment to give back to her community.

Ongoing Challenges Post-Service

Despite reaching retirement age, Mrs. C continued working as a nurse until earlier this year when her declining health made it impossible to continue. She began experiencing seizures, and one particularly severe episode while driving on I-565 caused her vehicle to cross into oncoming traffic. Fortunately, an embankment stopped her car, preventing catastrophic injuries.

Following this incident, Mrs. C was diagnosed with a seizure disorder and sustained a back injury that left her unable to safely lift patients. Her employer concerned for both her well-being and that of those in her care asked her to retire. Since then, she has struggled with night terrors and flashbacks tied to her wartime experiences. These symptoms escalated to the point where her family insisted, she moved to a single-level residence after she began sleepwalking and nearly fell down a flight of stairs. This unexpected move forced Mrs. C to drain her savings to secure a safer living environment. Attempting to remain financially independent and conceal her situation from loved ones, she sought out light in-home care jobs. Unfortunately, her physical limitations prevented her from maintaining this work.

Crisis & Connection with Our Organization

In May, Mrs. C contacted 2-1-1 in distress, facing imminent eviction. She was referred to our

organization, during her intake, she broke down in tears while recounting her story, expressing deep shame about her circumstances. Our caseworker reassured her that she was not alone and initiated emergency financial assistance to prevent eviction.

Long-Term Stability Efforts

While this support addressed her immediate housing crisis, we recognized the need for long-term financial stability. During our conversation, Mrs. C shared that she had been rated at 10% VA disability upon leaving the military and was unaware that this rating could be reevaluated. With her consent, we connected her with one of our Veteran Service Officers (VSOs). She has since worked with our VSO to file a claim for 14 issues, many of them have been designated as presumptive conditions for her service location. which appears highly promising based on her service-related medical conditions and current diagnosis. We are hopeful that an increase in her disability rating will significantly enhance her monthly income, helping her maintain stability and avoid future crises.

You can learn more about Still Serving Veterans on their website at https://ssv.org.