The local American Legion Post 196 is growing rapidly and providing new services to area military veterans.  Under the leadership of Commander Paul Wade, Post 196 has grown from fewer than twenty members a year ago to more than fifty members today.  Anyone who has ever served in any branch of the United States military is eligible to be a member of the American Legion.  Combat experience is not required.

At a meeting of the Post this week, Wade announced three new services:

*** A partnership with Clear Path Home Care.  Clear Path provides non-medical home care for many eligible persons.  In this case Clear Path has contracted with the U.S. Veterans Administration to help veterans with daily living tasks.  Those tasks include meals, medication reminders, personal care, bathing, housekeeping, laundry, and transportation.  Clear Path also coordinates between individual veterans and the VA, making sure that the veteran fills out paperwork correctly and remains eligible for all available VA benefits.  This week’s Post meeting included a dinner that was sponsored by Clear Path.

*** The Texas Veterans Commission will open an office in the American Legion Post 196 building beginning next week, on December 18.  Local veteran Sean Lewis is the Health Care Advocate for the Texas Veterans Commission, and will be in the office Mondays through Thursdays, from 7:00 a.m. until about 4:00 p.m.  Lewis will cover 27 counties from his office here, and will help veterans find and secure benefits for which they are eligible.  In the same building is the Brown County Veterans Service Office, which can also help veterans with information and services needed.

*** A new “Sons of the Legion” post is being organized.  It will be led by Dennis Rumsfield.

American Legion Post 196 is located at 1600 Burnet Drive, across the street from the Hendrick Medical Center hospital.  The Post will meet on the second Tuesday of every month, with a meal served at 6:00 p.m., and the business meeting beginning at 7:00 p.m.  As mentioned above, Sean Lewis with the Texas Veterans Commission will be on site Mondays through Thursdays, from 7:00 a.m. until about 4:00 p.m.