Help improving for Lake veterans

After 10 years of service as superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission of Lake County, I am retiring. I want to thank the veterans and their families for allowing me to serve. During the past 10 years we have gone from $48 million a year in compensation to $102 million in annual compensation. We now have 16 percent of our veterans receiving compensation and over 700 surviving spouses are receiving Dependents Indemnity Compensation. Yet, there is a need to do more.

The VAC passed a resolution urging the state to pass legislation to provide the standard homestead exemption for veterans with a disability to the surviving spouse. Any spouse who is receiving Dependent Indemnity Compensation (DIC) would qualify for the exemption. SB87, sponsored by Sen. Terry Link, passed the Illinois Senate 52-0, and was sent to the House property tax sub committee.

It was not brought to the House for a vote. This is the second year that the bill has passed the Senate and died in the House. We are the Land of Lincoln, yet we cannot provide this extra security for the widows of our veterans.

We are a nation of 325 million with fewer than 3 million serving in our military. We must let our defenders know that we have their backs and that their families will be cared for in their absence.

As my parting gift to the veterans of Lake County, we have arranged for the Federal VA to bring a VA Claims Clinic to Lake Zurich American Legion, 51 Lions Drive, on Thursday, June 29, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. I urge veterans who have a difficult claim to take this opportunity to talk directly with the VA.

Our newly elected superintendent, Andrew Tangen of Mundelein, is already at work, a Navy veteran with eight deployments and a graduate of the John Marshall Law School. He will bring great leadership to the veterans assistance commission.

Michael P. Peck

Wauconda