Court accepts $100,000 Veterans Assistance grant for FY2027

The court unanimously approved accepting a $100,000 Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veterans Assistance grant for fiscal year 2027, which provides emergency financial aid to eligible veterans, dependents and surviving spouses.

Rudy Guzman, the county's veteran services officer, explained the grant period runs from Sept. 1, 2026, to Aug. 31, 2027, and said the office had used about $85,000 of the program last year — an indicator, he said, of community need. He also said staff will travel to Harlingen on Sept. 15 for a promotional event and to Brownsville on Sept. 18 to accept a check.

Guzman described the funding source and rollover rules: "This is a grant which is funded through the lottery... However, unfortunately, it does not roll over. It goes back into the program," he said. The court voted to accept the grant and thanked Guzman and his staff for securing the funding.