56 Years: The Wait for a Korean War Veteran's Benefits
In Cook County, a dedicated commission is working to bridge the gap between military service and civilian life for veterans and their families.
By Lorenzo Evans ·
Jim McDonough waited 56 years for service-connected benefits.
The Korean War veteran and retired Chicago Police officer did not apply for these funds when he first left the military. It was only after a chance meeting at a Memorial Day parade two years ago that his situation changed. Elizabeth Soto and Grant Jacobson, both officials with the Veterans Assistance Commission of Cook County, discovered the oversight during that event. They connected McDonough to the proper channels, and he has since received the medical and financial support he had earned.
The commission handles a wide range of cases beyond simple disability claims. Soto, the superintendent of the organization, notes that many applicants seek help with mortgage payments or utility bills. The agency also assists spouses and dependent children in accessing long-term services through veteran service officers.
Jacobson, who serves as the deputy superintendent and is a veteran himself, explains the psychological shift that occurs when service members leave the military. He describes the transition as losing an entire ecosystem where healthcare, food, and housing were managed for them. "When you leave the service whether after four years or 24 years, there are certain things that you don't grasp in the civilian world when you come back in," Jacobson said.
A major barrier to receiving aid is the complexity of the application process. Jacobson states that many programs are written in "almost in legalese." He observes that veterans often try to figure out the system alone, become confused, and eventually give up. The commission aims to prevent this drop-off by providing direct guidance.
The challenge is particularly acute for aging veterans. Jacobson points to the Vietnam era cohort as a group that often struggles to ask for help because they did not have similar services available when they initially returned home. For these individuals, the hesitation to seek assistance can lead to decades of waiting, as seen in the case of McDonough.
The organization operates from a phone number at 312-433-6010 and a website at vaccookcounty.org, serving as the primary point of contact for those in the region seeking to claim their earned benefits.
