Verda holds a childhood photo of her late husband, Sonny.
Two weeks after his cancer diagnosis Sonny, a Marine veteran from the Vietnam era, pulled out his billfold to show his wife Verda a few important things.
“Here’s who gets the house payment Verda.”
“This is the insurance agent…call him, he knows what to do. “
Then he got to his military ID card.
“I want you to fight the VA,” he said. “And let me tell you, you’re in for the fight of your life.”
Seventeen days later Sonny died.
That was seven years ago. Verda didn’t know it, but as soon as he received the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer Sonny started researching. He suspected that his cancer was caused by exposure to Agent Orange.
Verda, now age 70, had a small pension, social security, and Sonny’s life insurance. But after a few years the insurance money ran out, and it wasn’t enough. “You’d be surprised how fast it goes,” she says. She tried everything she could think of, including trying to get survivor benefits approved from the VA, but nothing was working, and she was about out of options.
“I would get up in the morning and go through the motions of life, but inside I was terrified,” she says. “I prayed a lot. I told friends and family I was thinking about moving, because I was ashamed and didn’t want anyone to know what I was going through. But I didn’t want to leave this house.”
Then Verda came to Community Link. Her certified housing counselor, Tony, swung into action. Verda had exhausted most of the usual options to avoid foreclosure, so Tony had to get creative. He wrote letters to the VA, and got Verda’s congresswoman involved. He got a lawyer from Legal Aid to help.
“That man wrote so many letters!” says Verda.
Finally one day Verda went to the mailbox and found an official letter saying that her request for benefits due to Agent Orange exposure had been approved. There was a check enclosed.
“I tried and I tried and I tried on my own, to no avail,” she says. “Coming to Community Link just opened all the doors.”
Are you having trouble making mortgage payments, or is someone you know struggling? The sooner you act the more we can help. We hold weekly sessions to get information on ways we can help you stay in your home: call 704-943-9509 to find out more.