From Hand-Me-Downs to Moving-On-Up
Isabella Cortes, United States Navy (Dependent)
Veterans are a major part of this country’s backbone—they sacrifice more than the average person could grasp. While I may not be able to provide a story directly from experience, I do know what it is like to be a dependent of a veteran. Like many vets, my mom’s transition from her service in the Navy as a steelworker to living in society wasn’t easy. There were difficult obstacles she had to face such as physical and mental health, as well as having me.
When I made it to kindergarten, my mom was finally able to pursue higher education by going to community college. I didn’t know it then, but my mom and I were struggling financially. During this time we were living with my grandparents, but we eventually moved into my stepdad’s house. My mom graduated and started working in a doctor’s office, yet the financial struggles remained.
At an early age, I began to understand monetary values. In our household, we lived paycheck to paycheck. Whenever we went grocery shopping, we never bought name-brand food. It was always the Great Value brand: Great Value syrup, Great Value beef jerky. It was never Mrs. Buttersworth's syrup or Jack Link’s beef jerky. Throughout the year, I often got hand-me-downs from older cousins and I only did one big spend on clothes before the school year started. There was even a time when the power to our house got shut off. I think it was at that moment that my mom decided something needed to change so she looked into receiving assistance from Veterans Affairs.
don’t remember the process she went through, but I do know my mom was able to get her disability. Although it wasn’t a lot then, the monthly installments from the VA became a huge help. We no longer had issues with electricity and we were able to buy more food for the house. We even had enough so that I could start bringing lunches to school. Whenever Mom bought tiny Gatorade bottles for my lunch, I remember feeling like we were rich because suddenly we could afford the nice drinks for school. In middle school, I was always conscious of my peers around me. I didn’t want anyone to know of my financial situation because I was afraid of their judgment. The town I grew up in was small so everyone knew everything about each other. My family’s financial struggles were something I didn’t want known.
Even after my mom first got her disability rating, she appealed it for further review. The increase would allow me to be able to attend college, something that wasn’t thought possible for me. During the middle of my senior year in high school, my mom’s appeal was processed and she was awarded the increase for additional benefits. I clearly remember the tears of joy in her eyes when she got the letter saying she was approved. I had never seen her more relieved or happy. It looked like a giant weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Our financial burdens were becoming a thing of the past. All of her hard work and sacrifice had finally paid off! At that moment, I was extremely happy for her but I was also excited for myself. I was able to receive Chapter 35 benefits and enroll at Irvine Valley College to begin my academic journey.
