“Helping veterans isn’t a job for me — it’s a calling,” said Jessica King, 45.
After serving four years of active duty and a few years in the Reserve, Marine Corps veteran King was denied her own benefits for a decade. She was determined not to let that happen to her fellow service members.
“A VFW Accredited Service Officer helped me finally get my benefits,” she said. “I wanted to fight for veterans like she did for me.”
In 2022, King made good on her pledge by becoming a VFW Accredited Service Officer.
“I manage and train approximately 35 other VFW Accredited Service Officers and train VFW Post benefits advisors so they can help at the Post and District levels,” King said. “My greatest accomplishment is creating an amazing, passionate team that fights every day for our service members, veterans and their loved ones.”
During a typical week, King fields calls and emails from both her clients and other VFW staff, researches VA laws and attends meetings and training sessions to stay informed. Whatever a new day brings, King knows she is in the right place.
“Every time I sit across from a veteran or a surviving spouse who’s overwhelmed, confused or just tired from fighting battles they shouldn’t have to fight, something in me switches on,” she said. “I feel responsible, honored and grounded in my purpose.”
King is proud of what her team has accomplished for their clients, including helping one individual receive retroactive compensation dating back to 2015 and assisting another veteran experiencing homelessness in securing money to pay rent.
“Watching the stress lift off a client’s shoulders and hearing them say, ‘Thank you, I didn’t think anyone cared,’ gets me every time,” King said. “These are the moments that remind us why our work matters and why we do what we do.
“Even on the hard days, even when the system is frustrating, even when we’re tired, VFW Accredited Service Officers change the lives of veterans and their families every single day.”
Learn more about the VFW's National Veterans Service (NVS) program.