To Whom It May Concern:

In October 2021, Jenni(36) and James(6) Robertson were violently murdered by their husband/father a Navy Veteran in Austin, Texas. Per the Texas Veteran Land Board website( https://vlb.texas.gov/cemeteries/burial-benefits/index.html ), Spouses and dependents are eligible for burial benefits as long as the veteran qualifies. In this case, the veterans disqualifying crimes were against the spouse and dependent child.

Families of domestic violence victims should not be financially penalized by a veteran's PTSD and heinous acts.

To be absolutely clear, I am advocating that a spouse and/or child who are victims of domestic violence, committed by the veteran, be eligible for burial benefits under Texas Veterans Land Board.

Due to Covid most TVLB staff are not in the office to answer or return phone calls. I left messages with cemetery personnel and tried to leave a message with the commissioner's personal secretary. I went as far as to email the Commissioners' political campaign in hopes of discussing this issue.

It is extremely disheartening to firsthand know the difficulty in reaching a commissioner of a state-run program. Especially when the commissioner himself is a veteran and campaigns for government accountability. How can voters and constituents expect transparent and true open-door policies? This type of behavior is what I expect from the federal government. I expected more from the great state of Texas.

Links:

https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/austin-police-investigating-triple-homicide-in-southeast-austin 
https://www.statesman.com/obituaries/p0160133