During his time in the 103rd Congress, Congressman Tejeda fought for veterans' rights by successfully passing legislation to expand educational benefits and healthcare access for Veterans.

The Frank M. Tejeda Texas State Veterans Home opened in 2000 and has 160 beds, of which 32 are designated to memory care. 

Click here to fill out the application and see all Texas State Veterans Homes. 

Burial and Interment. 

Interment Options:

• A casketed burial. An upright marble or granite headstone is provided.
• Interment of cremated remains and placement in a columbarium. Cremation urns may be no larger than 13 inches tall, by 10 inches wide, by 9 inches deep. A marble or granite niche cover is provided.
• Interment of cremated remains and placement in an in-ground burial section. A marble or granite marker is provided.
• Scattering of cremated remains in the scattering garden. A marble or granite marker is provided in the memorial section.

Charges for Interment Services: 

• Texas State Veterans Cemetery burials are a benefit earned by Veterans, their spouses, and eligible dependents for their dedicated service to our country. There is no charge for the interment of Veterans, their spouses, and eligible dependents. The burial benefit includes military honors for Veterans, a grave plot, opening and closing of the grave, a concrete grave liner for casketed burials, a headstone or marker, burial flag presentation to the next of kin, a Presidential Memorial Certificate, playing of Taps, a gun salute and perpetual care of the grave. The funeral home will obtain a burial flag to accompany the Veteran's casket or urn and will assist with requesting military honors.
• The burial benefit for Veterans, their spouses and eligible dependents does not cover funeral home charges such as the cost of a casket, cremation, viewing, flower cars, or transportation of the remains and family. However, if the Veteran dies of a service-connected cause of death, the family may be eligible for reimbursement from the VA for some of the funeral home costs up to $2,000.

For information regarding burials at sea can be found here. 

For GravesiteLocator and Service Schedule click here. 

For U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Cemetary Administration click here. 

For obtaining Service Documents: National Personnel Records Center click here. 

Eligibility:

• Honorably discharged Veterans and members of the U.S. armed forces.
• Certain members of reserve components and Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC).
• Certain members of the National Guard.
• Commissioned officers of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Public Health Service.
• Qualifying World War II Merchant Marines.
• Certain members of the Philippines Armed Forces.
• Spouses and dependents (dependent children's burial is limited to unmarried children under 21 or 23 if full-time students at approved educational institution.)

Various types of donations are welcomed at all Texas State Veterans Homes.

Examples of donations include, but are not limited to:

• Monetary (check)
• Art and crafts supplies
• DVDs or CDs
• Board games
• Fishing gear
• Gardening tools
• Writing supplies (journals, pens)
• Woodworking sets
• Leather crafting tools
• Model kits (cars, airplanes, ships, tanks, etc.)

Click here for the Donation form. 

Volunteer Opportunities 

• Administrative Assistance
• Companionship 
• Field Trips
• Indoor Activities
• Outdoor Activities 
• Special Events

The Texas Veterans Land Board (VLB) helps Veterans, Military Members, and their spouses buy homes and then help pay to improve them through the Texas Veterans Home Improvement Program (VHIP).

The VLB offers loans up to $50,000.00 for a 2-20-year term or loans from $7,500 - $10,000.00 for a 2-10-year term. Veterans with a VA service-connected disability rating of 30% or greater qualify for a discounted interest rate.

Click here to learn more.

Eligible Texas Veterans and Military Members can purchase a home with a competitive, low-interest loan with little or no down payment. Veterans, Military Members, and their spouses may receive up to $766,550 on a fixed-rate loan for 15, 20, 25, or 30-year terms*. Veterans with a VA service-connected disability rating of 30% or greater qualify for a discounted interest rate.

Click here for seven easy steps to get started. 

The VLB does not offer to refinance.

To qualify, homes must meet the following requirements:

• The home must be the Veteran or Military Member's primary residence in Texas.
• The home must be a single-family attached or detached home, townhome, or condominium.
• Duplexes or other multi-family units must have been constructed at least five years before the closing date of the loan.
• New homes must have either ENERGY STAR certification, a HERS Index score of 75 or less, or an Energy Rating Index of 75 or less.
• The home must remain the Veteran or Military Member's primary residence for at least three years, and the Veteran or Military Member borrower must occupy the home within 60 days after loan closing.

• For Prospective Homeowners

The VLB Veterans Land Loan Program is the only one of its kind in the nation, giving Texas Veterans and Military Members the opportunity to borrow up to $150,000 to purchase land at competitive interest rates while typically requiring a minimum five percent down payment for tracts of one acre or more.

To be eligible for VLB loan programs, Veterans and Military Members must be:

• At least 18 years of age.
• A bona fide and legal resident of Texas on the date of application and meet one of the following service criteria:
• An active duty Military Member.
• A member of the Texas National Guard.
• A reserve component Military Member having completed 20 qualifying years for retirement.
• A Veteran having served at least 90 active duty days unless discharged sooner due to a service-connected disability and not discharged dishonorably.
• A surviving spouse of a Veteran listed as missing in action or whose death was service-connected.

To be eligible for VLB financing, the land must be: 

• Be wholly within the state of Texas.
• Contain at least one acre, excluding any portion beneath a dedicated public roadway or navigable waterway or subject to frequent inundation or otherwise unusable.
• Have legal, usable access to a public road. Access must be a minimum of 60 feet wide or meet the county public road width requirements, whichever is greater. “Usable” means that it can be driven on by a standard passenger car in inclement weather.
• The flagpole access portion of the property must be drivable in inclement weather to the main body of the tract.
• Be properly described by either a field note description of the tract with the surveyor’s official seal and signature (original or copy) or a complete copy of the recorded subdivision plat if the description is by lot & block.
• Not be zoned strictly for commercial use.
• Not have been owned by you or your spouse within the previous three years.
• All trash/debris, tires or dilapidated structures must be removed prior to closing.

• For Prospective Homeowners

Reservists and National Guard troops with a VLB home or home improvement loan may be able to defer interest payments when called up for active duty, thanks to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA).

This program also lets many Reservists and National Guard members defer their entire monthly payments on VLB land loans, as long as they're on active duty.

How to apply for SCRA Assistance

SCRA Assistance for Land Loans: 

Eligible Reservists and National Guard members who want to reduce or defer loan payments should send a copy of their orders showing activation date. Remember to include your loan number for proper identification.

 Send to:
Texas Veterans Land Board
Research Department
1 Corporate Drive
Suite 360
Lake Zurich, IL 60047-8945

SCRA Assistance for Home and Home Improvement Loans:

Eligible Reservists and National Guard members who want to reduce loan payments should send a copy of their orders showing the activation date to the lending institution to which they make their payments. Remember to include your loan number for proper identification.