This Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, POVAT® says thank you to the veterans we serve, the families who serve beside them, and the supporters who make it all possible.
November is a month of gratitude. Veterans Day lands on Wednesday, November 11, Thanksgiving follows two weeks later, and the whole month is Military Family Appreciation Month. It’s the season when many of us look for meaningful ways to thank a veteran. At POVAT®, it’s also the season we pause to say thank you ourselves.
Thank you to the veterans who trust us with their stories. Thank you to the families who serve right alongside them. And thank you to the donors and partners who make it possible for us to help veterans with VA disability claims at no cost to them, ever.
In this post, you’ll meet the people we’re grateful for this year, and you’ll find simple ways to join that circle of thanks.
Why Is “Thank You for Your Service and Sacrifice” Only the Beginning?
The words matter, but follow-through matters more. Many veterans leave the military with injuries that were never fully documented, and when a VA claim is denied or underrated, the benefits they’ve earned stay out of reach.
Our co-founder, retired Air Force Command Chief Master Sergeant Will Markham, knows that frustration firsthand. After a 30-year career, his own VA rating was downgraded. That fight is why POVAT® exists: to stay in a veteran’s corner until the VA gets it right.
How Does Military Service Shape the Whole Family?
If you’ve wondered how to support veterans and their families, start here: service is never a solo assignment. Spouses manage moves and deployments. Kids change schools again and again. And when a veteran comes home with service-connected injuries, the family often becomes the care team.
That’s why Military Family Appreciation Month means so much to us, and why a fair VA rating is about more than one person. Depending on the rating, it can open doors for the whole household, including:
- CHAMPVA health coverage for eligible spouses and children of veterans rated permanently and totally disabled from a service-connected condition
- The VA’s caregiver program, which offers training, counseling, and, for primary caregivers, a monthly stipend (the veteran’s rating must be 70% or higher)
- Education benefits for dependents (learn more in our post on how your VA rating impacts education benefits)
Adam F., a U.S. Air Force veteran POVAT® helped, put it best: his disability rating award was “a huge victory for us all, and something that will benefit my family for the rest of our lives.”
To every military spouse, child, parent, and caregiver: we see you, and we thank you. (More on that in Love, Loss & Military Service.)
Which Veterans Are We Thankful for This Year?
Every veteran who reaches out trusts us with their health, their history, and their family’s future. That’s why we work One Vet @ A Time, not through a call center.
We’re grateful for veterans like Bill T. (USAF), who was awarded a 100% Total and Permanent (T&P) rating, meaning the VA rated his service-connected disability as total and not expected to improve. He said he is “indebted to the POVAT® professionals for the service they provided to me and my family.” We’re grateful for Sammy (USAF), who went from 0% to 90%, and for Karla P. (USAF), who went from 10% to 80%.
Those aren’t isolated wins. 98% of the veterans POVAT® assists receive a disability rating of 50% or higher, and nearly 60% secure a 100% T&P rating. Real veterans, real results. You can read more of their stories on our testimonials page, and learn what those numbers mean in Behind the Rating.
To Our Donors and Supporters: Why Does Your Support Matter So Much?
Because you are the reason our help is free. POVAT® never charges a veteran. Our network of legal, medical, and mental health professionals builds each claim correctly, and donations cover costs like medical bills, transportation, and records duplication. Every dollar goes to assisting the veteran.
This year, you showed up in so many ways. You joined us at Clays for the Brave, FORE the Vets, and the POVAT Invitational. You raised a glass to Maker’s Mark “Made for the Brave,” now behind the bar at O’Hara’s Pub near Ground Zero. You brewed a pot of Just Love Coffee’s “Valor Roast Blend”. And you gave, again and again.
A special thank-you to the people behind the committees leading these events; without your individual efforts and your passion for POVAT®, none of this is possible!
To every donor, sponsor, and partner: thank you. You’re not just supporting a cause. You’re answering a calling.
What Are the Best Ways to Thank a Veteran This November?
The best ways to thank a veteran turn gratitude into action. Here are five that make a real difference:
- Give the gift of advocacy. When you donate to a veterans charity like POVAT®, you help a veteran secure the rating, care, and dignity they’ve earned.
- Point a veteran toward help. Know someone who was denied, underrated, or never filed? Send them to projectovat.org. One conversation can change a family’s future.
- Thank a military family by name. Write a note to a military spouse or caregiver you know. They rarely hear it, and it means more than you’d think.
- Shop with purpose. Pick up holiday gifts from the POVAT® store. Every purchase supports the mission.
- Stay connected. Join our newsletter and share this post on LinkedIn so more people know where veterans can turn.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Veterans Day 2026?
Veterans Day 2026 is Wednesday, November 11. It honors everyone who served in the U.S. Armed Forces and is always observed on November 11.
What is Military Family Appreciation Month?
Military Family Appreciation Month is observed every November to recognize the extraordinary sacrifices, resilience and contributions of the spouses, children, parents, and caregivers who support service members and veterans.
How can I help a veteran with their VA claim?
The most helpful thing you can do is connect them with experienced, trustworthy support. POVAT® pairs veterans with legal, medical, and mental health professionals who help prepare the claim correctly and represent the veteran before the VA, at no cost to the veteran.
Join Our Circle of Thanks
This November, we’re thankful for the veterans who trust us, the families who stand beside them, and the supporters who make every case possible. Saying “thank you for your service” is a great start. Choosing one of these ways to thank a veteran is how that gratitude keeps going.
Donate today to help a veteran secure the rating, care, and dignity they’ve earned. And mark your calendar: Giving Tuesday is December 1, and we’ll have more to share soon.
From all of us at POVAT®: thank you. One Vet @ A Time.
