Va employee honored as ‘employee of the year’ for dedication to serving veterans | va houston health care | veterans affairs

Houston , TX — The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Department of Texas awarded Army Veteran and Houston VA Transition Patient Advocate Cornelius Blackshear as their Disabled Veteran of the

Year during their annual state convention on June 21. For almost two years, Blackshear has served Veterans at Houston VA in the Post 9/11 Military2 VA (M2VA) Program where he assists active

duty servicemembers being discharged due to illness or injury in their transition to VA health care. He also assists post-9/11 Veterans who are transferring their care from other VA

facilities to Houston VA. “Being recognized by the Disabled American Veterans of Texas and receiving the DAV Veteran of the Year award is an honor that I accept on behalf of every Veteran

whose resilience and courage inspire me daily,” said Blackshear. “This recognition fuels my commitment to continue advocating for the needs and rights of our Veteran community here in

Texas.” He is also active in the community as part of VA outreach to enroll Veterans for VA health care and provide information about VA and the recent PACT Act, a law that expands VA health

care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. He routinely partners with community partners such as the Texas Veteran's Commission,

City of Houston Office of Veteran Affairs and non-profits to conduct outreach events in churches, colleges, government agencies, military bases and private businesses. “Participating in

outreach events allows us to meet Veterans where they are in the community and bring them into the VA system,” said Blackshear.  “As an Army Veteran myself, I know how important it is for us

to connect to Veterans face to face to offer them our resources and welcome them to our VA family.” In his personal time, he also advocates for Veterans as an active member in the American

Legion, DAV and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Blackshear grew up in Houston and attended John H. Reagan Senior High School, currently known as Heights High School. There he joined the Army ROTC

program and served as the cadet Battalion Commander. He attended Prairie View A&M University, where he received his commission into the U.S. Army Engineering Corp. as a 2nd Lt. He served

from 1990 to 2002 in the Army Reserve with deployments to Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Germany. He left the Army with the rank of Captain.