Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Military to College Guide, by Student Veterans of America

Student Veterans of America has published a handy PDF guide for veterans going to college, here.

Based on the experience of actual student-veterans, it includes sections such as "Veterans Education Benefits Checklist", "From Combat to College: Navigating the Transition" and Links to helps resources such as Troops to Teachers and VFW Military Scholarships. In my opinion, it would be improved by including a section on becoming a lawyer or other legal professional who can thereby better serve the veteran community, but that's a topic for another day.

See more at http://www.studentveterans.org/resourcelibrary/.
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Thursday, March 19, 2009

Indiana Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP)

The legal community in Indiana provides Legal Assistance to Military Personnel in a variety of ways.

For the Warrior Community


  • Active duty service members may wish first to go to Armed Forces Legal Assistance's online database to "locate active duty legal activities offering general legal services within the continental United States". A query for the state of Indiana is here
  • Indiana Lawyers for Soldiers serves family members of persons serving in Iraq or Afghanistan as a member of the Indiana National Guard. See http://www.inlawyersforsoldiers.com/
  • Some local Bar Associations may have developed local programs. For example, the Evansville Bar Association has a program to "...prepare simple wills, powers of attorney and medical directives ... to military personnel in Vanderburgh, Posey, Warrick & Gibson Counties."

General-Purpose Resources

Servicemembers, veterans and their families are of course eligible to use the same resources as anyone else.

Private Practice Attorneys

Typically, a lawyer in private practice will listen to your situation for 15 or 20 minutes, then give you an idea about how to proceed, in general terms, without charging you anything. If the matter is something the lawyer can help you with, but must charge for (everyone's got to pay the rent!), sometimes you can work out a military-family discount; does it hurt to ask?

The Findlaw website has a city-by-city list of lawyers interested in representing active-duty military personnel, military reservists, and veterans here.

For Lawyers

  • Indiana Lawyers for Soldiers is a convenient way to serve family members of persons serving in Iraq or Afghanistan as a member of the Indiana National Guard. It's completely voluntary, so why not sign up now at the Lawyer Registration Information page?
    Also, please see the recent letter from R. William Jonas Jr., President, Indiana State Bar Association
  • The Indiana State Bar Association does not appear to have a Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP) Section, Committee or project; this might be a fruitful leadership opportunity for energetic attorneys!
  • For a more general interest in pro bono work, the programs at Indiana Legal Services's Find Legal Help page may welcome inquiries.
  • It is very likely that there are other Indiana programs, sponsored by local bar associations, law schools, and others. Anyone with more information on these or other programs are invited to contact me; the most convenient way is to add in a comment below. The purpose is service!
See also
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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Women Veterans Health Improvement Act of 2009

A press release from Senator Murray (D-WA)

WOMEN VETERANS: Murray Introduces Bi-Partisan Legislation to Prepare VA for Rapidly Growing Number of Women Veterans

Legislation will address unique needs of women veterans, provide improved care for Military Sexual Trauma, and explore the effects service in Iraq and Afghanistan has had on female veterans
For Immediate Release: Monday, March 16, 2009
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, introduced major bi-partisan legislation to prepare the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for the influx of women veterans who will access care there in the coming years. Senator Murray’s bill, the Women Veterans Health Improvement Act of 2009, will address many of the unique needs of female veterans, particularly those women who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) is the lead co-sponsor of the legislation and has also played a vocal role in ensuring the VA meets the unique needs of female veterans.
“Women have stepped up to serve at unprecedented levels,” said Senator Murray. “Which means the VA is now faced with unprecedented challenges in caring for them as they return home. This bill addresses the unique challenges women face by providing specialized care for the visible and invisible wounds of war. As more women begin to transition home, and step back into lives as mothers, wives, and citizens, the VA must be there for them.”
“Women serving in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and performing dangerous missions throughout the world make up an important and growing segment of our veteran population. The number of women veterans receiving care through the VA is expected to double in less than five years,” said Senator Hutchison. “Our bill will help improve access to quality health care services for women who have bravely served in our armed forces.”

“Generations of women have served honorably in all of this country’s major conflicts. These women have earned the right to expect the same high quality health care services and benefits as their male counterparts,” said Dave Gorman, Executive Director of Disabled American Veterans (DAV). “While significant progress has been made in recent years to remove institutional barriers that often discourage women veterans from seeking assistance at VA facilities, more needs to be done. The Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act will help ensure these women have equal access to VA benefits and services. DAV is proud to have worked on this legislation with Senator Murray, who has proven herself time and again to be a steadfast and effective champion for all of America’s veterans.”

Senators Murray and Hutchison’s bill was co-sponsored by Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Susan Collins (R-ME), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Lisa Murkowski (D-AK), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

“The brave women of our military have been fighting side-by-side in Iraq and Afghanistan with our men in uniform so that we may live in freedom – they deserve the same support from the government when they return home,” Senator Mikulski said. “There is currently an unprecedented number of women defending their country at war. We owe them a debt of gratitude, and that means making sure they have a VA health care system that meets their needs.”

“More women are serving in the military today than at any time and this number is only growing. They face unique challenges and the VA must be prepared to meet their needs,” said Senator Boxer.

“With over 10,000 women veterans in Maine, and almost two million across the nation, each are patriots that have answered their nation’s call, and it is essential the nation be there for them when they return to the homefront and their families,” Senator Snowe said. “I am honored to join with my colleagues to introduce this bill today that rightfully recognizes and addresses issues with which many of these veterans and their families are managing today.”

“Our women vets have served courageously and selflessly alongside their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. The time has come that we recognize the unique needs of these veterans by respecting their differences and addressing the inequities that may exist in the system,” said Senator Johnson, Chairman of the Senate Military Construction / VA Appropriations Subcommittee.

“This legislation will help ensure that our women in the military return home to a high quality health care system that they certainly deserve and have earned. I am proud to recognize the invaluable service that our service members have made, and I will continue to assist those who do so much to protect our nation,” said Senator Lincoln.

“For far too long, the VA has operated with a “one size – fits all” culture,” said Senator Murkowski. “Those days are gone. The physical, mental and reproductive health challenges that face women veterans may require a different menu of services, delivered in a different way than the VA has grown accustomed. This legislation sends a powerful wake-up call that America’s 1.7 million women veterans earned their benefits too and it is time for the VA to step up and meet its needs.”

“American service women need to know that their commitment to this country is both recognized and honored,” said Senator Brown. “We must meet the obligations of every veteran in a way that reflects their bravery and sacrifice. This bill would expand the VA’s resources to address gaps in services and provide women with access to benefits they have earned.”

Among other things, the legislation introduced today will:

  • Require the VA to implement a program to train, educate, and certify VA mental health professionals to care for women with sexual trauma
  • Require the VA Secretary to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the barriers women are facing in accessing care at the VA.
  • Authorize a report to Congress on the effects the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have had on the physical, mental, and reproductive health of women who have served there.
  • Require the VA to begin a pilot program that provides child care to women veterans that seek mental health care services at the VA.
  • Require the VA to begin a pilot program that provides readjustment counseling to women veterans in group retreat settings.
Senators Murray and Hutchison introduced similar legislation last year in the 110th Congress which passed the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee before the Senate session ended.

See more detailed Information on the Women Veterans Health Improvement Act of 2009.
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Sunday, March 15, 2009

Illinois Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP)

Illinois provides Legal Assistance to Military Personnel in a variety of ways.

For the Warrior Community

Illinois Army and Air National Guard personnel, as well as their families, may wish to first consult the Illinois Army and Air National Guard Judge Advocate General's Office Legal Resources web page. Under some conditions, it may also "... provide legal assistance to military personnel, retirees and their qualified dependents in accordance with applicable Army and Air Force legal assistance regulations" so this may be a resource all members of the warrior community to look.

Active duty service members may wish to go first to Armed Forces Legal Assistance's nice online database to "locate active duty legal activities offering general legal services within the continental United States". A query for the state of Illinois is here

Servicemembers, veterans and their families are of course eligible to use the same resources as anyone else. And in this connection, let me admire and recommend the Illinois Legal Aid website: http://www.illinoislegalaid.org/
To try it out, I went there, typed "military deployment" in the "What's your legal problem?" field, and hit Search! It replied with five useful and relevant articles. Good, but was that a fluke?

I tried again, typing in "veteran" and giving it zip code 60515. It came back with more relevant article PLUS information on a legal services agency near that zip code. More good!

Then I noticed the video library AND instructions in Spanish. Well Done!
The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) has similar helpful resources, such as a Legal Information database. Of especial interest to the warrior community is its page on Legal Information: Laws Protecting Military Personnel. This outlines a number of important protections for the warrior community. It concludes with two suggestions on how to get further help if you really need or prefer to have professional assistance.
  • "If you have a legal problem, assistance in finding attorneys is available through the Illinois State Bar Association's Illinois Lawyer Finder Service. Through a lawyer referral service, you will be given the name of an attorney in your area. For the initial half-hour consultation the lawyer will reduce rates to not more than $15. After the first half-hour, regular fees will apply."
    (Note that this ISBA's Lawyer Finder page at includes "Veterans" among the "Fields of Practice" you can search on!)
  • "Any area military base can provide assistance to servicemembers and their families through the Legal Assistance Office."
    That webpage has phone numbers for all the above but let me suggest you get them from the page itself since if I copied them here, there's the chance they might go out of date.
The Chicago Bar Association also sponsors a Lawyer Referral Service and other legal assistance facilities, including a monthly Call-A-Lawyer program, an In-Court Lawyer Referral Program for some traffic & criminal matters
a Matrimonial Fee Arbitration Project and several more.

The Findlaw website has a city-by-city list of lawyers interested in representing active-duty military personnel, military reservists, and veterans here.

For Lawyers

The Illinois State Bar Association has a Standing Committee on Military Affairs that has conducted a number of projects, such as "Military Family Law: Tips and Traps" CLE of which a recording may be available here.

Illinois Pro Bono is seeking Pro Bono Assistance for Illinois servicemembers, to deliver pro bono legal assistance in civil cases to active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their eligible family members, as part of the ABA Military Pro Bono Project. Please see this detailed notice, including a broad range of practice areas and skills. Note where it says "We are looking for Illinois attorneys and firms to register with our website to be offered pro bono opportunities when they arise. We are in particular need of family law practitioners. Please visit http://www.militaryprobono.org/ for more information and to sign up."

Attorneys interested in pro bono generally can check out http://www.illinoisprobono.org/ and the Chicago Bar Assocation's Pro Bono page

It is very likely that there are other Illinois programs, sponsored by local bar associations, law schools, and others. Anyone with more information on these or other programs are invited to contact me; the most convenient way is to add in a comment below. The purpose is service!
See also
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Reminder: Still Time to Re-Open VA Claim under "Missing Documents" Program

Larry Scott of VA Watchdog wants to remind us:
After the shredder scandal became public, VA started a special program that will allow vets to re-open some claims until Nov. 17, 2009.

By Larry Scott:
"After the VA shredder scandal became public, the agency had to do something, very quickly, to make right their wrongs. Under pressure from the veterans' service orgs they put together "VA's Special Claims Handling Procedures for Missing Documents."

Complete info on shredding and mishandling of VA documents is on this page... http://www.vawatchdog.org/VAshredderscandal.htm

The "Missing Documents" program is open until November 17, 2009. There are a number of qualifiers to have a claim re-opened, or "considered" as VA likes to say.

If you think you might qualify for the program ... there are two things to read.

First is a VA press release... and, second is the VA web site regarding the program. Both are posted below.

VA press release is here...
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfnov08/nf111808-4.htm
VA web page on shredding and document mishandling, with information on how to re-open a claim, is here...
http://www.vba.va.gov/VBA/specialprocedures_qa.asp"
For more information, read Larry's article here (it also has a link where you can order you very own VA Shredder Coffee Mugs!

See also "VA: What to Do if We Shredded Your Documents"
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Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Stimulus act adds new tax benefits for troops

Erik Slavin writes in "Stars and Stripes":
"The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, signed by President Barack Obama last month, includes new tax breaks that will benefit some servicemembers, financial professionals at bases in Japan said last week.

Along with the new deductions, there are several old deductions that benefit military members, especially if they itemize.

One of the biggest tax provisions in the Recovery Act economic stimulus plan allows anyone who purchases a home between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30 to take an $8,000 tax credit. The home has to be where you plan to live, said Jim McDaniel, an accredited financial counselor at the Yokota Air Base Airman and Family Readiness Center. ..."
FULL ARTICLE: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=61200
For more information on ARRA's impact on the warrior community, see:
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Sunday, March 8, 2009

Pennsylvania Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP)

The lawyers of Pennsylvania help with Legal Assistance to Military Personnel through a variety of programs
listed on PAprobono.net's web page on "Legal Assistance for Military Personnel Available in Pennsylvania". Rather than have me copy them here, it's better to direct you there, so that when change happens only that web page need be updated.

Active duty service members may wish to go first to Armed Forces Legal Assistance's nice online database to "locate active duty legal activities offering general legal services within the continental United States". A query for the state of Pennsylvania is here

In addition, for those members of the warrior community (servicemembers, veterans and their families) who would prefer to look for their own lawyer, the Findlaw website has a city-by-city list of lawyers interested in representing active-duty military personnel, military reservists, and veterans here.

For Lawyers

The Pennsylvania Bar Association has an active Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee. Its efforts include CLE, coordination with some county efforts, the innovative Veterans Court Initiative, and more. See http://www.pabar.org/public/committees/military/

Anyone with more information on these or other programs, please add in a comment below. The purpose is service!
See also
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Thursday, March 5, 2009

Military Justice Blogs

Here's a compilation of blogs on the topic of military justice, with my entirely ideosyncratic comments:

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Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Ohio Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP)

Veterans who have income levels below 200% of the Federal Poverty level can now receive free legal assistance through the Ohio Military Veterans Legal Assistance Project (OMVLAP). They started out just handling legal matters for the central Ohio area but now offer services to Veterans all over the state of Ohio. See http://www.mvlap.org/

 I have not yet found legal resources in the State of Ohio that especially support our warrior community (servicemembers, veterans and their families);
however, like everyone else you may start your search at Ohio Legal Services' very nice "Find information on your legal problem" page. It really seems well thought out!

Active duty service members may wish to go first to Armed Forces Legal Assistance's nice online database to "locate active duty legal activities offering general legal services within the continental United States". A query for the state of Ohio is here

Another step is to try a Lawyer Referral Service, hosted by one of the following:
See also:

For Lawyers

If there is a Section or Committee of the Ohio State Bar concerned with serving our warrior community, it appears to be hidden behind OSBAR.ORG's password protection. Let me know if it exists; if it does not, you can gain fame and do something very useful by taking the lead in setting one up.

You can sign up to do pro bono service (not necessarily directed at our warrior community) at
See Also
If you have more information on the above, or on other efforts to provide legal help to our warrior community, please leave a comment below. The purpose is service!
See also
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State Territorial Support for National Guard and Regular Military Members and Their Families

National Governors Association has issued several useful reports detailing State Territorial Support for National Guard and Regular Military Members and Their Families.

Going state-by-state, these reports list items such as State State Employee Benefits, Educational Benefits, Tax and Financial Benefits, Family Support, Licensing, Registration and Fees, Protections, Recognition, Employment Support and more. The reports frequently includes contact information and web links.

See also
NGA Policy Position HHS-10: "Supporting Military Personnel and Their Families"
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Monday, March 2, 2009

Michigan Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP)

The Legal Community in the State of Michigan supports our warrior community (servicemembers, veterans and their families) in a variety of ways.

For the Warrior Community

The Thomas M. Cooley Law School hosts a Service to Soldiers: Legal Assistance Referral Program, which
"... offers free legal assistance to military personnel returning from deployment. This unique program offers consultations right at reserve centers and other military locations during drills or military events, and it is the only civilian program in Michigan specifically designed to assist with the immediate needs of military personnel returning from deployment.

Cooley professors have offered over 70 consultations and made nearly 50 referrals to attorneys and area agencies. The program has prepared wills and powers-of-attorney for over 200 deploying troops as well."
Please see its brochure or contact spielmah@cooley.edu

The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law has a couple of innovative programs. Its Project SALUTE has the subtitle and mission "Students and Lawyers Assisting U.S. Troops Everywhere Exclusively with Federal Benefits".
This week, the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (UDM Law) launches its nationwide tour of its Mobile Law Office (MLO) which will provide free assistance and/or representation to thousands of low-income veterans exclusively on federal benefits issues throughout the United States. The tour officially kicks off in Detroit on Thursday, February 7, at 10:00 a.m. at the UDM Law Atrium at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, 651 E. Jefferson, across from the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit. To donate to the Veterans Clinic, visit our Veterans Clinic donation page.

UDM Law is the only law school in the country with an MLO, a Recreational Vehicle that has been outfitted as a law office. For the national tour, General Motors is donating a specially designed, custom built, state-of-the-art RV. Through the MLO, volunteer attorneys and UDM Law faculty and students counseled and/or otherwise assisted over 800 people during the past year. The MLO has made numerous stops at regional senior centers, churches, and other similar facilities, as well as regular stops at facilities where veterans congregate.

“When we started our Veterans Clinic, we were overwhelmed by the response and the requests for assistance from veterans both in Michigan and around the country,” said Mark Gordon, Dean of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. “Our veterans deserve the best care available, and with the nationwide launch of our MLO, our Veterans Clinic will be able to help additional low-income veterans seeking federal benefits assistance.”

To maximize the reach and impact of UDM Law’s national MLO tour, a number of local attorneys and legal support groups will be assisting low-income veterans exclusively with federal benefits in a pro bono capacity in each city. During the tour, UDM Law will provide training on federal benefits issues to attorneys around the nation who are willing to donate time to assist veterans on a pro bono basis. The law school is also asking additional law firms and attorneys across the country to volunteer providing pro bono assistance to veterans."
Learn more here.

In addition, Mercy School of Law has pioneered a Veterans Law Clinic
"... to address the compelling legal needs of veterans. The Clinic focuses on veterans' legal issues through representation, pro bono attorney referral, and education.

The Veterans Law Clinic represents low and moderate income veterans in their disability claims before the Department of Veterans Affairs, Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and Court of Veterans Appeals. Under the supervision of the clinic instructor, students interview clients, draft briefs, and argue before administrative agencies and appeals courts.

The Clinic also provides education and outreach to veterans through the Mobile Law Office.
Students and clinic professors speak to veterans throughout Michigan through presentations regarding disability and other veterans' issues. Lastly, Veterans Law Clinic has established a network of private attorneys who have agreed to represent veterans without attorney fees. These pro bono attorneys are able to represent veterans in some cases the clinic does not handle. The clinic and its pro bono attorneys do not address criminal or fee-generating matters.

To contact the Veterans Law Clinic for assistance, please call 313.596.0262"
Or, see
Information about clinics, a schedule of upcoming visits of its Mobile Law Clinic and the announcement from the Brennan Center.

In an exciting and innovative program, U.S. Troops serving in Iraq will now have access to legal services free of charge via video conferencing under a new partnership formed by Thomas M. Cooley Law School, Chrysler LLC, and the Freedom Calls Foundation. For more information, read this announcement.

Lawyers in Michgigan and the VA have collaborated on a free Guidebook for Incarcerated Veterans in the State of Michigan

Active duty service members may wish to go first to Armed Forces Legal Assistance's nice online database to "locate active duty legal activities offering general legal services within the continental United States". A query for the state of Michigan is here

Servicemembers, veterans and their families, like everyone else, can try
MichiganLegalAid.org
"... a statewide guide to free legal services for low-income persons and seniors in civil (non-criminal) cases. To locate information on all of the free civil legal aid programs, including basic eligibility and contact information, plus links to related sites on the web, and legal education documents that give you basic information on a number of common legal problems, see: http://MichiganLegalAid.org"
The Findlaw website has a city-by-city list of lawyers interested in representing active-duty military personnel, military reservists, and veterans here.

For Lawyers

Attorneys interested in providing pro-bono services to military personnel with non-military legal issues through the Service to Soldiers: Legal Assistance Referral Program should contact at (517) 371-5140 ext. 4112 (per press release).

Attorneys interested in volunteering for project SALUTE (see above) can learn more here.

State Bar of Michigan offers an easy Online Registration to Volunteer Pro Bono Services.

If you have more information on the above, or on other efforts to provide legal help to our warrior community, please leave a comment below. The purpose is service!
See also
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New Veterans Health Council and Web Site Provide Information and Resource Safety Net

Press release from Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA):

VVA Introduces the Veterans Health Council And New Website: www.veteranshealth.org

"(Washington, D.C., February 25) – Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) today formally debuted a new alliance that will offer veterans, their families, and health professionals a new resource for information about healthcare risks experienced by those who served in the military. The Veterans Health Council, made up of veterans and health organizations, announced its mission, participants, and Web site, www.veteranshealth.org, at a media event today at the National Press Club.

“The mission of the Veterans Health Council is to improve the health of veterans by creating an ongoing forum for health professionals, employee representatives, advocacy organizations, and healthcare firms,” said John Rowan, VVA National President. “We want to inform veterans and their families about health risks related to their military service and the healthcare available to them; educate healthcare communities about the multiple health issues associated with military service; develop educational materials for medical schools, nursing schools, teaching hospitals, and related entities; and advocate on behalf of healthcare initiatives for veterans.”

Up to 80 percent of veterans do not use the VA – the Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities – for their healthcare needs. VVA attributes this significant underutilization to the fact that most veterans are simply unaware that they may have health problems related to their military service--diseases, conditions, and maladies which entitle them to compensation and medical care from the VA, if they so choose.

The Veterans Health Council Web site provides information on health conditions associated with military service and provides links to healthcare sites related to specific diseases.

Most importantly, it offers general information on how to file a claim for disability compensation and provides a locator service for accredited veterans’ service representatives who can assist in filing claims for benefits.

To learn more about the Veterans Health Council, please visit: www.veteranshealth.org
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Sunday, March 1, 2009

Washington State Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP)

The lawyers of Washington State help with Legal Assistance to Military Personnel through a variety of programs.

For Our Warrior Community


The Washington State Attorney General Office of Military and Veteran Legal Assistance (OMVLA) is a good place to start looking for help:

The Washington State Bar Association's Online Lawyer Directory has a way to locate lawyers who have picked Military Law as a practice area.
  • Go to http://www.mywsba.org/default.aspx?tabid=177
  • In the scroll box labelled "Area of Practice" pick "Military"
  • You may pick further criteria, e.g. city, although that will limit results
  • Click "Search"
  • You will get a list of lawyers; click on their names to get contact information.
Servicemembers, veterans and their families, just as any other citizen, may find information on pro bono (free) and low bono programs in Washington State, see "How to Find Legal Help". You can also find a lot of self-help materials at http://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/
Active duty service members may wish to go first to Armed Forces Legal Assistance's online database to "locate active duty legal activities offering general legal services within the continental United States". A query for the state of Washington lists the following:

Fairchild AFB (Air Force)
92 ARW/JA
1 E. Bong St. Suite 103 [Bldg 2285]
Spokane, WA 99011
Phone: 509-247-2838 DSN 657-2838
http://public.fairchild.amc.af.mil/
Joint Base Lewis-McChord (Army)
Legal Assistance Office
Mailstop 69 Box 339500
Tacoma, WA 98433
Phone: 253-477-1873/1875 
http://www.lewis.army.mil/sja/
McChord AFB (Air Force)
62 AW/JA
100 Joe Jackson Blvd
Tacoma, WA 98438
Phone: 253-982-5513 DSN 382-5513
http://public.mcchord.amc.af.mil/
NSB Bangor (Navy)
NLSO NW Branch Office Bangor
1001 Tautog Circle
Silverdale, WA 98315
Phone: 360-396-6003 744-6003
http://www.jag.navy.mil/html/NLSO_northwest.htm
USCG Seattle (Coast Guard)
Commander 13th Coast Guard District
915 Second Ave.
Seattle WA
Seattle, WA 98174
Phone: 206-220-7110
http://www.uscg.mil/d13/dl/
NAVSTA Everett (Navy)
NLSO NW Branch Office Everett
2000 W Marine View Drive
Everett, WA 98207
Phone: 425-304-4551 727-4551
http://www.jag.navy.mil/html/NLSO_northwest.htm
NAS Whidbey Island (Navy)
NLSO NW Branch Office Whidbey Island
3530 N. Langley Blvd.
Oak Harbor, WA 98278
Phone: 360-257-2126 820-2126
http://www.jag.navy.mil/html/NLSO_northwest.htm
Naval Shipyard Puget Sound (Navy)
NLSO Northwest
365 South Barclay BLdg 433 Bremerton, WA 98314
Bremerton, WA 98314
Phone: 360-476-2156 439-2156
http://www.jag.navy.mil/html/NLSO_northwest.htm


The Findlaw website has a city-by-city list of lawyers interested in representing active-duty military personnel, military reservists, and veterans here.
The Northwest Justice Project has resources for poor people needing help with civil (not criminal) legal matters. Its Veterans Project can help with things such as child support adjustments, vacating criminal convictions, driver's license suspensions, and more. See the video below ! You can also check out its list of resources relating to veterans.

For Attorneys

Washington State Bar Association has an active Legal Assistance to Military Personnel (LAMP) Section. For contact information, a calendar of upcoming trainings and other events, and more, see http://www.wsba.org/Legal-Community/Sections/Legal-Assistance-to-Military-Personnel.

Anyone with more information on these or other programs, please add in a comment below. The purpose is service!
See also
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$198 Million for Filipino Veterans

From a VA Press Release dated February 20, 2009

Congress Recognizes World War II Service

"WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced a new benefit for Filipino Veterans who aided American troops in World War II -- a cash payment authorized through the newly enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Claims are now being accepted from Filipino Veterans eligible for one-time payments of $9,000 for non-U.S. citizens and $15,000 for Filipino Veterans with U.S. citizenship. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is working to begin making payments as soon as possible.

VA and the Embassy of the United States in Manila have announced locations in the Philippines where Veterans can apply immediately. The list has been posted at http://manila.usembassy.gov.

To receive information by mail, United States residents may call 1-800-827-1000. Philippine residents may call 632-528-2500 (within Metro Manila) or from outside Manila at 1-800-1888-5252. In addition, Filipino Veterans may request information via email at https://iris.va.gov.

The VA Regional Office in Manila will process all claims for this benefit. Therefore, U.S. residents should mail the application to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Regional Office, PSC 501, FPO AP 96515-100.

Extensive outreach is planned to alert World War II Veterans throughout the Philippines. Claims must be submitted by Feb. 16, 2010, a year after the bill’s signing. (emphasis added)

The payments do not affect other benefits Veterans may be receiving. The VA regional office in Manila currently provides approximately $15 million monthly in monetary benefits to Veterans residing in the Philippines. About $8 million of this goes to Filipino World War II Veterans or their survivors each month.

# # #

People wishing to receive e-mail from VA with the latest news releases and updated fact sheets can subscribe to the VA Office of Public Affairs Distribution List."
Click here for Full Press Release
COMMENT: better late than never, but let's try not to be late in the future.
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