#Veterans Field Guild to Government Shutdown

You probably know that federal government expires Monday, September 30, 2013; while Congress could prevent a lapse, prudence requires planning for the possibility of a lapse.
VA's 2-page information sheet, the Veterans Field Guide to Government Shutdown summarizes the services that will be available and those that will be impacted by a lapse in appropriations.

The Veterans Health Administration is forward-funded and so VA will still be able to provide some services. All VA medical facilities and clinics will remain fully operational including inpatient/outpatient care, prescriptions, surgery, dental treatment, extended care, mental health care, nursing home care, special health care services for women Veterans and Vet centers.

Additional services that will be available:

• Military sexual trauma counseling
• Readjustment counseling services
• Veterans Crisis Line
• Insurance processing
• Home loan processing
• My HealtheVet – all services
• Education benefits claims will be processed
• Vocational rehabilitation payments will be processed
• Compensation and pension claims will be processed
• Acquisitions Logistics Center will accept and fill prosthetics supply orders
• Office of Small and Disadvantaged Small Businesses will be open

Payments to be made Oct. 1 include disability and compensation, and education benefits payments.
See more:
http://www.va.gov/opa/docs/Field_Guide_20130927.pdf
And think about calling your Congresscritter!

November 19/Web - Qualifying a Veteran for Long-Term Care -- GAO Calls for Improvements

This CLE program of the Texas Veterans Legal Assistance Project on Monday, November 19, 2012, will educate attendees on the process to qualify a Veteran for VA pension benefits, pursuant to Title 38 of the United States Code and Title 38 of the Code of Federal Regulations, when Long-Term Care is needed. There will be one lecture by Attorney Janet Totter and it will provide an overview of (1) financial eligibility of the Veteran for VA pension, (2) Aid & Attendance special allowance, (3) spending down the Veteran’s assets and (4) why the GAO is calling for improvements.
Participants will receive a copy of the power point presentation, referencing applicable federal statutes and provisions related to the military judicial system.
Who May Attend:
This program is for Texas attorneys providing pro bono service to veterans.


Title:
Qualifying a Veteran for Long-Term Care -- GAO Calls for Improvements
When/Where:
November 19, 2012
Noon Central (11 AM Mountain)
Webinar
Registration:
Please see the webinar registration form at http://www.tlsc.org/calendar/ to register.
Speaker:
Attorney Janet Totter is an accredited attorney for veteran’s claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Ms. Totter earned her law degree at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Prior to moving to Texas, Ms. Totter was in private practice in Minnesota representing persons with disabilities.  Ms. Totter served in the U.S. Navy, retiring in August 2000.  Ms. Totter is the Managing Attorney of the Texas Veterans Legal Assistance Project.
By:
Texas Veterans Legal Assistance Project
Credit:
The CLE program on Monday, November 19, 2012, has been certified by the State Bar of Texas for one hour of participatory MCLE credit (no ethics credit).  The course number is 901256072.
More Information:
http://www.tlsc.org/calendar/

ABA Coordinating Committee on #Veterans Benefits & Services

For Veteran's Day, you should check out the American Bar Association's Coordinating Committee on Veterans Benefits & Services which has a large number of resources, such as:

Securing Benefits:

• ABA Home Front: Legal Resources for Miltary Families
• Directory of Pro Bono Veterans Resources
  Compiled by the ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, and the ABA Center for Pro Bono
• The Forgotten Warrior: Services for Women in Veterans Health Care and Courts

Free Training Resources: Downloadable Recordings & DVD's

Compiled by the ABA Enterprise Fund Veterans Advocacy Pro Bono Project

• A Primer on Veterans Administration Law, Practice and Procedure
• Veterans Benefits: A Closer Look at the Veterans Administration Schedule for Rating Disabilities (VASRD)
• Veterans Benefits: Establishing Service Connection on Disability Claims
• Veterans Benefits: Understanding Discharge Review

Veterans Treatment Courts:

• ABA Policy on Veterans Treatment Courts
• Veterans Courts
• NCALJ Veterans Treatment Courts
• National Association of Drug Court Professionals

And a whole lot more. If you're an attorney (or other legal professional) looking to do your part in service to those who served, jump over to CCVBS and find something to do!

The Veterans Opportunity to Work Act (The VOW Act)

This, from the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, gives important information on a program that advocates could support. Jobs can solve a lot of problems!

THERE ARE AN ALARMING number of unemployed veterans in the United States – over 1 million today. As Iraq and Afghanistan veterans come home, and as Vietnam, Cold War, and Persian Gulf War veterans can’t find or lose their jobs, the economy is losing some of its best and brightest leaders and workers.
The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is committed to helping the men and women who have served our nation and protected our Liberty compete in today’s austere economic climate through comprehensive legislation that provides a 360 solution to veteran unemployment.
Introducing the Veteran Opportunity to Work Act of 2011 (H.R. 2433). VOW to act today!

The Veteran Opportunity to Work Act of 2011

• Read the bill (H.R. 2433)
• Miller Introduces Milestone Veteran Employment Legislation
• Miller Introduces Tax Incentive to Hire Veterans
• Getting Veterans Back to Work -- Op-Ed by Chairman Jeff Miller, National Review
      Online.
• Send us your comments and thoughts on #HVAC #VOWact at
     Twitter @HouseVetAffairs.
• What others are saying about the VOW Act.
• VOW Act Media

VOW to Act

Veterans Out of Work

• Vietnam Era Veterans: 236,000
• Cold War Era Veterans: 258,000
• Persian Gulf War Era Veterans: 182,000
• Iraq and Afghanistan Era Veterans: 192,000

A Preview of the VOW Act

What is the VOW Act?

The Transition Assistance Program (TAP)
TAP provides servicemembers who are about to be discharged with job seeking skills such as resume writing to help their transition to the civilian world. But are these programs working? The VOW Act enhances TAP to ensure it is effective, measures success, and requires an ongoing review of the program to strengthen it for the 21st century. In addition, the VOW Act will make attendance at TAP classes mandatory for all servicemembers.
Education & Training
Through the Post-9/11 GI Bill more veterans are getting a secondary education than ever before. Forty-eight percent of veterans using education benefits are enrolled in 4-year colleges and universities, 33 percent are enrolled in two-year colleges, 8 percent are enrolled in graduate school, and 11 percent are enrolled in an on-the-job training program or apprenticeship. We have laid the foundation to have the most robust, qualified veteran workforce since World War II.
The VOW Act will also enable 100,000 unemployed veterans of past eras to receive up to 1-year of Montgomery GI Bill benefits. This opportunity will allow veterans to acquire the skills to find employment in today’s jobmarket.
In addition, to give state governors maximum flexibility in the funds they receive to help veterans find jobs, the VOW Act will give governors the option of using up to 25% of the funding for direct training services for veterans.
National Guard & Reserve
The VOW Act honors the service of our National Guard and Reserve – 14% of whom are currently unemployed. When they left their job to serve their nation, their employer, by law, must reemploy them upon return. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. The VOW Act strengthens the protections provided by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).
Licensing & Certification
Despite America’s military having some of the best-trained professionals, the inability to be credentialed or licensed in their field prevents these men and women from obtaining meaningful and gainful employment that makes use of their military training. These professions include, but are not limited to, combat medics, truck drivers, and aircraft technicians.
The VOW Act will work with the Department of Labor and the states to identify roadblocks to obtaining employment.
Members of Congress are encouraged co-sponsor the VOW Act.  Please contact Jon Clark at (202) 225-3527 for more information.

What Others are Saying About the Vow Act

American Legion (letter dated August 3, 2011) Disabled American Veterans (letter dated July 15, 2011) Fleet Reserve Association (letter dated September 7, 2011) Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (letter dated July 18, 2011), plus IAVA Announces Support for Chairman Miller’s Jobs Legislation for Vets Military Officers Association of America (letter dated July 14, 2011) Military Order of the Purple Heart (letter dated July 11, 2011) National Association for Uniformed Services (letter dated August 15, 2011) National Association of Realtors (letter dated July 21, 2011) Paralyzed Veterans of America (letter dated July 19, 2011 ), plus Paralyzed Veterans on Capitol Hill The MIlitary Coalition (letter dated August 3, 2011) Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, (letter dated August 1, 2011 Vets1First (letter dated July 13, 2011)

More:
http://veterans.house.gov/jobs

Texas Legal Services Center’s Veterans’ Legal Assistance Project - CLE programs!

Advocates Serving Veterans is a service offered as a part of Texas Legal Services Center’s  Veterans’ Legal Assistance Project. The series will include several FREE 1 hour teleconference CLEs on a variety of topics of interest to Volunteer and Legal Services attorney serving low income veterans. 

Although they may have a Texas flare, these CLE are free to Legal Services Attorneys anywhere who are seeking to serve veterans, or to Pro Bono Attorneys serving veterans through a non-profit group or LSC organizations. 

Currently scheduled CLEs include:

• July 11, 2011 12:00-1:00 CST- Family law, including child support
• July 25, 2011 12:00-1:00 CST- Unemployment Insurance
• August 8, 2011 12:00-1:00 CST- Expunctions
• August 22, 2011, 12:00-1:00 CST- Consumer Utility Rights

 Attorneys interested in attending telephone CLE programs should contact the TLSC Veterans Legal Assistance Project at 1-512-637-5417 for dial-in codes and more information. 

More Topics and Dates Will Be Forthcoming!

More information:

http://lonestarlegalaid4veterans.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/advocates-serving-veterans-free-cle-series/

About Lone Star Lawyers for Lone Star Veterans

LSLA honors Texas veterans and service members by prioritizing their unique civil legal needs through our initiative, “Lone Star Lawyers for Lone Star Veterans”. We engage LSLA staff, community partners and pro bono attorneys to provide free legal services, advocacy and education to veterans and service members. LSLA is the fourth largest legal service organization in United States; we provide free civil legal services to low income individuals and families who have immediate civil legal needs but cannot afford an attorney. LSLA offers a broad range of free civil legal services to qualifying individuals, including family matters, child advocacy, education and civil rights, public benefits, health care access, consumer issues, home ownership, tenants’ rights, employment, estate planning, probate matters and disaster relief. LSLA serves one-third of Texas, its service area spans 76 counties throughout Texas and Arkansas and includes Fort Hood, Houston and Waco, regions which have high concentrations of veterans and military families.

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Additional free continuing legal education programs in support of veterans are listed at http://4freecle.blogspot.com/search/label/veterans

Advocate Training (Free!)

If you're interested in advocating for veterans, get free training from the National Veterans Legal Service Program. From its website:

"From the very beginning, one of NVLSP’s primary missions has been to train advocates in veterans law so that they can efficiently help veterans secure benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

During the last 26 years, we have conducted training programs for groups of non-attorney advocates as well as groups of attorneys.

On a continuing basis, NVLSP trains service officers from major service organizations – The American Legion, The Military Order of the Purple Heart and Vietnam Veterans of America. We have also developed and conducted training programs for other groups of non-attorneys in a wide variety of organizations including The National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs, The National Association of County Veterans Service Officers, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, AMVETS, and state and county departments of veterans affairs.

Additionally, NVLSP regularly trains attorneys as part of the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program. We have also developed and conducted training programs for attorneys in organizations including The Legal Services Corporation, The National Legal Aid and Defender Association, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and state bar associations.

In-Person Training Sessions

Whether you are seeking training for non-attorney advocates or attorneys, we will work with you to customize a training program that meets the needs of your organization. We are available to conduct one-day to four-day training sessions.

For further information or to schedule training, please contact Ronald B. Abrams, Esq. at ron_abrams@nvlsp.org

Correspondence Courses Also Available

If you don't require in-person training, consider NVLSP's Correspondence Advocate Training Programs."

Getting some of this free training should be a no-brainer. Hosting such a program can be a way to buildup your local bar association or group of law firms while improving your capacity to serve this underserved population. Check it out!

GI Bill to Create Lawyers?

One way to improve legal services to servicemembers, veterans and their families is to turn some of them into legal professionals. The post-WW2 GI Bill was notable in this regard.

As for today's GI Bill, the Department of Veterans Affairs GI Bill Website implies, on its Welcome page, that GI Bill benefits can be applied to law school, and similar programs, e.g. paralegal and legal secretary.

A Law School would appear to qualify as an "Advanced Degree". To the extent that law school tuition exceeds the "highest in-state undergraduate tuition rate", addition aid may be available through the "Yellow Ribbon" program.

Most excitingly, GI Bill may be available to support Law Clerking programs such as WSBA's Rule 6 Law Clerking Program as a form of "On-the-Job or Apprenticeship Training". The VA gives as examples of this type of training "Union Plumber, Hotel Management and Firefighter"; Law Clerking is unarguably similar in form. VA reimburses the veterans at a fraction of the full time GI Bill rate, starting at 75% of the full-time GI Bill rate for the 1st six months and falling to 35% of the full-time GI Bill rate for the remainder of the training program, and also provides that the student may also receive a salary from your employer. That latter provision may make law clerking, currently a necessarily low-paying gig, practical for more veterans. The hang-up would be finding law firms or other organizations (e.g. government departments) willing to take on a clerk; however perhaps the current economic difficulties can make clerks a value proposition all around.

Some or all of these benefits may be transferrable to qualified spouses. This may be an economical and efficient way to serve the veteran community.

An organized effort to turn some of our veterans into legal professionals will pay big dividends. But how to start?

Local Government: Sometimes an Alternative for Veterans

Across our nation, cities, counties and states offer important alternatives to veterans seeking help. While there are never any guarantees, these can provide alternatives when our great nation falls short.

Often, these benefits have been created after a servicemember has separated from service, and so may not have thought to check to see what's available. Here's a few examples of typical services; of course, you'll want to check your own community or that of your clients to see what's available:

Massachuetts

"An increasing number of military veterans are applying for benefits from local cities because they have lost their jobs in the poor economy, according to veterans' agents.

Beverly is expected to spend nearly three times its budget for veterans benefits, while Salem will spend almost twice as much, the agents in those communities say.

"Instead of going to welfare, they're coming to us," Salem Veterans' Agent Jean-Guy Martineau said.

Low-income veterans can apply for public assistance benefits under state law. The benefits are paid by their home city or town and are then reimbursed by the state at a rate of up to 75 percent ..."

Martineau said veterans from the Vietnam War era have been particularly hard hit by the economy because they are considered too old to hire by some employers but are not old enough to qualify for Social Security.

"These are the veterans that are caught in the middle," he said."

See"Veterans hit by poor job market" by Paul Leighton, Salem News, November 24, 2008

Michigan (Macomb County)

BENEFITS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE COUNTY OF MACOMB:

• Veterans Transportation to VA Medical Center in Detroit ( Wednesday & Thursday only)
• Certified copies of Military Discharge papers
• Military Discharge papers recording
• Request for Service Medals / Ribbons / Service Medical Records / Service Records
• Also some services for dependents and survivors

SEE MORE: http://www.macombcountymi.gov/veterans/benefits.htm

Oregon

Oregon Benefits

• Auto License: Disabled Veteran license plate - permanent, lifetime, for certain disabled veterans. A one-time fee is charged to help support the Oregon Veterans home in the Dalles.
• Conservatorship: Estate management for certain veterans and dependents who are no longer able to manage their own finances.
• Employment: Assistance in job search and employment programs through State employment Office Local Veteran Employment Representative and Disabled Veteran Outreach Program Coordinator.
• Game Licenses: Permanent hunting and fishing licenses to veterans with 25% or more disability.
• Property Tax Exemption: Partial exemptions from property tax for veterans with disabilities of 40% or more.
• Public Employment: Veterans' preference in public employment. Additional preference for disabled veterans.
• Records: Help in obtaining copies of public records of marriage, death, divorce, and birth, for claims purposes.
• Re-employment Rights: Entitlement to reinstatement in former job, seniority and pay with accrued status upon release from service. Enforced under Federal statutes.
• State Educational Aid: Up to $50 per month to qualified Oregon veterans.
• State Veterans Home Loans: (Toll Free 1-888-ORE-VETS (673-8387))
  Low interest loans for the purchase of single family, owner-occupied residence to qualified veterans with service prior to 1977.
• State Veterans Home: The Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs has established a Nursing Home in the Dalles for Oregon Veterans in need of fulltime skilled nursing care.

MORE INFO: http://www.co.washington.or.us/DEPTMTS/aging/vetben.htm

Washington State (King County)

Veterans' Incarcerated Project (V.I.P.):V.I.P. is a "fast track" effort to help Veterans recently released from, or currently incarcerated within the King County Correctional Facility system. A full array of on-site and referral sources are available including services for family members.
Services Available
Upon the incarcerated veteran's release, the V.I.P. might provide transitional housing for up to 30 days, possibly longer if needed. This arrangement usually provides one meal each day, and, in most cases an immediate address for release.

Also, the V.I.P. will provide referrals for low cost or no cost medical, dental, vision, and mental health treatments. If the Veteran needs clothing, the V.I.P. will refer the Veteran to appropriate sources of free or low cost clothing.

The V.I.P. will assist the Veteran with registration for the VA Addictions Treatment Program, which might be required by the Court. Also, the V.I.P. will refer the Veteran for a no cost Post Traumatic Stress Disorder screening and evaluation. The V.I.P. will help the Veteran register with King County Veterans' Program employment counselors and the job referral program.
MORE INFORMATION: http://www.metrokc.gov/DCHS/CSD/veteran/JailProject.htm

Your locality's offering may vary, but it's worth checking out!

Service-Disabled Veterans Small Businesses and Federal Contracting

Section 15(g) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 644(g)) provides that the President must establish a goal of not less than 3 percent for participation by service-disabled veteran businesses in Federal contracting. To implement that goal, Executive Order 13360 (October 20, 2004) ordains a number of initiatives.

One of the results is the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA)'s 21 Gun Salute initiative. Its official purpose is to help provide more opportunities in federal contracting for Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSBs) with the goal of allocating at least 3 percent, or $143 million, in GSA contract dollars to service-disabled veteran businesses in 2008. Per GSA # 10459 (March 3, 2008)

"GSA's local Small Business Utilization offices are available to assist service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses throughout the contracting process. Veteran business owners interested in working with GSA should contact the Small Business Utilization office for assistance."

Attorneys advising small businesses in a variety of capacities, or who are in small businesses themselves, might wish to check this out further.

Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) Training

Per National Coalition for Homeless Veterans:

"HUD's webcast from May 8, 2008 "Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Training" is available online through HUD's website. The webcast was 1 hour 30 minutes long, and you can access it by clicking here.

To view HUD's page on HUD-VASH which includes information on the program, materials for the webcast, and a link to the original Federal Register notice of operating requirements, click here.

Corrections to the original notice in the Federal Register were published on May 19. You can view the notice with corrections here."