Brief: Assisting Veterans and service members with legal needs during VA transitions
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Given that many Veterans and service members who are transitioning back into civilian life often endure complex physical and mental health issues, these transitions often uncover access issues and social needs, some of which are legal in nature. For example, Veterans may face legal barriers with obtaining discharge upgrades or resolving child support disputes. Veterans and service members experiencing these legal challenges would benefit from an integrated medical-legal partnership (MLP), where they can receive legal assistance from a civil legal aid attorney, on-site at VA facilities. This document describes the need for legal services among Veterans and concrete ways that a VA Transition Care Management Program (TCM) can connect Veterans to legal assistance.