LSC’s Veterans Task Force: Putting It All Together - Coordinated Services Improve Outcomes

LSC's Veterans Task Force is working to increase access to justice for veterans. Monday’s field hearing explored how legal aid can remove barriers to veterans’ well-being and financial stability.

Civil legal assistance for veterans is of vital importance. LSC’s 2017 Justice Gap Report found that 71% of low-income households with veterans or other military personnel had experienced a civil legal problem within the past year. The most recent U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs annual survey of homeless veterans found that four of their top twelve unmet needs involve legal assistance. An additional four of the highest unmet needs frequently have a legal component.

For veterans struggling with foreclosures, evictions, wrongful denials of benefits and other problems, local legal aid offices act as a critical gateway for help. Nearly 1.7 million veterans are eligible for LSC-funded legal aid.

The first panel, "Putting It All Together: How Coordinated Services Improve Outcomes for Veterans Experiencing Challenges," will examine how the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center and the VA Connecticut’s Errera Community Care Center effectively partner to improve outcomes for veterans receiving treatment. The panelists include Debbie Deegan, Director, Errera Community Care Center Firm, VA Connecticut Healthcare System; Darren Pruslow, Supervising Attorney, Connecticut Veterans Legal Center; and Dr. David Rosenthal, Medical Director of the Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team, VA Connecticut and Assistant Professor of General Internal Medicine, Yale Medical School. LSC President Ronald S. Flagg will moderate the discussion and DLA Piper Partner Jim Brogran will introduce the panelists.

LSC’s Veterans Task Force: Putting It All Together - Coordinated Services Improve Outcomes
LSC's Veterans Task Force is working to increase access to justice for veterans. Monday’s field hearing explored how legal aid can remove barriers to veterans’ well-being and financial stability.

Civil legal assistance for veterans is of vital importance. LSC’s 2017 Justice Gap Report found that 71% of low-income households with veterans or other military personnel had experienced a civil legal problem within the past year. The most recent U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs annual survey of homeless veterans found that four of their top twelve unmet needs involve legal assistance. An additional four of the highest unmet needs frequently have a legal component.

For veterans struggling with foreclosures, evictions, wrongful denials of benefits and other problems, local legal aid offices act as a critical gateway for help. Nearly 1.7 million veterans are eligible for LSC-funded legal aid.

The first panel, "Putting It All Together: How Coordinated Services Improve Outcomes for Veterans Experiencing Challenges," will examine how the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center and the VA Connecticut’s Errera Community Care Center effectively partner to improve outcomes for veterans receiving treatment. The panelists include Debbie Deegan, Director, Errera Community Care Center Firm, VA Connecticut Healthcare System; Darren Pruslow, Supervising Attorney, Connecticut Veterans Legal Center; and Dr. David Rosenthal, Medical Director of the Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team, VA Connecticut and Assistant Professor of General Internal Medicine, Yale Medical School. LSC President Ronald S. Flagg will moderate the discussion and DLA Piper Partner Jim Brogran will introduce the panelists.