Yale Law School Launches Veterans Clinic
Students Help Veterans Navigate VA system
By Lucy Nalpathanchil - WNPR
Published: Dec 23, 2010
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Courtesy of Flickr CC, By JPellgen
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Yale Law School Launches Veterans Clinic
Yale Law School has a new veterans clinic to address the needs of Connecticut servicemen and women.
The Veterans Legal Services Clinic started up in the fall and already, Yale student interns are working on lawsuits to help connect injured veterans with the benefits they have earned.
Last week, the clinic filed two lawsuits against the U.S Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration. Both suits are seeking records on how the federal government has handled disability claims from veterans who've been classified as having personality disorders as well as servicewomen and men who've suffered from miltitary sexual trauma.
Michael Wishnie, a Professor at Yale Law School, says Connecticut has an estimated 250,000 veterans. He says many of them find themselves needing legal representation.
"Many veterans who have been genuinely injured in service to this country who return as wounded warriors are rejected in their claims for medical care or benefits by the VA and wrongfully so based on antiquated procedures, based on poor adjudications, based on significant delays and processing within the system. And so one area that we have begun to be involved in and stay involved in is VA benefits."
The veterans clinic is among only a handful in the country and the only one at a New England law school.
Currently only eight law students are participating in the clinic but Wishnie anticipates the clinic will be able to expand come Spring as more students are admitted. He says their work will hopefully bring awareness to the needs of veterans nationwide who are now returning from service.
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I have to agree with what Dennis said. He is quite right about that.
Maybe they should also start
Maybe they should also start an educational technology masters degree for veterans. I'm sure that some people would appreciate that very much. There are lots of veterans who want to have higher education. I hope you find my advice useful.
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