On Saturday, October 26, 2013, Knoxville VA-accredited attorneys will volunteer to help veterans and their families understand federal disability compensation and pension benefits in a free legal clinic.

This free legal clinic is being coordinated as a partnership between the Knoxville Bar Association’s Barristers’ Access to Justice Committee, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, and the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. At the clinic, veterans and their family members will receive an overview of the programs that are available to them through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans and their families will then have the opportunity to consult with a local attorney, accredited to practice by the VA, about benefits that may be available to them. Additionally, veterans and their families will receive advice and guidance regarding the necessary forms and procedures required in the pursuance of a claim for VA disability and/or pension benefits.

Space is limited to the first 30 registrants. To reserve a spot at the clinic, veterans or their family members should call Legal Aid of East Tennessee at 865.637.0484. For more information about the clinic, contact Troy Weston at 865.544.2010.

What
Veterans Benefits Free Legal Clinic

When
Saturday, October 26, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.

Where
The John Tarleton Center, 2455 Sutherland Avenue, Knoxville, Tennessee 37919

To Register
Call Legal Aid of East Tennessee at 865.637.0484

Why there is a need for this clinic
There are approximately 23 million veterans living in the United States today. Of those 23 million, in 2010, there were 501,907 veterans living in Tennessee. And, while federal law creates an entitlement to disability and pension benefits for qualified veterans, the process of obtaining these benefits can be cumbersome and fraught with peril. Indeed, research indicates that the average time that it takes for the VA to process disability benefits claims is four and a half years, with some claims remaining pending for more than a decade.

Further, even though the VA spent approximately 2.5 billion dollars in Tennessee in 2009, there is still a backlog of cases that is expected to reach 2.5 million nationwide by 2015. Many of these cases are in Tennessee. Allowing east Tennessee veterans and their families to go without the benefits that they have fought and sacrificed for is an unacceptable outcome to the attorneys that are volunteering on October 26th.

It is the goal of the KBA Barristers’ Access to Justice Committee, Legal Aid of East Tennessee, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, and the volunteer attorneys participating in this clinic that the veterans that attend receive sound and usable advice and guidance that will arm them with sufficient tools and knowledge to successfully obtain disability and pension benefits.

About the sponsors
The KBA Barristers’ Access to Justice Committee’s mission is to facilitate and encourage young lawyers in their efforts (1) to ensure access to the justice system by all persons without regard to income; and (2) to provide direct pro bono service to low-income persons in our community through participation in various community initiatives.

The mission of Legal Aid of East Tennessee is to ensure equal justice for elderly, abused, and low income persons, providing a wide range of civil legal assistance and advocacy. LAET has been part of the community structure of East Tennessee for over 40 years, serving 26 counties from Chattanooga to Johnson City.

Project SALUTE of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law is on a unique mission: hit the highways to provide priceless legal advice to low income veterans for free and teach students the invaluable lesson of using the law to serve. The UDM students involved in Project SALUTE see in a very real way how the law can be used to assist persons in need. This training and experience inculcate in many students a desire to pursue lifelong pro bono service as part of their legal career.

Since February 2008, students, faculty and staff of Project SALUTE have traveled throughout Michigan and the country in two General Motors Corporation recreational vehicles custom designed and built to be Mobile Law Offices (MLOs). One generously donated by GM and the other by an anonymous donor. Project SALUTE’s MLOs have traveled more than 100,000 miles to 25 states. In this classroom-on-wheels, UDM School of Law students experience a higher level of hands-on training than any other law school currently offers. Along the way, Project SALUTE is also developing a national network of pro bono Attorneys to provide free legal services to the men and women who have served their country and now need assistance with their Federal Veterans’ Disability and Pension Benefits claim.