Honor to the volunteer attorney who serves our veterans

“Honor to the Soldier, and Sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor also to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field, and serves, as he best can, the same cause. . . .”
~ Abraham Lincoln

Ninety-five years ago today, the first Armistice Day solemnly commemorated the end, a year earlier, of the First World War. Armistice Day was a hallowed observance of the world’s return to peace. Over time, Armistice Day in the United States became Veterans Day. So it is fitting that today we reflect on how elusive peace remains for many of our country’s military veterans. In an era of increasingly sophisticated warfare and medical care, more service members than ever survive the horrors of battle and return home. But the wounds of war often cut deeper than we can see and many veterans struggle to return to the life they knew before war. As a result, suicide now takes more veterans from us than any enemy in the field.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Veterans Affairs (VA) services can help. Roughly ten years after the first Armistice Day, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs was formed to help repay the debt we owe our veterans. Today the VA provides health care and compensation for service-related disabilities, including PTSD and related mental-health conditions. Veterans are generally eligible for compensation and care for disabilities incurred or aggravated during active military service. But long lines and dense red tape make securing monetary disability benefits an arduous process. The VA’s procedures are difficult to navigate, which frustrates and discourages those the system should help. And the backlog on disability claims means extended waits just to receive a VA benefits decision, a decision that too often is denied.  A benefits decision, which determines eligibility for VA services—and how much those services will cost—can take months, if not years. Many lose faith long before receiving the help they need.

Across the U.S., lawyers are stepping into the breach to help veterans receive the benefits they have earned. Countless firms—including DLA Piper, the global law firm we represent—have committed to serving those who have served our country. This commitment, which takes many forms, has begun to pervade the legal profession in recent years.

DLA Piper, in conjunction with the VA, has set up legal clinics staffed by volunteer lawyers at VA medical campuses. Veterans can also receive legal help at Stand Down, the nationwide events that bring comprehensive services to homeless veterans in a single, multiday venue. And volunteer lawyers frequently undertake to individually represent veterans whom they help in these clinical settings, often with the support of dedicated organizations like the National Veteran Legal Services Program.

These volunteer lawyers are often the key to a successful VA disability claim. For instance, claims for less readily apparent service-connected disabilities (like PTSD) may require thorough investigation and the submission of countless forms just to prove that the condition was caused during active duty. One false move can hobble a claim for years to come, but an experienced lawyer can deftly navigate these procedures. Other difficulties may arise where a veteran’s symptoms begin to manifest long after service has ended, as is often the case for veterans exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam.

The importance of lawyers in this setting is clear. Studies consistently find that claims processed with legal assistance are significantly more likely to succeed. Nearly as important, a lawyer’s help with a claim helps reassure the client. Vital disability benefits hinge on this process, and this puts enormous stress on claimants. Stress can compound the symptoms of PTSD, depression, and other mental-health conditions. The pressures of the process can thus worsen the veteran’s condition and make effectively navigating the bureaucratic labyrinth even more difficult.

Pro bono legal help is often the decisive factor in getting a veteran the benefits he or she has earned. We must keep faith with our veterans by ensuring that they do not fall through the cracks and into despair. How we care for those who have cared for us is as sure a sign of that faith as any. Lawyers are uniquely equipped to help many of these veterans, and the alarming rate of veteran suicide demands our immediate action. As lawyers and as citizens, we must do all we can for our veterans. For they have done all they could for us.

Happy Veterans Day.

Medlong and Gill are both U.S. Navy veterans, lawyers and associates at DLA Piper LLP.