Free Legal Representation for Those Who Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan War Zones

Veterans for Common Sense (VCS) was formed in August 2002 as a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization by war veterans who believe that we, the people of the United States of America, are most secure when our country is free, strong, and responsibly engaged with the world. Our mission, based on the pragmatic ideals of the American patriot Thomas Paine, is to raise the unique and powerful voices of veterans so that our military, veterans, freedom, and national security are protected and enhanced, for ourselves and for future generations.

"We owe a debt to all who served and when we repay that debt to those bravest Americans among us, then we are investing in our future."
~ Barack Obama, August 3, 2009

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VCS Adds "VCS on TV" News Clips to Web Site

Television News Coverage of VCS Advocacy

VCS now posts links to television news broadcasts featuring Veterans for Common Sense and our highly successful advocacy efforts on issues you care about.

Disabled Iraq War Veteran with Service Dog Beaten by McDonalds Employee

October 30, 2009, Brooklyn, New York (Courthouse News Service) - A disabled Army captain who was wounded in Iraq claims McDonald's employees beat him with garbage can lids after he brought his service dog to the restaurant. Luis Montalvan says the attack came as he was photographing the restaurant after he repeatedly complained about the treatment he received there.

Deployment at All Costs: Military Arrests Mom, Sends Child to Protective Serivces

Soldier mom refuses deployment to care for baby

November 16, 2009, Savannah, Georgia (Associated Press) – An Army cook and single mom may face criminal charges after she skipped her deployment flight to Afghanistan because, she said, no one was available to care for her infant son while she was overseas.

Fort Hood Fallout: Camp Lejeune Whistle-Blower Fired

A psychiatrist who tried to prevent Fort Hood-style violence among Marines about to "lose it" instead loses his job

November 16, 2009 (Salon) - Last April, two Marines at Camp Lejeune predicted to a psychiatrist that some Marine back from war was going to "lose it." Concerned, the psychiatrist asked what that meant. One of the Marines responded, "One of these guys is liable to come back with a loaded weapon and open fire."

New York Times Profiles VA and Secretary Shinseki

No Longer a Soldier, Shinseki Has a New Mission

November 11, 2009 (New York Times) - It was a sad homecoming of sorts. On Tuesday, Eric Shinseki, the secretary of veterans affairs, returned to Fort Hood, Tex., where he was a division commander in the mid-1990s, to pay tribute to two veterans affairs employees who died in the shootings there last week.

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Free Legal Representation for Those Who Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan War Zones

Written by Paul Sullivan

Monday, 22 June 2009 11:17

June 18, 2009, Washington, DC – Veterans for Common Sense proudly announces our new partnership with Lawyers Serving Warriors™ to help our VCS members who were deployed in the Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) war zones so they receive the military and VA disability benefits to which they are entitled.
Lawyers Serving Warriors™ is a special project of the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP). This project provides free legal representation to former and current active duty personnel who served in OIF or OEF through a national network of hundreds of lawyers. These lawyers are trained to represent those who deployed to the Iraq or Afghanistan war zones with:

•       Appealing a decision on a VA claim for disability or death benefits – for a veteran or a surviving spouse

•       Appealing a Physical Evaluation Board decision to discharge a service member with a disability rating below 30% -- an appeal which, if successful, would entitle the veteran to lifetime military disability retirement payments and free lifetime health care for the veteran and his or her family

•       Appealing a discharge from military service for a personality disorder

•       Representing active duty personnel before a military Medical Evaluation Board or Physical Evaluation Board

•       Filing a claim for Traumatic Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (TSGLI) or appealing denial of a TSGLI claim

To apply to Lawyers Serving Warriors™ for free legal representation in one of these five types of cases, go to LawyersServingWarriors.com and complete the form on the page. Please write “I am a member of VCS” as part of your response to the final question -- which is “Please describe your situation, including what you would like assistance with.”

After receiving this form, Lawyers Serving Warriors™ will send you full application materials and record release forms authorizing them to obtain your records from the military and/or the VA. Lawyers Serving Warriors™ will then obtain and analyze these records to determine whether one of its lawyers will be able to represent you. Lawyers Serving Warriors™ attempts, but cannot guarantee that it will be able to obtain a free lawyer to represent those who apply.

If you know of fellow veterans who deployed to the Iraq or Afghanistan war zones, please share this important message with them.

Veterans for Common Sense is honored to be partnered with the NVLSP, an outstanding organization assisting veterans for more than 25 years, www.nvlsp.org.