CVLC News

CVLC’s Director of Discharge Upgrades, Attorney Margaret Kuzma, published an op-ed on Military Times on the pressing issue of veterans being turned away from VA healthcare. While veteran suicide rates soar, the VA turning eligible veterans away from care.    “According to a new report from the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School (LSC),… Continue Reading To help stem the tide of veteran suicides, VA must stop turning away patients

Attorney Jessica Butcaris–an Associate in Wiggin & Dana LLC’s Litigation Department and co-chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee –began volunteering for the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center in 2017. Since then, she has assisted veteran clients on a variety of issues, including eviction. Most recently, Attorney Butcaris helped veteran, Mr. M.D., obtain his security deposit… Continue Reading Pro Bono Spotlight: Attorney Jessica Butcaris

Members of Congress nominate women to the military service academies at dramatically different rates, according to a new report that the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School drafted on behalf of CVLC. Using nearly twenty-five years of nominations data obtained from the admissions offices at the U.S. Military Academy (USMA West Point), the… Continue Reading CVLC Releases Report on Gender Discrimination in Nominations to Military Service Academies

Last Friday, as a result of a law suit brought by Protect our Defenders and the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center, a U.S. District Court in Connecticut ordered the government to disclose key documents relating to bias within the military justice system. The litigation revolved around the release of records relating to gender and racial disparities… Continue Reading Federal Court Orders DOD to Turn Over Key Documents Regarding Military Sexual Assault

Red Sox Foundation named The Connecticut Veterans Legal Center as one of the five finalists in Connecticut eligible to win the $10,000 IMPACT Award grant this year! The IMPACT Awards provide Red Sox fans in the surrounding New England states with the opportunity to support their favorite nonprofits by casting a vote! Organizations with the… Continue Reading HELP THE CONNECTICUT VETERANS LEGAL CENTER WIN the $10,000 RED SOX FOUNDATION IMPACT AWARD

The Honor Our Commitment Act ensures that veterans with other-than-honorable discharges who served in combat or survived military sexual trauma get the mental health care they need. We were proud to stand with Senator Chris Murphy and other veteran advocates to call on the VA to fully implement the law.  

Nothing could make us happier than to see the VA reconsider Peter Antioho’s case. Peter was repeatedly exposed to toxic chemicals in burn pits while serving in Afghanistan and has since developed cancer. Initially, the VA denied him disability claims, arguing that his service and his sickness were unrelated. Through the determination of Peter and… Continue Reading After Denials, CVLC Client Exposed To Toxic Burn Pit Smoke Gets His Disability Benefits

Halloran Sage, a Connecticut law firm, was recognized by the Hartford County Bar Association for their attorneys’ efforts in assisting 49 veterans last year through an ongoing partnership with the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center. Read the entire story by David Owens (originally published in the Hartford Courant May 27, 2019) https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-veterans-legal-assistance-20190527-y6erkabfzzd2vetv67zu4va5e4-story.html?fbclid=IwAR2cSBFXfIOgxR_Yrlu55f_vR9MXmbL5UHpc4Agon0Fm18gtKSgoKqJgK9k

Some members of Congress, including Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT)—the lead sponsor of the legislation—are criticizing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for not doing enough to implement a 2018 law that they supported that increases access to mental health care for veterans. Sen. Chris Murphy  was the lead sponsor of the legislation. Read the entire… Continue Reading CVLC speaks out about the VA’s mishandling of veterans’ health care

Darren Pruslow, CVLC Supervising Attorney, began his testimony to the Connecticut General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Judiciary with a strong message, “We oppose the proposed changes to Summary Process because of the dire consequences these changes would have for our clients.” In CVLC’s view, this proposed law destroys the balance in what is already an unequal… Continue Reading CVLC Testifies on Possible Impact of HB 7289 on Veterans