CVLC News

As funding dries up, a flood of legal needs is beginning to build, and it will soon spill over into Connecticut courts. By Liam Brennan, CVLC Executive Director As COVID-19 patients begin to fill the beds of hospitals, Connecticut’s courts—like most professions in the state—have gone silent. But a legal storm is brewing in the… Continue Reading A Gathering Storm Threatens the Future of Legal Aid

Too many servicewomen and men who protect our country return to civilian life only to find they lack protection—or even access to basic care—for their service injuries. An alarming number of veterans struggle with PTSD, addiction, depression, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other invisible wounds. More than 272,000 post‐9/11 veterans have received less than honorable… Continue Reading American Bar Endowment (ABE) grant will help expand Veteran Law training materials nationally 

CVLC proudly nominated Attorney Mark Healey for The Honorable Anthony V. DeMayo Pro Bono Award for his outstanding commitment to serving CT veterans. When clients are at risk for homelessness, keeping them housed is often key to keeping them in recovery. To keep clients housed, we often need compassionate and zealous attorneys to represent them… Continue Reading CVLC Pro Bono Attorney wins The Honorable Anthony V. DeMayo Pro Bono Award

Senate leaders take action in response to the recent report published by the Legal Services Center (LSC) at Harvard University. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined by Senators Jon Tester (D-MT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Kamala Harris (D-CA) sent a letter to Department of Veterans’ Affair (VA) Secretary Robert… Continue Reading Senate demands that the VA allow veterans with bad paper to apply for healthcare

CVLC participated in a national report with our partners at the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School (LSC). One of our veteran clients is featured in a national report about the Veterans Administration’s (VA) improper denying access to veterans. The VA employs VA’s complex, and often arbitrary, line-drawing between veterans eligible for the VA,… Continue Reading Newly-Obtained Data: Veterans Administration Turning Away Veterans Who Should Receive Benefits

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