DVA AND CONNECTICUT VETERANS LEGAL CENTER SIGN AGREEMENT TO BRING LEGAL SERVICES TO VETERANS

Veteran Residents of the DVA will now have free legal services and sessions while staying at the campus (ROCKY HILL, CT) –Yesterday afternoon, Sean M. Connolly, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs and Margaret Middleton, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center, signed a memorandum of agreement establishing the assistance of a CVLC staff attorney one day per week, on-site at the DVA Rocky Hill campus. Veteran Residents will now have continuous access to counsel from a CVLC attorney on an individual basis for assistance and support. Additionally, the CVLC will conduct group outreach sessions based on the current need within the resident population spanning consumer debt, wills and estates, housing-related matters, and pardons or certificates of employability. Commissioner Connolly said, “Connecticut values its Veterans and service members and by signing this agreement with our partners at the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center, we continue the legacy of our state’s 150-plus year history of Serving Those Who Served. This partnership empowers our Veteran Residents and helps remove barriers on their path to achieving their goals and objectives for their best lives. This type of collaboration is key to getting to service excellence for Connecticut’s 200,000-plus Veterans. Veterans Always!” Atty. Middleton said, “We feel fortunate that the Commissioner and the Department are open to innovation. Being on-site in Rocky Hill will allow our attorneys to reach more Veterans with greater efficiency, while making the veterans’ experience of seeking legal advice less stressful.” About the DVA: The DVA has been in operation since 1864 and is the oldest and longest operating state Veterans home in the nation. The Department serves all of Connecticut’s Veterans and their eligible dependents with residential, healthcare, advocacy assistance and burial services from its main campus in Rocky Hill and three cemeteries located Darien, Rocky Hill and Middletown.

About CVLC: Connecticut Veterans Legal Center (CVLC) helps veterans recovering from homelessness and mental illness overcome legal barriers to housing, healthcare and income. Formed in 2009, CVLC was the first program in the United States to integrate legal services on-site at VA mental health facilities, process now known as medical-legal partnership. Through CVLC, hundreds of volunteer attorneys across Connecticut have donated millions of dollars’ worth of pro bono assistance. CVLC helps veterans resolve legal issues that destabilize their housing, employability, disability income, transportation, and family relationships.

Contact:

Emily E. Hein, Director of Communications, DVA

Emily.Hein@ct.gov | 860.616.3605 (o) | 860.977.8426 (m)

Facebook: CT Veterans Affairs | Twitter: @CTVetsAffairs | Instagram: ctvetsaffairs

Cara Cancelmo, Director of Communications, CVLC

(203) 204-3853 | ccancelmo@ctveteranslegal.org | www.ctveteranslegal.org