LSC Board Chair John G. Levi Releases Veterans Day Statement

WASHINGTON - LSC Board of Directors Chair John G. Levi released the following statement in observance of Veterans Day:

Each year on this special day, Americans express our profound gratitude to the men and women who have valiantly served our country - our nation's veterans.

At LSC, we too take the opportunity to thank our veterans, and particularly as we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of our country, we strongly reaffirm our commitment to improving veterans' lives by working to ensure their access to our civil justice system all across the country.

LSC-funded organizations across our country served over 44,000 low-income veterans and their families in 2024, and they have assisted over 350,000 veteran households over the past decade.

Last month, a letter to Congress, authored by a group of distinguished veterans who have become leaders in their communities and advocates working to support other military members who have returned to civilian life, powerfully explained that civil legal aid is a critical partner in the shared mission of serving veterans and upholding the promises made to the brave men and women who have served our country.

"Every day, legal challenges prevent veterans from accessing the benefits, housing, healthcare, and stability they've earned through service," they wrote. "For many, these barriers are overwhelming- especially for those who are homeless, coping with a physical disability or mental illness, or reentering civilian life without support. That's where civil legal aid plays an essential role."

One great example of an LSC-funded organization working to support veterans' wellbeing is Pine Tree Legal Assistance's (PTLA) medical-legal partnership with Togus VA Medical Center in Maine.

Togus, the nation's oldest VA hospital, and several VA outpatient clinics all across the state work with PTLA attorneys to provide assistance to Maine's vulnerable veterans. For nearly a decade, this extraordinary partnership has enabled healthcare professionals to refer patients to attorneys when the patient's screening reveals that they have a civil legal issue. Without this entry point through the medical system, many rural veterans would not know that there are legal services available to help them-instead, they would have suffered in silence.

LSC's most recent Justice Gap survey found that veteran households did not receive any or enough legal help for 84% of their substantial civil legal problems. The types of legal issues that low-income veterans often face include housing security, healthcare access, income stability, employment barriers and military discharge upgrades.

It is unacceptable that our nation would allow any veteran, let alone tens of thousands, to suffer from an inability to access justice when they have dedicated so much to our country and deserve to benefit from its core founding principles.

As the veterans' letter to Congress concluded: "We believe strongly that supporting civil legal aid is an act of patriotism-one that honors service with action, and sacrifice with support."

This Veterans Day, as our nation is on the threshold of the 250th anniversary of its founding, LSC stands with all of America's veterans, and we will redouble our dedication to securing the promise of justice for all of those who have served our country.