VETERANS LEGAL SERVICES
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Mission Statement
Veterans Legal Services helps Massachusetts veterans overcome adversity by providing free civil legal aid that honors their service, promotes well-being, and responds to their distinctive needs.
About This Cause
VLS’s mission is to help Massachusetts veterans overcome adversity by providing free civil legal aid that honors their service, promotes well-being, and responds to their distinctive needs. A 2022 Department of Veterans Affairs survey found that nine of the top ten unmet needs of veterans experiencing homelessness are legal needs. And, after 20 years of collecting this data, the VA stated, “[U]nmet needs are primarily services that VA cannot provide directly. This underscores the importance of collaboration to meet the needs of homeless Veterans to successfully end Veteran homelessness.” (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, October 2023, Project CHALENG.) According to the Legal Services Corporation, approximately 70% of veteran households face at least one civil legal challenge per year. Of those households, 21% face six or more legal challenges annually. Civil legal aid is a proven remedy to this problem. At the core of the VLS service delivery model is the belief that legal services should be accessible for veterans—the services should be delivered at a place that is convenient and comfortable for the veteran, and ideally at a location where the veteran is already accessing other services, surrounded by supports. This promotes engagement by the veteran, reduces possible anxiety related to the need to go to a law firm’s office, and fosters collaboration among the service providers—all with the goal of improved well-being for the veteran. As such, VLS provides its services at partner sites and has added three clinic sites over the last two years. Partner sites include the New England Center and Home for Veterans (a shelter and supportive services provider for veterans in Boston); the Bedford VA Healthcare System (clinic located in Bedford); the Boston VA Healthcare System (clinic located in Brockton); Volunteers of America, in Quincy; Veterans Northeast Outreach Center, in Haverhill with a satellite location in Hyannis; Massachusetts Veterans Home at Chelsea (a state-run nursing home and residential program for veterans); and the Norfolk County Veterans Treatment Court (a jail diversion court program in Dedham where VLS provides complementary civil legal support to participants). VLS serves veterans in Massachusetts and it hosts recurring clinics in Suffolk, Middlesex, Norfolk, Essex, and Plymouth counties. VLS prioritizes cases in which the veteran would otherwise go without assistance, where representation is likely to have a significant impact, and where VLS's expertise in veterans' matters is needed. VLS has a Case Prioritization Policy. To be eligible for services, veterans must be economically disadvantaged (with the exception of the Department of Veterans Affairs Legal Services for Veterans grant, which requires no income cap for veterans experiencing or facing homelessness). Income eligibility is an annual gross household income of up to 300% of the federal poverty level (as of 2024: $45,180 for an individual and $93,600 for a household of four). A significant percentage of VLS's clients are also from historically excluded populations. Approximately one quarter of VLS clients identify as Black/African American and Latinx, even though only 7% of Massachusetts veterans are people of color. Approximately 14% of clients are women even though women make up only 6% of all veterans in Massachusetts. And while about 20% of Massachusetts veterans have a service-connected disability, more than 56% of VLS clients have a diagnosed disability.