Project helps homeless veterans receive benefits
The Lawyers for Equal Justice has launched a new program called the Veterans Project. This program helps disabled veterans in Hawaii maneuver through the complex Veterans Administration process to obtain the benefits and services to which they are entitled, which include:
- rehabilitation for veterans with service related injuries
- educational assistance for veterans, their survivors and dependents
- loans for housing or small businesses
- transfer of some cash benefits to dependants, if a veteran receiving benefits becomes incarcerated
- job counseling, training and placement services
- compensation payments for service related disabilities
- medical care
- shelter and recovery programs
- disability compensation
- pensions
Hawaii is home to some 102,000 veterans, according to the VA. Many soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have suffered trauma and, while most veterans have successfully integrated back into society after discharge, others have not been so fortunate. Hawaii has seen an alarming increase in homeless. A recent national study found that approximately 25 percent of the homeless are veterans and that Hawaii has the fifth highest percentage of homeless veterans in the nation.
The benefits and services that veterans are entitled through the federally funded Veterans Administration are excellent tools for homeless veterans seeking to re-build their lives provided they are able to access them, according to The Lawyers for Equal Justice, a nonprofit led by Victor Geminiani. The VA’s benefits and services are accessible to homeless veterans only through a complicated and lengthy application and appeal process. Difficulties navigating the VA system are exacerbated by medical, mental health and substance abuse problems, and applications for benefits take an average of 177 days. Appeals, 56 percent of which have been successful, may take up to 2 additional years, the organization says.
The Veterans Project provides the comprehensive advocacy often necessary to assist many homeless veterans. If your clients include veterans please make sure your providers know about this program. For more information on the program, posters and brochures, contact The Lawyers for Equal Justice at (808) 587-7605 or visit their website at www.lejhawaii.org.
