Local American Legion posts hopeful new law will boost membership ranks
Author: M-VETS
Mason’s Scalia Law School is mentioned for partnering with American Legion Post 139 to provide legal advice to veterans
Veterans Have a Secret Weapon to Deal with Homelessness: Land. A unique partnership will convert an old American Legion Post into affordable housing for veterans.
ARLINGTON, Va.—When Bob Romano was installed as commander of American Legion Post 139 in 2014, his family attended the ceremony. Read more
M-VETS Student-Advisor Blog Post Used As A Source By Military Times Article
A blog post written by a former Student-Advisor for the Mason Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic (M-VETS) was cited in a recent article by Kyle Rempfer in the Military Times titled, “Service academy graduates could see longer military obligations.”
The article discusses a review by the Senate Armed Services Committee regarding the mandatory service requirements for graduates of the U.S. Read more
M-VETS Wins $15,000.00 in Disability Compensation for Former Army Special Forces Group Non-Commissioned Officer
The Antonin Scalia Law School Mason Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic (“M-VETS”) secured Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) disability compensation for a former Army Special Forces Non-Commissioned officer (NCO) Engineer. M-VETS argued in a Notice of Disagreement (NOD) filed with the DVA the former Special Forces NCO was entitled to service connection and disability payments for injuries caused by military service. Read more
The Blue Ticket Discharge: A Color that has Stained the Lives of WWII-Era Veterans for Over 75 Years
Nelson Henry Jr. in his WWII uniform before his blue discharge in 1945.
Nelson Henry Jr. on April 25, 2019 contemplating his chances of prevailing at the ABCMR.
By Spring 2019 M-VETS Student-Advisor Rachel A. Petrik
Red, white, and blue are three powerfully symbolic colors. Read more
Procopio v. Wilkie: Finally a Win for Blue Water Vietnam Veterans?
By Spring 2019 M-VETS Student-Advisor Katie Stegmuller
Between 1961 and 1971, more than 20 million gallons of herbicides including Agent Orange were sprayed over Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.[1] The Agent Orange Act extends a presumption of service connection for disabilities that are positively associated with herbicide exposure to veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam Era. Read more
The Constitutionality of the Veterans’ Affairs Accountability Acts of 2014 and 2017: Reexamining Helman v. Department of Veterans Affairs and its Impact on Legislative Efforts to Hold Veterans’ Affairs Officials Accountable
By Spring 2019 M-VETS Student-Advisor
Problems within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and specifically, the Veterans Health Administration, have received ample amounts of media attention over the last two decades.[1] Following an investigation by the Office of the Inspector General into a scandal involving several senior executives at the Phoenix Veterans’ Affairs (“VA”) Hospital in 2014,[2] Congress passed the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act (“VACAA”). Read more
Marijuana Discharges: A Level Playing Field?
By Spring 2019 M-VETS Student-Advisor Todd Mihill
Marijuana laws and enforcement have become a hot topic for discussion in the lead up to the 2020 elections. Perhaps one of the most effected segments of the population is the US military. While this may seem confusing, allow me to provide an example. Read more
Stepparent Adoption
In March 2019, the Mason Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic successfully assisted an Army Officer in the adoption of the Officer’s two minor children by his current wife. M-VETS drafted all pleadings, orders, and affidavits necessary to complete the stepparent adoption as well as assisted the family in obtaining the required background check for the stepmother, now a mandatory requirement in Virginia stepparent adoptions. Read more
For-Profits: For Better or For Worse
Image credit:10 Online Bachelor’s Programs With the Most Veterans (last accessed May 7, 2019), https://www.usnews.com/education/online education/articles/2015/05/26/10-online-bachelors-programs-with-the-most-veterans.
By Spring 2019 M-VETS Student-Advisor Casey Hunt
The G.I. Bill was created to give veterans access to higher education and training as a way to help transition back to civilian life after they honorably served their country. Read more