George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School

Your Veteran has Passed. What Next?

Written By Spring 2024 M-VETS Student Advisor Jacob Frankson.

The benefits given to servicemembers and veterans extends beyond just them and to their families as well. This includes even after they have passed away. But to the widow or the child of a veteran who has passed away, what benefits are they entitled to, and how do they go about attaining them? Read more

Army Announces Creation of the Army Exceptional Family Members Program, To Better Support Families With Special Needs

Written By Spring 2024 M-VETS Student Advisor Lucas Zelasko.

On March 28, 2024, the Army Secretary of the Army Chistine Wormuth announced the establishment of a central office for the Army Exceptional Family Members Program, in an attempt to improve the stationing process for families who have members with special medical or educational needs. Read more

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’s Fight Against the Opioid Epidemic and Non-opioid Treatment Alternatives for Servicemembers and Veterans.

Written By Spring 2024 M-VETS Student Advisor Andrew Yildizlar.

The Opioid Epidemic

The opioid epidemic has harmed the lives of far too many servicemembers, veterans, and their family members. Opioid synthetic drugs are pain relievers which, if used incorrectly at high doses, can slow breathing to the point of death. Read more

M-VETS Prevails and Secures Service-Connected Medical Separation for Army Veteran

The Mason Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic (M-VETS) successfully argued a claim before the Board for Correction of Military Records (BCMR) seeking a service-connected medical separation for a United States Army Reserve (USAR) veteran. M-VETS filed the claim on behalf of the veteran in 2021 and recently secured a service-connected medical separation, allowing the veteran to access long-overdue Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) housing benefits. Read more

M-VETS Student Advisor Blog Post Used As a Source by the Reentry Coordination Council in Their Report to Congress

(Pictured: Former Student Advisor Todd Mihill)

A blog post written by former student advisor Todd Mihill for the Mason Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic (“M-VETS”) was cited in a Report to Congress from the Reentry Coordination Council in April 2022. The Council members include the Attorney General for the U.S. Read more

M-VETS Prevails and Secures Honorable Discharge for Navy Veteran

(Pictured: Student Advisor Kyle Elzey)

The Mason Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic (M-VETS) successfully argued a claim before the Naval Discharge Review Board (NDRB) seeking a fully Honorable conditions discharge for a Navy veteran. M-VETS filed the claim on behalf of the veteran in 2023 and recently secured a fully Honorable discharge, allowing the veteran to access long-overdue educational benefits. Read more

Substance Use and Abuse: The War on Terror, Mental Healthcare, and the Problems Facing Our Troops

Written by Fall 2023 M-VETS Student Advisor Alden Campo.

Introduction:

Mental Healthcare for U.S. Servicemembers and Veterans who have experienced the War on Terror is wholly insufficient to deal with the traumas they have undergone in service of their nation. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (“PTSD”) is commonplace throughout the armed forces amongst personnel who have seen active-duty combat, and many Servicemembers and Veterans turn to Substance Use to cope with the traumas related to their service, often concurrently developing a Substance Use Disorder (“SUD”). Read more