George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School

COVID-19 and the Department of Defense: Response, Pushback, and New Policy

Written By Spring 2024 M-VETS Student Advisor Nicholas J. Bishop.

In response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, on 21 August 2021, the Secretary of Defense issued a memorandum directing senior Pentagon leadership, commanders of the combat commands, and defense agency and Department of Defense field activity directors to take necessary steps to ensure the immunization of all servicemembers against the COVID-19 virus. Read more

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

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

Establishing A Drug Treatment Court

Written by Fall 2023 M-VETS Student Advisor Dylan Sparks.

Introduction:

Combatting drug addiction calls for a collaborative partnership between the criminal justice system and substance abuse treatment programs. Establishing a drug treatment court is a great way for a community to establish such a partnership, and this article will explain the benefits that drug treatment courts bring and detail the steps a community should take to establish one. Read more