By Linda Tran, Summer 2013 CLASV Student Advisor When the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) became effective in 1996, it prevented the federal government from recognizing the legal marriages of same-sex couples for the purpose of federal laws or programs.[1]  Same-sex spouses were denied federal benefits such as Social Security, veterans’ benefits, health insurance, and … Continue reading “Down Goes DOMA: The Affect on the U.S. Military”

By J. Justin Collins, CLASV AmeriCorps Summer 13 Fellow & Student Advisor Since 2001, approximately 2.2 Million servicemen and women have deployed overseas in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (“OEF”) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (“OIF”). [i]  Of these deployed servicemembers, 36.7% took small arms fire, 48% killed an enemy combatant, 51% handled human remains, 28% were … Continue reading “Veterans’ Courts: A Judicial Model for Treating the Invisible Wounds of War”

By Eric Cheung, Summer 2013 CLASV Student Advisor Wouldn’t you agree that our Armed Forces should accept any individual who is well-educated, has no criminal past, and most importantly, is ready and willing to serve our country?  In fact, this is not the case for undocumented immigrants.  The United States Armed Forces will not allow an … Continue reading “The DREAM Act–Allowed to Serve?”

By Alyssa Digiacinto, GMUSL ’13, CLASV Spring 2013 Student Advisor Instituting a legal action can be unpleasant.  It can be even more so when you are unable to locate a necessary party. What if that party you are trying to locate is a servicemember? As you are aware, servicemembers lead very different lives than civilians … Continue reading “MIA: Locating Military Servicemembers”

 By Jessica O’Connell GMUSL ’13, CLASV Spring 2013 Student Advisor Military divorce cases involve a complex convergence of state and federal laws.  States vary in their interpretation and application of the federal laws governing veterans’ disability benefits and their use in divorce proceedings.  Last October, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to consider this issue, which … Continue reading “Are Disability Benefits Received in Lieu of Retirement Pay Divisible Marital Property?”

By:  John Austin Timberlake, CLASV Spring 2013 Student Advisor The prospect of filing for divorce and process itself can be difficult in any marriage, and there are many challenges that couples must face and issues that neither thought of going into it.  Military divorces have the potential to add further complications due to the unique … Continue reading “Preparing for the Unique Challenges of a Military Divorce”

By:  Rebecca Cohen, CLASV Spring 2013 Student Advisor As the war in Afghanistan continues into its twelve year, and forces from the Iraq War begin to draw down, a new focus has been put on the challenges that servicemembers now confront when they return home.  A major obstacle they must face relates to their mental … Continue reading “Taking the Stigma Away: Mental Health Treatment and its Implications for Obtaining Security Clearances”

By:  Linda Santiago, CLASV Spring 2013 Student Advisor Currently, one veteran commits suicide every 80 minutes.  Some estimates state that 150,000 Vietnam Veterans have committed suicide.  This is not a new problem, but rather an enduring one.  What can be done to address this epidemic? Authors from a recent Philly op-ed cite to statistics showing … Continue reading “Veteran Suicides”

By Krista Goelz, CLASV Student Spring 2013 Advisor In 2012, on average, 9.9% of veterans were unemployed, which is down from an all time high in 2011 of 12.1%. However, it is still much higher than the national unemployment average and equals approximately 205,000 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who are currently … Continue reading “Veteran Hiring Incentives On the Rise”