Veterans Pro Se Clinic Primer

ABA-YLD Project Description

“Project Salute: Young Lawyers Serving Veterans” will educate veterans on theFederal Veterans Benefits they may be entitled to receive and assist them in completing VA forms to obtain those benefits. Each Project Salutepro se clinic will begin with a multi-media educational video presentation followed by individual consultations with volunteer ABA YLD attorneys to discuss case specific questions and assist the veteran in completing forms.

ABA YLD Affiliates leading a veterans pro se clinic in furtherance of “Project Salute: Young Lawyers Serving Veterans”and volunteer attorneys participating in the clinic should be guided by the following:

  1. Veterans Law Tool KitCabinet Index

Think of the “Veterans Law Tool Kit” (VLTK) as four separate filing cabinets in your office. Each cabinet in the VLTKcontains various drawers and folders with information necessary to coordinate a veterans pro se clinic and provide legal advice to veterans in pursuit of their federal benefits. To become familiar with the material contained in the VLTK, begin by carefully reviewing the document marked “Veterans Law Tool Kit Cabinet Index”.

Please be advised that the information in the VLTKis in no way intended to be a complete representation of every possible aspect of veterans’ law practicenor is it a substitution for your own independent legal research and analysis. It is intended as a starting point of reference to aid in your analysis and assistance of veterans seeking federal benefits. To that end, the material is drawn from multiple sources including Title 38of the U.S. Code, Title 38 of the Code of Federal Regulations, the U.S.Department of Veterans Affairs websiteand manuals, the 2010 Edition of the Veterans BenefitsManual(Edited by Stichman & Abrams and published by LexisNexis), the National Organization of Veterans Advocatesand the experienceofTammy M. Kudialis, Director of Project SALUTE at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law,in conducting free veterans law clinics and counseling veterans throughout the United States.

It is strongly recommended that affiliates obtain a copy of the Veterans Benefits Manualand have it available for use on the day of the clinic.

  1. Veterans Law Tool Kit—Cabinet A

Cabinet A contains the materials needed to plan and execute a successful Veterans Pro Se Clinic. The material is broken down by subject into drawers and folders.

Cabinet A

Drawer 1:Veterans Pro Se Clinic Primer(Folder 1-3)

Drawer 2:Outreach, Media & Resources(Folder 1-4)

Drawer 3:Presentation for Veterans

Drawer 4:Clinic Administrative Forms(Folder 1-3)

Drawer 5:How to Conduct an Initial Interview

Selection of Clinical Partners & Veteran Outreach. Local Legal Aid Agencies, community based veteran service providers, county and state veteran service offices, veteran service organizations and Homeless Veteran Stand Downs will serve as partnership locations for your pro se clinic.

  1. Legal aid organizations: Determine if your clinic will be conducted on a first come first serve basis or based on scheduled appointment times. Contact the organization and request space within the office to conduct pro se clinic interviews. Request the organization to contact their existing veteran base of clients regarding the opportunity for a free attorney consultation on veterans benefits. Consider contacting other local veteran service providers as well as local media to promote the clinic.
  1. All other service providers: Determine if your clinic will be conducted on a first come first serve basis or based on scheduled appointment times. Request space within the building to conduct pro se clinic interviews and present the provider with flyers to post and distribute throughout the community to notify veterans. Consider contacting other local veteran service providers as well as local media to promote the clinic.
  1. Homeless Veteran Stand Down: There are two primary resources for indentifying the location of a homeless veteran stand down:

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Contact the Stand Down coordinator to explain the project and obtain permission to participate. Determine the time that you will be on-site during the stand down to provide education and assistance to veterans. (Best accomplished through sharing a table with local legal aid office – typically space is not available at stand down for a formal presentation.) Consider contacting other local veteran service providers as well as local media to promote your presence at the stand down.

Basic Pro Se Clinic Format. Clinics in conjunction with the local Legal Aid Agencies, community based veteran service providers, county and state veteran service offices and veteran service organizations are advised to observe the following structure.

  1. Instruct each veteran to place their name, state the issue and record the time on your Sign-In Sheet.
  1. Advise veterans of the order in which they will be assisted.
  1. Conduct the presentation designed to educate veterans on the U.S. DVA, service connected and non service connected disability benefits and the administrative appellate process. [As noted above, space is not typically available at a Homeless Veteran Stand Downs for an educational presentation.]
  1. Conduct individual consultation with the veteran completing the short intake application.
  1. Prepare forms for the veteran as required; provide issue specific information and document a “Plan of Action” (Cabinet A, Drawer 4, Folder 3) for the veteran to assist the veteran in going forward and advocating on his or her own behalf. If desired, have volunteer attorneys copy the “Plan of Action” and staple to the intake form and forward to YLD clinic organizer.

ABA YLD Affiliate clinic organizer. If outcomes are desired,retain the sign-in sheet, the veteran intake application and a copy of the Plan of Action that the volunteer attorney prepared for the veteran.

  1. Veterans Law Tool Kit—Cabinet B through D

Cabinets B through D contain veterans’ law practice materialsbroken down by subject into drawers and folders.

Cabinet B

Drawer 1:Index to Common Issue Guides

Drawer 2:Common Issue Guides(Folder 1-33)

Drawer 3:Gulf War Veterans(Folder 1-3)

Drawer 4:Vietnam Veterans(Folder 1-2)

Drawer 5:Acronym Chart

Cabinet C

Drawer 1:Medical(Folder 1-10)

Drawer 2:Military Records Research(Folder 1-6)

Cabinet D

Drawer 1:Common VA & Non VA Forms(Folder 1-3)

Drawer 2:Benefits Rate Tables(Folder 1-8)

4. VA Attorney Accreditation. YLD attorneys participating in the project must be VA Accredited.

Accreditation means the authority granted by VA to assist claimants in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims for benefits. 38 C.F.R. § 14.627(a). Advice given in regards to a specific application for benefits rather than general advice not related to a specific claim requires VA accreditation. The purpose of VA’s accreditation program is to ensure that claimants for VA benefits receive qualified assistance in preparing and presenting their claims.

For further information on VA Attorney Accreditation see VLTKCabinet A, Drawer 1, Folder 2.

5. Veterans Benefits Training Webinar. VA Accreditationis required prior to attending the free 3-hour training webinar,Overview of Basic Federal Veterans’ Benefits Law, presented by Professor Tammy M. Kudialis, Director of Project SALUTE and the Veterans Appellate Clinic, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. The training exceeds VA Accreditation requirements and has been awarded 3.0 CLE credits in the state of Alabama. See Cabinet A, Drawer 1, Folder 3 for the training agenda.

Review upcoming webinar training dates and times and register for training on-line at

or call 313.596.0258.

**The requirement to take a case pro bono does not apply to YLD participants**

6. University of Detroit Mercy School of Law Project SALUTE. All YLD

volunteer attorneysparticipating in “Project Salute: Young Lawyers Serving

Veterans” may contact Professor Kudialisat 313.596.9409 or via email at

for additional information, guidance and assistance.