Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs presents $100,000 Veterans Cash grant to establish the SIU School of Law Veterans' Legal Assistance Program

CARBONDALE - Tammy Duckworth, Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA) presented Southern Illinois University School of Law with a $100,000 Veterans Cash grant today.  The grant will establish the Veterans' Legal Assistance Program, which will be dedicated to serving the legal needs of Veterans and current service men and women while filing claims and appeals to the federal VA. 

 

The Veterans Cash lottery ticket is the state's first scratch-off lottery ticket where 100 percent of the proceeds go to non-profit organizations that help provide a wide range of services to Illinois Veterans including health care, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder treatment, disability benefits, and housing assistance.  

 

"I'm proud to present the SIU School of Law Veterans' Legal Assistance Program with this $100,000 Veterans Cash grant.  This program is critical and will provide Illinois Veterans with quality legal services to ensure that they get the benefits they have rightfully earned.  The Veterans Cash lottery ticket has helped us improve the services that are offered to our brave Veterans across the state," said IDVA Director Tammy Duckworth.

 

The Veterans Cash grant presented to Southern Illinois University School of Law today will fund the newly developed pilot program to assist Veterans in their disability claim appeals with the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs.  The Veterans' Legal Assistance Program (VLAP) will train third-year and second-year law students who will then provide pro bono legal services to Illinois Veterans needing who cannot afford or don't have access to legal representation in appealing service-connected disability claims.

 

SIU VLAP students will travel to three local IDVA Veteran Service Offices in Harrisburg, Marion and Murphysboro to meet with Veterans.  The SIU VLAP is modeled after the John Marshall Law School Veterans Legal Support Center and Clinic, which was established in 2007.

 

The initiative is "another opportunity to advance the mission of the law school," SIU School of Law Dean Peter C. Alexander said.  "It allows us to provide expertise and services to a population that has been underserved -- and that is very consistent with the goals of the law school.  We hope that many Veterans take advantage of this opportunity and that we are able to provide services for a lot of Veterans."

 

"This is a chance to help Veterans," added John F. Lynn, SIU School of Law Assistant Dean for Administration and retired United States Marine Corps Major.  "I want to see the system work for them.  The satisfaction comes in resolving a case in the Veterans' favor to get them the benefits they deserve, the treatment they might be seeking, or the compensation they might rate."

 

Launched by Governor Blagojevich in February 2006, Veterans Cash is the Lottery's first lottery ticket where 100 percent of proceeds go to support Illinois Veterans.  Proceeds from the sale of this ticket are deposited into an interest bearing account in the State Treasury called the Illinois Veterans Assistance Fund.  IDVA awards the money in grants to fund additional services or conduct research relating to Veterans' Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, homelessness, health insurance costs, and disability benefits. 

 

The Veterans Cash ticket has raised more than $5.9 million for the Illinois Veterans' Assistance Trust Fund.  Each ticket costs $2 and has a top prize of $20,000.

 

For more information on Veterans Cash please visit the Illinois Lottery website at www.illinoislottery.com or for more information on Illinois Veteran programs and initiatives or to apply for a Veterans Cash grant, visit the IDVA website at www.veterans.illinois.gov.