Veterans Legal Clinic
Serving Those Who Served.
Our Mission
Our Mission
In 2006, three Law School degree candidates recognized that veterans were having trouble navigating the Veterans Benefits Administration claims process. In an effort to provide legal assistance to such veterans, they created the Veterans Legal Clinic (VLC). Dedicated to training law students to become zealous advocates for veterans and their families, the clinic works on all aspects of Veteran Benefits Administration claims, from the initial, factual intake to the technical representation of claims at the appellate level. The clinic is also involved in court programs for veterans at the federal level and assists veterans who would like to pursue a discharge upgrade in order to obtain veterans benefits.
Current Veteran Community Work
Veterans Legal Clinic and OUTLaw Partner Provide Outreach and Support for Trans-Service Members in the Military
The Veterans Legal Clinic at UIC Law has partnered with student organization, OUTLaw to create a “Know Your Rights” support document for transgender people serving in the military. The document provides information for those who have started to receive involuntary separation papers due to a new policy enforced under the Trump administration.
Client Services
The Veterans Legal Clinic provides free services to veterans, regardless of discharge status, and family members who reside in Illinois. The VLC specializes in appealing denied veteran’s benefits claims, including service-connected benefits, pension benefits, survivor benefits, and education benefits.
VLC prioritizes veterans who are low-income and are in need of VA healthcare services. The Clinic will not begin work on an initial claim that has not been filed or is currently pending before the Department of Veterans Affairs. To receive assistance in filing an initial claim for benefits please contact a veterans’ service organization.
Review our clinic services below. To become a client, please contact the Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network at 855-452-3526.
VA Benefit Appeals
The Veterans Legal Clinic provides free assistance with appeals of improperly denied VA benefit claims at the VA Regional Office, the Board of Veterans Appeals, and the Court of Appeals For Veterans Claims. If you have been denied a disability or pension benefit, contact the Clinic. If available, please have a copy of your most recent VA Rating Decision or correspondence for review.
Criminal Court Treatment & Diversion Programs
The Veterans Legal Clinic provides free assistance to veterans in criminal court treatment or diversion programs with the non-criminal legal issues that often accompany arrest or conviction. If you are a veteran with a pending case a veterans treatment court or diversion program, you or your attorney can contact the Clinic.
Discharge Upgrades
The Veterans Legal Clinic provides free assistance to veterans in appealing the characterization of their discharge to the Discharge Review Board or the Board of Corrections of Military Records. If you are a veteran seeking to appeal your discharge characterization, you can contact the Clinic. If possible, please have a copy of your DD-214 for review.
Veterans Treatment Court
The Veterans Legal Clinic provides free assistance to veterans who received petty offense tickets on federal property in the Northern District of Illinois. The Veterans Legal Clinic works in the Veterans Treatment Court diversion program with the non-criminal legal issues that accompany justice involved veterans.
Other Legal Assistance
If there are legal issues outside the scope of the Veterans Legal Clinic’s mission, please call the Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network at (855) 452-3526.
VLC In Action View Legal Briefs & Publications
UIC Law Faculty Chats
Associate Professor and Veterans Legal Clinic Director Yelena Duterte delves into her latest project, “Veterans Affairs Rating Scale,” a feminist critique. Professor Duterte’s article dissects the inherent racialized and gendered biases in the VA rating schedule within the Code of Federal Regulations. The article also looks at the history of integration of the military service, the late 20th-century requirement of inclusion of women and people of color in medical studies, and the lived experience of how pain is ignored by not only doctors but also by the Code of Federal Regulations.
Students & Veterans at UIC Law
If you are a veteran contemplating a career in the law or a student wishing to participate in the Veterans Clinic, feel free to contact the Veterans Clinic. The Veterans Clinic staff is happy to supplement our Admissions Office and is always ready to talk with veterans, provide a tour of the school, and invite them to spend some time talking with law students who are veterans. The Veterans Clinic works closely with the Law School’s chapter of Student Veterans of America, which offers space for the exclusive use of student veterans.
Contact the Clinic
The UIC Law Veterans Legal Clinic
Address: 300 S. State St, Chicago, IL 60604
Email: Law-vlsc@uic.edu
Phone: (312) 360-2656