A recent conference co-sponsored by the West Haven-based Connecticut Veterans Legal Center and New York City Bar Justice Center highlights the complex and pervasive legal problems faced by veterans of America’s recent wars. The conference findings make a compelling case that our bench, bar and political leaders should work together to find solutions for returning vets who face an array of physical, mental health and legal problems for which there are no easy answers and no single institution to which they can turn for assistance.
Like many citizens, veterans face legal challenges involving family matters, housing, government benefits and involvement with the criminal justice system. What makes veterans’ legal problems more challenging is that many returning vets suffer severe mental health problems as result of their wartime experience. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that as many as 30 percent of Vietnam veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and that some 12 percent to 15 percent of the veterans of the Gulf and Iraq wars are burdened with significant mental health issues. These issues frequently result in a veteran being discharged less than honorably which, in turn, results in their being denied veterans benefits that would assist in their transition back to civilian life and in addressing the underlying issues that contribute significantly to their involvement in the civil and criminal justice systems.
