VLS Forms New Medical-Legal Partnership to Serve Area Veterans

Veterans Legal Services and the VA Boston Healthcare System recently launched a new medical-legal partnership to provide free civil legal assistance to income-eligible veterans. VLS began running monthly legal clinics on the campus of the Brockton VA, which provides both inpatient and outpatient services.

The Brockton VA campus features medical care, mental health services, a domiciliary for veterans struggling with housing instability, and a residential rehabilitation unit for women suffering from both PTSD and substance use disorders, among other services. The campus is also home to a Women’s Health Center.

VA personnel from the Boston Healthcare System make all referrals to the clinic, which VLS staffs through a combination of staff attorneys and pro bono support. Veterans Legal Services helps Massachusetts veterans overcome adversity by providing free civil legal aid that honors their service, promotes well-being, and responds to their distinctive needs.

"Veterans Legal Services is honored to partner with the Boston VA Healthcare System to provide high-quality and high-impact civil legal assistance," said Sarah Roxburgh, Esq., VLS's co-executive director and chief of operations. "Civil legal aid is an essential service, and VLS is proud to contribute to the holistic care of VA patients."

Studies have shown that medical-legal partnerships lead to significant improvement in patients' overall well-being, including a reduction in their perceived stress. By bringing legal services into medical settings, patients are able to more readily access specialized supportive care for their unmet legal needs.

The new partnership with the VA Boston Healthcare System is in addition to VLS’s existing clinic partnerships, which include the Bedford VA Healthcare System; the New England Center and Home for Veterans, in Boston; the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home; and the Norfolk County Veterans Treatment Court, in Dedham.

“We’re thrilled to offer veterans free civil legal assistance here on the Brockton VA campus in partnership with Veterans Legal Services,” said Rachel Seed, veterans justice outreach coordinator with the VA Boston Healthcare System. “Offering legal support services on-site will help local veterans access the integrated care they need through referrals from professionals throughout the VA Boston Healthcare System."

For additional information, please contact Jeff Lemberg, VLS director of communications and development, at jeff@veteranslegalservices.org or 857-317-4474.

Photo: From the left, Elena Buckley, assistant director of the Brockton VA campus; Scott Pitta, Esq., staff attorney at VLS; Rachel Seed, veterans justice outreach coordinator at the VA Boston Healthcare System; Julie Frohlich, Esq., senior staff attorney at VLS; Aneisha Worrell, VLS board member; and Darryl Grasso, chief of social work at the VA Boston Healthcare System.