Looking to help? Veterans Legal Institute supports veterans in need

Veteran’s Legal Institute is a tiny Orange County-based nonprofit battling a big need: Supporting the men and women who have served this nation in the armed forces.

Veterans returning to civilian life can be taken off track by disability bureaucracy, job discrimination, bankruptcy, evictions, car accidents, divorce and other civil issues. Legal disputes too frequently contribute to the reasons veterans experience joblessness and, ultimately, homelessness.

But the Veterans Legal Institute offers a lifeline.

This nonprofit which operates out of a small office in Tustin is Southern California’s only public interest law firm exclusively devoted to low-income veterans. That’s why it’s the Orange County Register’s charity of choice for year-end giving in 2023.

“We presently receive close to 400 applications for service per month, far more than our staff of 24 and volunteer force of 200 can handle,” said Antionette Naddour, executive director of Veteran’s Legal Institute. “The demand for service is increasing.”

A former civil litigator and officer in the California State Military Reserve, Naddour co-founded the institute in 2014 after her experience working for a Santa Ana legal aid group exposed her to the dire need for attorneys familiar with military culture who could navigate the unique challenges facing veterans.

Naddour has said that often there are “military-specific issues causing these honorable men and women to fall into poverty.” Mental illness and post-traumatic stress, for example, can prevent qualified veterans from accessing benefits and protections due to them.

That was certainly the case with Veteran’s Legal client Rafael Molina of Huntington Beach.

Molina served active duty in the Marine Corps from 2006-2012 at Camp Pendleton. During his service, he witnessed multiple traumatic events and developed several physical conditions related to his military service. But when he went to apply for benefits, the Marine Corps denied his claims.

“The process is so confusing,” said Molina, a married father of two children who now works as a nurses’ aide at the VA hospital in Long Beach.

“We were barely making it, and about to be homeless. My mental health wasn’t very good.” Molina’s voice cracked as he said this. “Sorry, I get emotional when I even think about it.”

Veteran’s Legal attorney Sarah Gross helped Molina make sense of the bureaucratic paperwork and advocated for him through a complicated appeals process, while also connecting him to services offered through the American Legion for rent assistance.

“Veteran’s Legal saved us. They were phenomenal,” Molina said.

In the end, Gross was able to secure Molina $4,000 in monthly compensation and retro back pay equalling nearly $20,000. His children, now ages 2 and 3, are also eligible for education benefits.

“I’m able to not feel that I am under a mountain of stress – the stress went from a mountain down to a hill,” he said. “It has improved the life of my kids because they get to see Dad in a much more engaged way.”

So how best to help Veteran’s Legal help the thousands of others like Molina?

Naddour points to the website https://www.vetslegal.com/ to find the most comprehensive ways to engage with the nonprofit. She said gift cards are especially helpful during the holiday season. Their offices are located at 1231 Warner Ave., Tustin, CA 92780. Or, call 714-852-3492.

The institute will celebrate its 10th anniversary in August with a “Lawyers for Warriors” gala, but meanwhile this month it already marked another milestone: “We just surpassed 10,000 veterans served,” Naddour said.

Source: Orange County Register