M-VETS Wins $55,000.00 For Retired Air Force Vet

The Antonin Scalia Law School Mason Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic (“M-VETS”) secured Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) disability compensation for a retired U.S. Air Force veteran. M-VETS argued in a brief before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals the veteran was entitled to service connection and disability payments for a condition caused by military service. While the DVA had previously denied disability compensation to the veteran for this condition, they agreed with the argument made by M-VETS and reversed their original denial for disability benefits for this condition. The initial disability payment for this condition was $55,000.00 with an additional monthly award of $3,200.00. The monthly disability payment will continue for the rest of the veteran’s lifetime.

“I can’t thank the student-advisors enough for all the work they did on my case, it is appreciated!” said the veteran. “I am glad the veteran reached out to M-VETS and that we were able to help out.” Timothy MacArthur, M-VETS Director said. “We have been working to resolve this issue since 2017 so many student-advisors were able to assist with this veteran’s matter and gain invaluable legal experience while in M-VETS. I am really pleased with the outcome and want to thank our student-advisors for the wonderful job they did on this matter as well as our client for working with us the last three years,” MacArthur said.

M-VETS mission is to provide free legal representation to active-duty members of the armed forces, veterans, and their families while offering law students the opportunity to receive supervised, practical legal experience by advocating for those who serve or have served in our United States armed forces. M-VETS provides representation in a variety of matters including Virginia civil litigation matters, uncontested divorces, consumer protection matters, wills and powers of attorney, as well as assisting with matters before the VA and various administrative boards, including discharge upgrades, record corrections, military pay and entitlement matters, and VA disability benefit appeals.