MORGANTOWN – Law students from the West Virginia University College of Law recently helped two disabled Air Force veterans successfully win their cases in the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
The students were part of the Veteran’s Advocacy Clinic (VAC) at West Virginia University, one of nine clinics offered every year at the school to third-year law students. Students apply to the clinics during the spring of their second year in law school.
The VAC has no trouble finding veterans who need legal representation. The VAC gets referrals from across the country from social workers with the Veteran’s Administration, and from individuals seeking help from the clinic’s law students. They help veterans who are from West Virginia with all types of civil legal claims, including small claims, family law, breach of contract, and any types of veteran’s benefits claims - not only medical claims, but others, like educational benefits. If the VAC can’t help because they don’t have the expertise they try to make a referral and find somebody who will help the veteran. The only cases they don’t handle are criminal law cases.