Legal
Making sense of all of the resources available to veterans and their families can be a daunting task. In order to help, we have listed some but not all resources available by category. Please let us know if any of the links are no longer active and if you know of resources that we should add to the list. And always feel free to call or email for help finding resources, via the info on our contact page.
Network of Care for Probation Services
The Network of Care for Probation Services, provided by the Merced County Probation Department. This Web site provides information about probation, laws, and related news, as well as communication tools and other features. Regardless of where you begin your search for assistance, the Network of Care helps you find what you need. It helps ensure that there is “No Wrong Door” for those who need services.
American Veterans Coalition
AVC believes that the best way to honor our veterans is by taking tangible actions that help to improve the quality of their everyday lives. They support veterans in their times of need by providing financial assistance toward living expenses, medical expenses, counseling expenses, temporary housing and transportation.
American Bar Association BA Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel
The Mission of the American Bar Association is to be the national representative of the legal profession, serving the public and the profession by promoting justice, professional excellence and respect for the law.
National Organization of Veterans Advocates
The National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates (NOVA) was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in the District of Columbia in 1993 to serve attorneys and non-attorney practitioners admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC). NOVA recognizes the need to share information and analysis in order to provide successful advocacy for veterans. NOVA provides continuing legal education and support to individuals representing veterans.
Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR)
DoD/volunteer organization – encourages employers to hire Guard and reserve, educates employers and reservists regarding USERRA (Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act ) employment rights, and mediates disputes. ESGR was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve component members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee’s military commitment.
The ESGR Ombudsmen Services Program was established to address potential problems arising among the nation’s employers regarding the phasing out of the “draft” or conscription of people into the military by the Selective Service and the establishment of the all-volunteer force. There was concern that the nation’s employers, who were used to some of their employees serving in the National Guard and Reserve as an alternative to compulsory active duty service, might question the necessity of such service in a purely voluntary military system. The Ombudsmen Services Program was established in response. It provides information, counseling, and informal mediation of issues relating to compliance with the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).
Trained ESGR volunteers and the Ombudsmen Services national staff are available to promptly respond to inquiries and conflicts presented by employees or employers. (see ESGR Resources page of the Web site, ESGR Committee Contacts section, for local contact listing; use 1-800-336-4590 or About ESGR page of the Web site, Our Staff section, to contact national staff.) More than 95 percent of all such requests for assistance are resolved in this informal process. Many problems result from poor communication between employers and their employees or from a lack of familiarization with the rights and responsibilities of each as defined by law.
Give an Hour
A nonprofit organization dedicated to developing a national network of volunteers to respond to acute and chronic needs within our society. They are currently establishing a national network of mental health professionals and reaching out to our first target population, the U.S. troops and families affected by the current military conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. The mental health professionals who join are giving an hour of their time each week to provide free mental health services to military personnel and their families. Those who receive services from the Give an Hour network will be given the opportunity to give back to their own communities. Visitors can log on and enter their zip code to locate the counselor nearest them.
National Veterans Legal Services Program
NVLSP is an independent, nonprofit, veterans service organization dedicated to ensuring that the U.S. government honors its commitment to our veterans by providing them the federal benefits they have earned through their service to our country.
The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program
The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program provides: free attorneys to veterans and their qualifying family members who have an appeal pending at the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (Court). If an appellant has filed an appeal with the Court, he or she can request assistance from The Veterans Consortium.
