Legal
Many of our country’s veterans never receive the benefits they deserve. A Civil War-era law prohibits them from paying attorneys to represent them before the federal Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in most instances. Swords to Plowshares is one of the few organizations in the country that cuts through the red tape by providing free attorney representation, case management, and advocacy to indigent veterans seeking benefits.
In the year ending June 30, 2007, 338 veterans (58 from service in Iraq and Afghanistan) were provided with free legal services; 31 veterans’ cases were concluded and they were awarded a total of $783,961 in lump sum retroactive benefits, an average of $25,289 for each veteran; 30 veterans will receive an average of $19,853 annually for life, as well as lifetime health care from the VA for the disabling condition. Were it not for the 600,000-case backlog in the VA system, many more cases would have been concluded. Every $1 used to support legal services at Swords to Plowshares generates more than $26 in direct benefits to the veterans.
Swords to Plowshares played a leading role in helping veterans who suffered disability from exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Now Swords to Plowshares is assisting veterans who were exposed to various toxins during the Persian Gulf War and other armed conflicts since the Gulf War. Approximately 400,000 US military personnel were potentially exposed to more than 630,000 pounds of Depleted Uranium dust and fragments on Gulf War battlefields. Swords to Plowshares has been at the forefront in educating the public about the widespread harm caused by the military’s use of radioactive and toxic materials in the Persian Gulf.
