Veterans Benefits: Understanding Discharge Review
Wednesday October 27 , 2010
- By: American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging, and co-sponsors listed below.
- Time: 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
- Time Zone: Eastern Time (US & Canada)
- CLE Credit
- Location:
Online Webcast, United StatesMap: maps.google.com
- Contact:
American Bar Association
- Website: www.abanet.org
- Source: Pennsylvania
This is a free webcast is scheduled for October 27, 2010 at 1:00 pm-2:30 pm Eastern. It is sponsored by the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging, made possible by the ABA Enterprise Fund Veterans Advocacy Pro Bono Project, and cosponsored by the Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, Standing Committee on Bar Activities and Services, Commission on Homeless and Poverty, Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service, Senior Lawyers Division and the ABA Center for Continuing Legal Education.
Program Description
Discharge review is the first step in obtaining veterans benefits for some veterans. Veterans with stigmatizing discharges are ineligible for most benefits administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (colloquially known as the Veterans Administration or VA). Congress has created a system for review of previously issued and executed discharges within the armed forces.
The agencies created by these statutes will review and reconsider the character and basis for a previously executed discharge to determine whether there are facts or circumstances (e.g., mental or physical disability, substance abuse) that contributed to behavior resulting in discharge. Programs assisting homeless and disabled veterans have had significant success with discharge review. This program builds upon the basic training for representing veterans that we distributed last year and adds "beyond the basics" knowledge.
Learning objectives:
- What types of discharge are subject to review
- What underlying facts and circumstances are likely to result in upgrade of a discharge
- How to document a discharge review case
- How to file a discharge review request
- How to present a case for review
Online Access Required
This program will use the Internet to deliver live audio and program content via Microsoft Live Meeting, which most computers support. In order to access the program, participants' computers must be connected to the Internet. Links to test your system and install the Live Meeting plug-in will be provided. Click here to test your system before the program.
Program Faculty
James S. Richardson, formerly Head of the Discharge Review Section, Board for Correction of Naval Records, James S. Richardson, Attorney at Law, Queenstown, MD
David Godfrey (moderator), Senior Staff Attorney, ABA Commission on Law and Aging, Washington, DC
- CLE Credit Comments:
Pennsylvania DOES NOT CURRENTLY ACCEPT ABA Teleconferences for CLE Credit.
1.5 hours of CLE credit in 60-minute states/1.8 hours of CLE credit in 50-minute states have been requested in states accrediting ABA teleconferences and live audio webcasts.*
NY-licensed attorneys: This non-transitional CLE program has been approved for experienced NY-licensed attorneys in accordance with the requirements of the New York State CLE Board for 1.5 total NY CLE credits.
The following states accept ABA teleconferences for CLE credit: AL, AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, KY, LA, ME, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NH, NM, NV, NY, OK, OR, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VI, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY.
*States currently not accrediting ABA teleconferences: DE, IN, PA, KS, OH
