THIS SEGMENT IS PART OF OUR
CHASING THE DREAM INITIATIVE ON
POVERTY AND OPPORTUNITY IN
AMERICA.
HERE IS AN UPSETTING STATISTIC
FOR YOU.
DID YOU KNOW THAT VETERANS MAKE
UP 8% OF THE NATION'S PRISON
POPULATION?
BUT THAT'S JUST ONE PART OF THE
PROBLEM.
SOME OF THE BIGGEST LEGAL
CHALLENGES OUR VETERANS FACE
HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH PRISON
OR THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
AT ALL.
FROM BAD DISCHARGES AND BENEFIT
COMPLICATIONS,
OUR NATION'S VETS FACE SOME
SERIOUS OBSTACLES ON THE HOME
FRONT, BUT HELP IS AVAILABLE.
AND ONE OF THE PLACES OUR
NATION'S VETERANS CAN FIND
NEEDED GUIDANCE IS HOFSTRA
UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL.
HE HELPED WITH THE.
SHE IS THE DEAN OF THE LAW
SCHOOL.
WE'RE DELIGHT TODAY WELCOME HER
TO "METROFOCUS." GLAD TO HAVE
YOU WITH US.
>> THANK YOU, JACK.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME TALK
ABOUT AND HAVING THIS
OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THE
RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR
VETERANS ON LONG ISLAND.
>> IT'S OUR PLEASURE.
AND BEGIN,
THE NOTION OF RESOURCES BEING
AVAILABLE IS SO IMPORTANT AND
THE AWARENESS IS SO IMPORTANT.
LET'S LET'S START THERE.
A COUPLE THINGS I WANT TO TALK
TO YOU ABOUT.
ONE IS A CLINIC THAT HOFSTRA IS
DOING, A DAY LONG CLINIC.
AND IT'S DESIGNED TO PROVIDE
THIS NOTION OF AWARENESS AND
HELP FOR VETERANS HERE FROM THE
LEGAL PERSPECTIVE.
TELL US HOW THIS CLINIC GOT
STARTED.
>> EXACTLY.
WELL,
APPROXIMATELY SIX YEARS AGO --
AND THIS IS THE 6th YEAR WE'RE
GOING TO BE HAVING THIS ONE-DAY
CLINIC -- A NUMBER OF HOFSTRA
STUDENTS GOT TOGETHER,
AND MANY OF THEM WERE VETERANS
AS WELL.
AND THEY SAW A GREAT NEED.
AND THEY WANTED TO BE ABLE TO
GIVE ADVICE TO VETERANS ABOUT
BENEFITS,
HEAR OTHER PROBLEMS THEY MIGHT
BE HAVING,
SEE IF THEY COULD REFER THEM TO
A NUMBER OF OUR ALUMS WHO ARE
ALSO VETERANS,
AND SEE IF WE CAN GIVE THEM
LEGAL ASSISTANCE AT A DIFFICULT
TIME IN THEIR LIFE.
>> LET'S TALK ABOUT IT.
I WANT TO GET TO ISSUES IN A
MOMENT,
BUT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT EXACTLY
HOW IT WORKS.
>> ON NOVEMBER 4th OF THIS YEAR,
WE WILL BE RUNNING OUR 6th
CLINIC AT HOFSTRA.
IT WILL BE RIGHT AT THE LAW
SCHOOL.
AND OUR LAW SCHOOL,
WE'RE ON THE SOUTH PART OF THE
CAMPUS RIGHT AT HOFSTRA
UNIVERSITY.
WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 25 STUDENT
VOLUNTEERS WHO WILL MEET AND
GREET OUR VETERANS.
THEY WILL SIT DOWN WITH THEM.
THEY WILL TAKE AN INTAKE FORM
FROM THEM,
AND THEY WILL MATCH THEM WITH
VOLUNTEER ATTORNEYS,
AND THEN THEY FIGURE OUT A GAME
PLAN.
HOW CAN WE HELP THIS INDIVIDUAL?
IS IT AN APPLICATION FOR
BENEFITS?
IS IT AN APPEAL OF A DENIAL OF
BENEFITS?
OR DOU THEY HAVE SOME OTHER
PROBLEM?
I CAN TELL YOU BUT ONE QUICK
STORY -- >> PLEASE.
>> A RECENT CASE FROM THE LAST
YEAR.
WE HAD A VETERAN COME TO US AT
THIS CLINIC WHO WAS DISCHARGED
BECAUSE HE WAS LOSING HIS
EYESIGHT.
AND HE WAS DISCHARGED FROM THE
SERVICE,
AND HE WAS HAVING TWO PROBLEMS.
NUMBER ONE, BELIEVE IT OR NOT,
HE WAS HAVING PROBLEMS RECEIVING
BENEFITS.
AND NUMBER TWO,
HE WAS HAVING A TOTALLY
DIFFERENT TAX PROBLEM.
SO,
WE SAT DOWN WITH TWO ATTORNEYS
THAT DAY.
AND, NUMBER ONE,
THEY SORTED OUT HIS BENEFITS
PROBLEM FOR HIM.
AND, NUMBER TWO,
THEY CAME UP WITH A PLAN TO TAKE
CARE OF HIS -- THE TAX PROBLEM
THAT HE WAS HAVING.
SO THAT'S THE TYPE OF CASE WE
DEAL WITH ON A REGULAR BASIS AT
THESE CLINICS.
AND I'M HAPPY TO TELL YOU THAT
THE CLINICS HAVE EXPANDED NOW TO
A FULL-TIME CLINIC AT HOFSTRA.
THE ROBERT W.
ENTEN MEN'S VETERAN CLINIC.
IT IS LOCATED ACROSS THE STREET
FROM THE LAW SCHOOL.
IT REALLY ASK A PR-- IS A PRIVA
CLINIC WE RUN FOR HOFSTRA LAW.
>> WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NOVEMBER
4.
>> YES.
>> ONCE THE VETERANS MEET WITH
THE LAWYERS AND ARE PAIRED UP
WITH LAWYERS,
I ASSUME THAT'S NOT THE END OF
IT.
THE LAWYERS THEN WILL FOLLOW
THROUGH, CORRECT,
ON WHATEVER THEIR ISSUES ARE AND
PROVIDE THE HELP THAT THEY NEED?
>> THAT IS CORRECT.
THE VOLUNTEER LAWYERS THAT ARE
THERE ARE DEDICATED TO PRO BONO
SERVICE AND DEDICATED TO THE
VETERANS COMMUNITY.
THEY DO ONE OF TWO THINGS.
IF IT'S IN THEIR AREA OF
EXPERTISE,
WHICH WE REALLY TRY TO MATCH THE
CLIENT WITH THE ATTORNEY IN HIS
OR HER AREA OF EXPERTISE,
THEY WILL CONTINUE TO MEET TO
RESOLVE THE PROBLEM.
IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT THE
LAWYER FEELS SHOULD BE REFERRED
TO ANOTHER ATTORNEY WHO
POSSIBLY,
LIKE IN THE SITUATION WITH THE
TAX PROBLEM OF THE VETERAN WHO
WAS REALLY HAVING A HARD TIME
WITH HIS VISION AS WELL,
THEN THEY WILL BRING IN OTHER
ATTORNEYS TO AID AND ASSIST.
>> WELL,
THAT HAS BEEN A MARVELOUS
PROGRAM,
AND CERTAINLY THE WORK THAT
YOU'RE DOING AT THE LAW SCHOOL,
HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL,
A WELL DESERVED REPUTATION FOR
BEING EXCEPTIONAL LAW SCHOOL,
PRODUCING EXCEPTIONAL LAWYERS,
AND CERTAINLY EXCEPTIONAL LAW
STUDENTS.
AND I THINK WHAT YOU'RE DOING
HERE IS SO HELPFUL FOR THE
VETERAN COMMUNITY AND THE
COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
JUDGE,
WANT TO THANK YOU FOR SPENDING
SOME TIME WITH US.
AGAIN,
OUR THANKS TO YOUR FACULTY AND
YOUR STUDENTS AND THOSE
VOLUNTEERS FOR ALL THAT YOU'RE
DOING.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO TOUCH BASE IN
THE FUTURE AND GET CAUGHT UP ON
EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE DOING.
OUR THANKS TO YOU.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU.
BE WELL,
AND WE'LL TALK AGAIN SOON.
>> OUR PLEASURE AND PRIVILEGE.
THANKS, JACK.
>> A REMINDER OUT THERE TO YOU,
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON VETERANS
AT THE HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL
OF LAW,
VISIT US AT METROFOCUS.ORG.
