Armed Services Advocacy Project

The Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County announces the launch of its new Armed Services Advocacy Project (ASAP), made possible through a grant from the Florida BRAIVE Fund at the Dade Community Foundation.

With over 1.7 million veterans in the State of Florida, including 1,200 veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan residing in Palm Beach County alone, the need for services is tremendous. The mission of this new project is to provide civil legal assistance to active duty Armed Forces service members and veterans who are serving or have served in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom and/or their families living in Palm Beach County. The Armed Services Advocacy Project will provide legal advice, education, counsel and representation with regard to pre-deployment, deployment and post-deployment issues free of charge.

Legal services offered to military personnel and/or their family members will include access to benefits, appeals of benefit denials, disability determinations, discharge matters, housing and financial issues (e.g. foreclosure), access to healthcare and mental health resources, employment rights, domestic violence and family issues. The ultimate goal of the Armed Services Advocacy Project is to improve the lives of Palm Beach County residents who have served or are serving in Iraq or Afghanistan and their families through legal intervention aimed at providing safer living conditions, meeting medical needs or reducing the time and frustration involved in navigating social services and veterans' assistance systems.