The issue for many veterans is this becomes a slippery slope that, once merged with other debt and financial requirements, leads to many of the issues covered already, such as mental health concerns and even homelessness.
Despite being some of the most well-respected and regularly celebrated individuals in our society, veterans are not immune to the presence of legal problems.
Upon returning from tour, many veterans find themselves facing legal issues due to socio-economic reasons. Couple that with many struggling against the barriers in place preventing them from accessing legal aid or fighting criminal charges and you have a nationwide crisis. The injuries and psychological issues many veterans have to live with every day means that signing a contract to serve is a lifetime one for most.
Here we’ll look at four common legal problems facing veterans, what their causes are, and what solutions former members of the armed forces can access to rectify their situation.
Acquiring compensation
The end of a military career can be a confusing and often challenging time.
Many veterans find it difficult to move on and find new careers. Others, unfortunately, must live with the constant reminders of war through the physical injuries and psychological harm they have accrued during their tour.
To get themselves through this period, many veterans will turn to VA compensation for financial support. A tax-free monthly payment, VA compensation is designed to help veterans who have been injured during service and hopefully get them back on their feet.
Unfortunately, often through no fault of their own, many veterans are unable to access the compensation they are entitled to. This widespread issue has led to support systems and charities such as VA Claims Pro popping up to assist veterans in the process. Many veterans will use VA Claims Pro as a launching pad to post-tour life, particularly when homeless or suffering from a lack of financial support or aid.
Veterans missing out on general and specific compensations and subsidies has been a longstanding issue throughout the United States. The coronavirus stimulus cheque was just the most recent example of this.
Victims of scams
Unfortunately, veterans are common victims of the growing issue of internet scams.
In the last five years, veterans and service family members in the United States lost over $300 billion combined to scammers. Many of these scams were conducted through phishing operations and loan deceptions that promised families “secret” compensation for their service and encouraged them to provide their details.
Veterans have become an easy target for these scams due to their age, education and lack of familiarity with the internet. With the growing dependence on government financial help (as covered above), many veterans and their families are drawn to the idea of additional support, wherever it may come from.
While places like Military Consumer and internet scam support systems exist to help veterans learn more about these common scams and how to recognize them, once they are victims they are largely still in the same legal situation as the rest of the public. Ultimately, they’re on their own.
The best thing veterans can do is learn about specific military-targeted scams such as military romance and keep a vigilant eye on who they give access to their personal information and finances.
Homelessness
Widespread homelessness continues to be an alarmingly common issue in modern-day society. Despite the efforts of charities such as the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, a number of former military personnel find themselves living on the street mere months after their service has ended.
In 2019, it was estimated there were tens of thousands of homeless veterans on the streets in the United States, with the vast majority being located in California. This paints a startling picture of the crisis situation many people recently and long out of the military find themselves facing in an economy that is only estimated to get worse as a recession hits.
There are numerous reasons former servicemen and women find themselves living on the street once they return home. Their relationships may break down, disability may make it hard for them to find alternative employment, and a lack of formal education may restrict their career options.
The Washington Post suggests that lack of access to legal aid is significantly stifling veterans’ ability to fight for their homes. Medical bills covered with the money required to fight their case against landlords or unlawful dismissal from their jobs leaves veterans struggling for options beyond living on the streets.
Charities remain one of the best forms of support for veterans, as there continues to be a lack of genuine legislative effort to solve what is becoming a national issue.
Child support
Keeping up with child support payments is a significant issue primarily affecting male veterans once they leave the force.
While military divorce rates aren’t significantly higher than many other professions (and are in some cases dropping), veterans continue to see their families break apart due to a number of mental and physical health issues. This leads to a significant number of them having to pay child support while trying to rebuild their lives after active duty.
Many veterans are finding themselves in debt and struggling to get out of it. In some cases, such debt has actually hampered many veteran’s abilities to access the government stimulus cheque for the coronavirus pandemic.
The issue for many veterans is this becomes a slippery slope that, once merged with other debt and financial requirements, leads to many of the issues covered already, such as mental health concerns and even homelessness.
Further support from charities and the government is needed to prevent the economic reasons veterans get into debt for child support. By letting this become an issue, they are harming families financially down the line.
Many supporters of veterans and former servicemen and women themselves will be shocked and disappointed to hear of these issues. However, it is important for society to be aware of how prevalent they are, and that veterans make up just part of the population suffering needlessly from the mishandling of funds and policy.
Join the conversation!