Since 2017, Foster Garvey has assisted The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program (“TVC”), a national non-profit 501(c)(3) organization devoted to aiding veterans and family members who have been denied disability benefits by the Veterans Affairs (“VA”) system. For nearly three decades, TVC has provided pro bono legal service to veterans and their families, caregivers and survivors in federal venues. The organization also gives training and support to attorneys representing veteran claimants or family members before the Veterans Court.
Ben Hodges (Litigation Principal, Seattle) first introduced TVC to the firm after learning more about its work through a clinic at his law school, the University of Missouri School of Law. This led to Ben getting other Foster Garvey attorneys involved and furthering collaborations with TVC. Eventually, in 2019, the firm would host TVC’s first-ever West Coast pro bono training, which focused on how to handle appeals at the U.S. Court of Veterans Claims.
In 2023, Foster Garvey worked on three cases with TVC. Some of these matters involved successfully ensuring veterans receive the benefits to which they are entitled—previously improperly denied by the VA—for their health issues.
Ben has been involved with more than a dozen of these cases. He noted: “These are people that really deserve the help and are really grateful. They are usually people whose claims have been stuck in disputes for years, some so long that we’ve actually represented the widows of deceased veterans who passed away while they waited for their claims to be heard. The Veterans Consortium offers fantastic training, great mentors for questions while you’re in cases, and really good resources when you take a case.”
As part of these cases, Foster Garvey attorneys have reviewed service, VA and medical records; filed briefings; and taken part in settlement conferences. Over the past year, Ben, Audrey Chambers (Litigation Associate, Seattle) and Yeli Zhou (Litigation Associate, New York) have participated in representation. Since the start of our engagement with TVC, numerous Foster Garvey attorneys and staff have taken part in these matters, including Devra Cohen (Litigation Principal, Seattle), McKenna Filler (Legal Practice Assistant, Seattle), Jennifer Lopez (Legal Practice Assistant and Paralegal, New York) and Kelly Mennemeier (Litigation Associate, Seattle).
