VOLS Veterans Initiative: 2021 Veterans Day Update
On Veterans Day this November 11th, we take the time to recognize all those who wore the uniform. And every day at Volunteers of Legal Service, we are committed to serving those who have served.
The VOLS Veterans Initiative provides older veterans with free wills and other advance directives, so that they have the right plan in place in the event that they become incapacitated or pass away. Our life planning services ensure that veterans can empower the people they love and trust the most to care for them. We help our veteran clients stay in the community as long as possible and ensure they are able to do so according to their wishes.
As the VOLS team reflects on our service to older veterans in 2021, we look back to remarks offered by James Hendon, New York City Commissioner of Veterans’ Services, at the VOLS 2021 New York, Together Awards. In the above-featured video, Commissioner Hendon noted:
“One of the things that brings our people from darkness into light is saying ‘I need some sort of legal support. I have an issue coming up for which I don’t know where to go. I need to talk to somebody. And I haven’t activated this veteran identity in so long, but I will activate it now because I need someone to help me.’ VOLS creates a feedback loop that helps all of us when it comes to being of value to our veterans and their families.”
SERVICE TO OLDER VETERANS DURING THE PANDEMIC RECOVERY
As our city and the country emerge from the global pandemic, VOLS has been acutely aware of how it has impacted the community we serve. By September 2021, more veterans had died of COVID-19 than those who lost their lives serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom combined, according to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The pandemic has also devastated seniors, who comprise 75% of all deaths from COVID-19 in New York City.
New York’s veteran population is aging. As of 2019, New York State was home to 718,000 veterans, more than half of whom were over the age of 55, with the majority having served in either World War II or Vietnam. And in New York City, the proportion of older veterans is even higher, at 71%. The convergence of these facts sadly highlights the importance of the work we do for veterans along with our pro bono partners. The pandemic has shined a spotlight on life’s uncertainties, especially for those who are most vulnerable.
To ensure that older veterans and their loved ones are supported, this past year VOLS published a new Guide for Veterans’ Burial Benefits (PDF).
Our efforts to serve older veterans in New York City is part of a collective effort, and we are proud to partner with so many others serving veterans. Earlier this fall, I joined my co-chair of the New York Veterans Law Working Group, Professor Samantha Kubek, to submit testimony to the New York State Permanent Commission on Access to Justice that highlighted the need for legal services for older veterans. On September 29, I was honored to moderate the “Representing Veterans in Housing Matters: An Introduction to Military Cultural Competency and Special Housing Program for Veteran Clients” Continuing Legal Education program, co-hosted by The Feerick Center for Social Justice at Fordham Law School. And last week, I was pleased to join a panel on “Legal Services and Suicide Prevention: Innovative approaches beyond the clinical environment” at the New York State Health Foundation’s conference on “The Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Veteran Suicide: A Collaborative Effort in New York State.”
VETERANS DAY 2021 & UPCOMING EVENTS
VOLS is a proud co-sponsor of the upcoming 2021 Virtual Veterans Day Legal Clinic, hosted by the Feerick Center for Social Justice’s Veterans Rights Project. This week, I will also be speaking with the Richmond County Veterans of Foreign Wars posts about planning for the future, and the VOLS Veterans Initiative will be featured on an upcoming episode of Staten Island Community Television’s “In Honor Of” segment. Last but not least, this week VOLS teams up with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP and Morgan Stanley for our 3rd Annual “In Honor of Veterans Day Wills Clinic.”
On November 11th, Happy Veterans Day to you and yours.
All our best,
Pete and the VOLS team
Peter Kempner
Legal Director
Volunteers of Legal Service
“It’s about how we treat our veterans every single day of the year. It’s about making sure they have the care they need and the benefits that they’ve earned when they come home. It’s about serving all of you as well as you’ve served the United States of America.”
— Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States
Support VOLS’ Year-End Appeal!
As Giving Tuesday 2021 approaches, VOLS invites you to include us on your list of year-end charitable contributions. Your support makes it possible for us to provide free legal services during the pandemic recovery to seniors and older veterans, small business owners, immigrant young people, unemployed workers, children & families in all five boroughs of New York City. You can donate to VOLS on Giving Tuesday — or any time before the end of the year — to support our 2021 appeal.
Join the VOLS Community
If you are affiliated with a VOLS partner law firm or company and would like to volunteer, please contact your company’s pro bono counsel. If your firm or company is not already working with VOLS but you would like to, please reach out to our Pro Bono Coordinator Mai Toyohara, mtoyohara@volsprobono.org.
Forward this page and ask your friends to sign up for the VOLS e-newsletter at www.volsprobono.org/join.