This project connects volunteer attorneys with New Yorkers who have legal needs arising from the COVID-19 crisis.
Pro Bono Matter

Help Veterans Claim Benefits under the Restoration of Honor Act

The Restoration of Honor Act (A8097/S45B) authorizes the New York State Division of Veterans’ Services (NYS DVS) to restore access to State Veterans Benefits to Veterans who have an Other-Than-Honorable Discharge (OTH) or a General Under Honorable Conditions Discharge due to any of the following:

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
• Military Sexual Trauma (MST)
• Sexual Orientation
• Gender Identity

Volunteers will help veterans apply for benefits under this program. Assistance may also include helping the veteran secure necessary paperwork, such as military records from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Please visit this link to learn more about the Restoration of Honor Act: https://nysba.org/restoration-honor-act/

Lawyers who are interested in volunteering will be required to participate in a free training webinar worth 1.0 MCLE credits. Volunteers must complete the training webinar to be eligible to receive cases from NYSBA. You can access the training webinar at: https://nysba.org/products/nysba-pro-bo…

The training webinar is free for both members and non-members but you must log in to the NYSBA website to access the webinar and earn MCLE credits. Please contact the NYSBA Member Resource Center at [email protected] or 800-582-2452 should you need assistance in accessing the training webinar.

Volunteers are also encouraged to take a free training on "Collateral Consequences: Military Impacts Of Civilian Justice." Members of the armed forces – Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Air Force, including the active forces, National Guard and Reserves of each – live in many respects simultaneously in the military and in the civilian world, such that what happens in one can have impacts in the other, related in cause but independent in operation and potentially catastrophic in impact. Understanding how these two worlds interact is particularly important when a service member is involved in the criminal justice system, particularly for the counsel to the service member. Link to optional free cultural competency training: https://nysba.org/products/collateral-c…

Volunteers must be admitted attorneys. The Association is obtaining insurance to cover volunteers. Click here for more information on this pro bono program: https://nysba.org/attorney-training-res…

The New York State Bar Association's mission is to shape the development of law, educate and inform the public, and respond to the demands of our diverse and ever changing legal profession. NYSBA advocates for state and federal legislation and works tirelessly to promote equal access to justice for all.

Type of engagement

Policy & Governance

Time commitment

Varies

Varies based on individual application.

Location

Remote Remote in Statewide, NY

Who should volunteer

Lawyers

Licenses required

No license required

Languages Required

English

Training and support

  • Training is provided
  • CLE credit for training
Last Updated: August 22, 2023
Pro Bono Matter

Help Veterans Claim Benefits under the Restoration of Honor Act

The Restoration of Honor Act (A8097/S45B) authorizes the New York State Division of Veterans’ Services (NYS DVS) to restore access to State Veterans Benefits to Veterans who have an Other-Than-Honorable Discharge (OTH) or a General Under Honorable Conditions Discharge due to any of the following:

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
• Military Sexual Trauma (MST)
• Sexual Orientation
• Gender Identity

Volunteers will help veterans apply for benefits under this program. Assistance may also include helping the veteran secure necessary paperwork, such as military records from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Please visit this link to learn more about the Restoration of Honor Act: https://nysba.org/restoration-honor-act/

Lawyers who are interested in volunteering will be required to participate in a free training webinar worth 1.0 MCLE credits. Volunteers must complete the training webinar to be eligible to receive cases from NYSBA. You can access the training webinar at: https://nysba.org/products/nysba-pro-bo…

The training webinar is free for both members and non-members but you must log in to the NYSBA website to access the webinar and earn MCLE credits. Please contact the NYSBA Member Resource Center at [email protected] or 800-582-2452 should you need assistance in accessing the training webinar.

Volunteers are also encouraged to take a free training on "Collateral Consequences: Military Impacts Of Civilian Justice." Members of the armed forces – Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Air Force, including the active forces, National Guard and Reserves of each – live in many respects simultaneously in the military and in the civilian world, such that what happens in one can have impacts in the other, related in cause but independent in operation and potentially catastrophic in impact. Understanding how these two worlds interact is particularly important when a service member is involved in the criminal justice system, particularly for the counsel to the service member. Link to optional free cultural competency training: https://nysba.org/products/collateral-c…

Volunteers must be admitted attorneys. The Association is obtaining insurance to cover volunteers. Click here for more information on this pro bono program: https://nysba.org/attorney-training-res…

The New York State Bar Association's mission is to shape the development of law, educate and inform the public, and respond to the demands of our diverse and ever changing legal profession. NYSBA advocates for state and federal legislation and works tirelessly to promote equal access to justice for all.

Type of engagement

Policy & Governance

Time commitment

Varies

Varies based on individual application.

Location

Remote Remote in Statewide, NY

Who should volunteer

Lawyers

Licenses required

No license required

Languages Required

English

Training and support

  • Training is provided
  • CLE credit for training
Last Updated: August 22, 2023