Veterans Legal Assistance Foundation established to provide Canadian veterans better access to justice

They should of taking those funds an put them where it is needed most...helping the homeless Veterans.

Sparrow maybe you should contact Peter Stoffer. He is part of this group and he should be able to lay out all the rules.

Oh but I still have to be in one fog to deal with the other fog lol

I did not mean weed induced fog, I meant OSI induced fog. lol

There will be no smoking dope and watching BOB HOPE on the siniscope yep good old CSM you to say it every Friday before we were dismissed for the wknd time to get fogged out of it good old days 3 RCR MIKE COY 85

Your in a fog today Rifleman, I can see it wafting from you words. a fogger can spot a fellow fogger in the fog while they are fogged from the foggers who ever can feel what i am saying is fogged.

And they will continue to blowe smoke up are ass just to try and and make everything look good for vets well lm pretty smoked with all the BS that they have fed us

It is a tax loop hole for MC, they don't want the money spent. They want the interest to build and invest the money with no penalty and years. down the road it will no longer exist and flow quietly into their pockets interest free tax free, and they all live happy ever after... THE END.

Good points Sparrow...I'm anxious to see if any one Veteran gets approved for this.

My issue with the Fund is that I was under the impression that legal counsel would be available through the Foundation for those who qualified based on case merit not based on financial income. I did not realize that the Veteran would have to firstly secure a lawyer on their own before even applying for the Fund. What happens if a Veteran retains a lawyer, pays to have a case brought to the Foundation and is then denied funding? What happens if a Veteran can't find a lawyer to bring their case forward but has a case worth merit but won't be able to access the Fund. Was that not the issue in the first place? I see this Fund similar to the Education fund whereby there will be a lot of money in the coffers for other uses and not for the intended purpose. Really in the same position as before the Fund was established. Also, it was my understanding that lawyers at MC would be helping with those cases but that isn't the case..

Sparrow that is some good info ..it gives us a clearer picture on who should apply for the Legal Assistance.

I think the take home message here is that it looks to be geared for low income Veterans.
I say this because of this statement from your post " The framework for the funding assistance program is similar to that of “legal aid”.
I could be wrong but that's the way I read it.

On top of that you need ..like you say .. legal counsel to present your case in written form to the VLAF Board.

So it looks like the application process is not so cut an dry ..an is limited to only a certain group.

If what I say turns out to be true..why not just apply for Legal aid.

Received this auto generated email response when inquiring on the Veterans Legal Assistance Foundation. I was under the impression that a lawyer would be assigned to the Veteran via the Foundation but in reading the email below it looks like the Veteran is responsible for retaining a lawyer and having a brief prepared by said lawyer even before being considered for the assistance fund. Isn't that part of the problem is to find a lawyer? And the cost to prepare a brief?


Thank you for contacting the Veterans Legal Assistance Foundation (VLAF).  

To qualify for assistance, individuals must meet the definition of “veteran” as defined by Veterans Affairs Canada.  Assistance is discretionary and with a priority placed on issues broadly affecting veterans nationally.    The framework for the funding assistance program is similar to that of “legal aid”.  However, personal legal matters, such as family and criminal matters, are not eligible for funding.

We are seeking applications from veterans.  If you are interested, please contact local legal counsel to present your case in written form to the VLAF Board.  

Members of the VLAF Board meet once a month, during the last week of each month, to consider applications.  Should your matter be considered, you will be notified shortly thereafter.


Regards,

VLAF Board of Directors

This is a great idea way way better then that ill conceived school bursary fund. Should have done this with all the school bursary money.
Good on MC and Branch for ponying up and Stoffer for motivating everyone. Feel bad he lost his seat a good MP just in a seriously flawed party.

Rags

And more...

Peter Stoffer joins charity helping veterans take government to court

Veterans Legal Assistance Foundation launched in Ottawa with aid from Stoffer and two law firms

A new charity aiming to help veterans take the government to court launched Friday morning in Ottawa.

Former MP and NDP veterans affairs critic Peter Stoffer is on the board of the Veterans Legal Assistance Foundation, and says he has often seen veterans exhaust their options while trying to get veteran benefits.

"So many veterans who are arguing their cases, after fighting for so many years, most of them just say, 'Frig it, I'm not going to fight these people any more, I give up,'" he said.

The fund will operate on a $1 million endowment that comes from a 2013 settlement the federal government paid after a class action suit led by Nova Scotian veteran Dennis Manuge.

Manuge said he's pleased to see the money being used for a legal assistance fund.

"Anything that gives veterans a little better position and leverage to kind of wage the bureaucratic wars," he said. "They now have a means to get help."

The settlement was worth $887 million. The law firms that handled the case received $35 million; McInnes Cooper of Halifax and Branch MacMaster of Vancouver set aside the money to operate the foundation.

Court costs can exceed $50K

Stoffer says the charity will pay the legal bill for veterans who have already taken their case to the veterans appeal board or Veterans Affairs and aren't satisfied with the decision, but can't afford a lawyer to take the case further.

"Their final recourse after that would be to seek a federal court action on their concern. That usually costs anywhere from $20,000 to $25,000, sometimes up to $50,000, depending on the length of time it takes to be heard at the federal court," Stoffer said.

"I believe that veterans and their organizations across the country will be very pleased to see this, because it really is another tool in the toolbox to help veterans and their families make a case for what they believe is a rightful claim to a benefit they believe they deserve."

Stoffer and a board of volunteers, including legal representatives from McInnes Cooper and Branch MacMaster, will determine which cases will be covered by the charity.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/veterans-legal-fund-1.3405286

More on this...

New fund helps Canadian veterans take government to court

OTTAWA -- Military veterans fighting the federal government for benefits have another avenue for potential legal help under a new Veterans Legal Assistance Foundation.
The fund will pay the legal bills for qualifying vets who can't afford a lawyer, but want to go to court to fight decisions made by the Veterans Affairs Department or the veterans appeal board.
The foundation has received seed money through a $1 million endowment from two law firms that won a 2013 settlement against the federal government after a class action suit led by veteran Dennis Manuge.
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The settlement was worth more than $900 million and the law firms that fought the seven-year case were awarded approximately $35 million.
Peter Stoffer, the former New Democrat MP and veterans affairs critic who lost his Nova Scotia seat in the October election, will sit on the board of the foundation.
Stoffer says many veterans simply give up the fight for benefits, because the legal and medical bills often add up to more than the benefits are worth.
"Right now a Federal Court claim can be anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 in many cases," said Stoffer.
"And many, many veterans just simply don't have the wherewithal or the money to carry on their discussion to the Federal Court."
A board of volunteers, including Stoffer and representatives from the law firms McInnes Cooper of Halifax and Branch MacMaster of Vancouver, will decide which cases to pay for.
Ward Branch of Branch MacMaster said he hopes veterans use the foundation to get the benefits they deserve.

"For veterans who don't have the resources to hire a lawyer, or to hire a doctor to move their case forward, we're hoping that they consult with their lawyers and then eventually find their way through to us," he said.
The Manuge class action was filed in early 2007 on behalf of disabled veterans whose long-term disability benefits were reduced by the amount of the monthly Veterans Affairs Canada disability pension they received.
The Federal Court of Canada ruled that the federal government acted illegally in making the deductions.
Funding for the foundation was originally announced in 2013 as part of the class-action settlement

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/new-fund-helps-canadian-veterans-take-government-to-court-1.2739033