Legal Group For Veterans Defends Man Denied VA Grant

Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) February 10, 2011 – The United States Department of Veterans of Affairs is supposed to provide benefits for those who have served in the U.S. military and care for those who have been injured in war.

Matt Boisvert is a veteran of the war in Iraq and a member of the latter group – he was injured while fighting as part of the U.S. military. While he was serving in Fallujah, Iraq, he was injured in a bomb blast. Boisvert’s right leg was blown off and he lost use of his right arm.

While the VA took care of Boisvert’s injuries and made sure he received proper medical care, he was denied an adaptive housing grant to make sure he could ambulate properly in his home. Boisvert applied for a grant to build a garage on the side of his home because he had extreme difficulty getting into his car in the snowy winter.

According to the VA, however, Boisvert’s injuries were “not incapacitating enough” to qualify him for the grant.

“There is no way the VA is going to be able to help every veteran in every situation, but I think it is important that veteran service organizations, veteran business owners and veteran centric groups step up and help out,” said James G. Fausone, a veterans lawyer who works for Legal Help For Veterans, PLLC. “This requires a local effort of neighbors helping neighbors. Stop worrying about VA getting it right and jump in and help.”

It took the VA nine months to deny Boisvert’s application, and did not even provide an explanation along with it. Eventually, the VA claimed that Boisvert cannot provide adequate medical evidence to support his claim. Despite the fact that several veterans groups and U.S. Senator John Kerry have stepped forward to defend Boisvert, he has not been approved for the grant.

“We belong to a group that handles these types of requests,” Fausone said. “Our volunteers can go to the house and confirm the request and then work with people to get the job done and supply funding. We have also found many times people were trying to scam the system. If you live in Boston or are with a local Boston VSO maybe this is a relevant project to take on.”

To learn more or to contact a Veterans disability attorney or Veterans attorney call 1.800.693.4800 or visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC
41700 West Six Mile Road, Suite 101
Northville, MI 48168
Toll Free Phone: 800.693.4800