Our Mission
We believe all who serve in the U.S. Military are veterans who deserve to be treated with dignity. The Veterans Inclusion Project works to eradicate the shaming honor/dishonor labels the Department of Veterans Affairs uses to exclude certain high-risk former service members from healthcare and benefits.
Who We Are
The Veterans Inclusion Project is an initiative of the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center. It is made up of veterans, CVLC staff, pro bonos, and advocates, and anyone who believes that those who serve deserve to be treated with dignity rather than shame, and provided care, not judgment
- The mission of the Veterans Inclusion Project is to make veterans’ benefits accessible for all low-income veterans through a combination of national policy advocacy and capacity building for legal advocates.
- The vision of the Veterans Inclusion Project is that one day the United States Department of Veterans Affairs will honor all who served.
- The values of the Veterans Inclusion Project are inclusivity, respect and parity for mental illness, trauma, and other invisible wounds of war, a commitment to anti-racism and anti-discrimination advocacy, integrity, and compassion. We honor all who served and we know this country can do better.
Our Work
Creating Systemic Change
To combat the life-long negative impacts of less-than-honorable discharges, we seek out collaborative efforts to create systemic change through impact litigation, creating policy goals, and amplifying our community partners’ voices through collective action.
Empowering Veterans
Veterans deserve empowering information to self-advocate. The Veterans Portal contains self-help materials and online trainings for veterans.
Engaging Veteran Attorneys and Advocates
A centralized legal education and advocacy portal providing attorneys
and advocates with tools to upgrade unjust discharges and increase
access to critical VA healthcare.
Changing the Narrative
All veterans stories need to be heard. The Voices of Exclusion project,
gives veterans a space to share their stories.
Veterans Inclusion Project in the News
- Connecticut Veterans Legal Center Files Amicus Brief in Doyon v. U.S.September 2, 2021 WASHINGTON D.C. – Connecticut Veterans Legal Center (CVLC), with the pro bono assistance of Perkins Coie, filed […]
- Federal Court Approves Nationwide Settlement for Post-9/11 Army VeteransApril 28, 2021 NEW HAVEN, CT – Under a settlement of the federal lawsuit Kennedy v. McCarthy, the U.S. Army […]
- CVLC and Veterans Inclusion Project Release Report on Racial Disparities in National Service AcademiesCVLC and Yale Law School Veterans Legal Services Clinic’s Gatekeepers to Opportunity Racial Disparities in Congressional Nominations to the Military Service […]