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Good Morning America: "Veterans Fight for Benefits" - ABC News 05/26/2008

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University of Detroit Mercy School of Law Mobile Veterans Clinic News

Television

  • WOOD TV 8 - November 4, 2009 (Battle Creek, MI)
  • WWMT 3 - October 9, 2009 (Kalamazoo, MI)
  • WHTV 18 - September 22, 2009 (Lansing, MI)
  • ABC 3 - September 22, 2009 (Lansing, MI)
  • KSN 3 (NBC) - September 18, 2009 (Wichita, KS)
  • ABC 7 - September 16, 2009 (Detroit, MI)
  • WKYC-TV NBC 3 - August 14, 2009 (Cleveland)
  • CBS 8 WISH – July 10, 2009 (Indianapolis)
  • WLNS-TV CBS – “Law Students Providing Free Advice,” April 10, 2009 (Jackson)
  • WCBD-TV.com – “UDM Law’s “Mobile Law Office” stops in North Charleston,” March 25, 2009
  • WFMY-TV CBS – March 13, 2009 (Greensboro/Winston-Salem)
  • WCCB-TV Fox – March 13, 2009 (Charlotte)
  • WBTV CBS 3 – March 12, 2009 (Charlotte)
  • Univision – February 25, 2009 (San Juan) 
  • KVUE-TV – February 13, 2009 (Austin, TX)
  • KRIS-TV – January 30, 2009 (Corpus Christie)
  • WLNS-TV CBS – January 21, 2009 (Lansing/Jackson)
  • WSYM-TV Fox – January 19, 2009 (Lansing/Jackson)
  • WILX-TV NBC – January 19, 2009 (Lansing/Jackson)

Radio

  • WBCK-FM/AM and WBXX-FM 10-29 - November 4, 2009 (Battle Creek, MI)
  • WNWN 10-27 - November 4, 2009 (Battle Creek, MI)
  • WFAT-FM and WVFM-AM - November 4, 2009 (Battle Creek, MI)
  • WDET-FM – November 3, 2009 (Roseville, MI)
  • WWJ-AM – November 3, 2009 (Roseville, MI)
  • WCSX-FM – November 3, 2009 (Roseville, MI)
  • Magic 105.1 – November 3, 2009 (Roseville, MI)
  • WLEW 1340 AM - October 23, 2009 (Bad Axe, MI)WIDL 92.1 FM - October 23, 2009 (Bad Axe, MI)
  • Michigan Radio NPR stations- October 9, 2009 (Kalamazoo, MI)
  • WOOD-AM - October 9, 2009 (Kalamazoo, MI)
  • WKZO-AM. - October 9, 2009 (Kalamazoo, MI)
  • WKPR-AM - October 9, 2009 (Kalamazoo, MI)
  • WKMI-AM - October 9, 2009 (Kalamazoo, MI)
  • WMSH-FM - October 9, 2009 (Kalamazoo, MI)
  • WVFM 106.5 - October 9, 2009 (Kalamazoo, MI)
  • 1600 AM - October 9, 2009 (Kalamazoo, MI)
  • WXLA - September 22, 2009 (Lansing, MI)
  • WJZL - September 22, 2009 (Lansing, MI)
  • WVIC - September 22, 2009 (Lansing, MI)
  • WJXQ - September 22, 2009 (Lansing, MI)
  • WQTX - September 22, 2009 (Lansing, MI)
  • WFMK 91 - September 22, 2009 (Lansing, MI)
  • WITL 100.7 - September 22, 2009 (Lansing, MI)
  • WRIF-FM - September 16, 2009 (Detroit, MI)
  • WGPR-FM - September 16, 2009 (Detroit, MI)
  • Magic 105.1 - September 16, 2009 (Detroit, MI)
  • WWJ-950 AM - September 8, 2009 (Roseville, MI)
  • WDVD-FM - September 8, 2009 (Roseville, MI)
  • WGPR-FM - September 8, 2009 (Roseville, MI)
  • WKQI-FM - September 8, 2009 (Roseville, MI)
  • WUFL-AM - September 8, 2009 (Roseville, MI)
  • CBS - Tammy Kudialis - November 8, 2009
  • Michigan Radio, Bob Walsh interviews Rina Miller - October 9, 2009
  • WXLA - Jack Ebling interviews Tammy Kudialis - September 21, 2009
  • WDTW - Diane Cross interviews Tammy Kudialis - September 20, 2009
  • WVIZ 90.3AM NPR – August 14 & 15, 2009 (Cleveland)
  • 95.5 FM – August 14 & 15, 2009 (Cleveland)
  • MIX 106.5FM – August 14 & 15, 2009 (Cleveland)
  • KISS FM 96.5 – August 14 & 15, 2009 (Cleveland)
  • WTAM1100AM – August 14 & 15, 2009 (Cleveland)
  • WKYC NBC – August 14 & 15, 2009 (Cleveland)
  • WMJI 105.7FM – August 14 & 15, 2009 (Cleveland)
  • WTAM-AM – August 13, 2009 (Ohio)
  • WNCX-FM – August 13, 2009 (Ohio)
  • WHK-AM - Nick Phillips of "The Advocate" - August 13, 2009 (Cleveland)
  • WNCX-FM - Bill Louis Morning Show - August 13, 2009 (Cleveland)
  • WTAM-AM - Bill Wills of "Wills & Snyder in the Morning" - August 13 Cleveland)
  • WHK-AM – August 10, 2009 (Ohio)
  • WWJ-AM – July 30, 2009 (Detroit and Roseville)
  • WIBC-93.1 FM – “Group Visits Indy to Work for Veterans' Benefits,” July 10, 2009 (Indianapolis)
  • WKZO – July 9, 2009 (Battle Creek)
  • WNWN-FM – July 8, 2009 (Battle Creek)
  • WKLU-FM – July 1, 2009 (Indianapolis)
  • WRZX-FM, WFBQ-FM, WNDE-AM – June 30, 2009 (Indianapolis)
  • WMXG-FM 106.3 – June 25, 2009 (UP)
  • WCHT-AM, WCMM-FM, WGLQ-FM, WGKL-FM – June 23, 2009 (Iron Mountain, Marquette and Escanaba)
  • WUPY-FM, WKMJ-FM, WMPL-AM – June 23, 2009 (Houghton)
  • WFXD-FM – June 22, 2009 (Marquette)
  • WHKB-FM, WCCY-AM, WOLV-FM – June 19, 2009 (Houghton)
  • KFAI-FM – June 18, 2009 (Minnesota)
  • WLTE-FM 102.9 – June 14, 2009 (Minnesota)
  • Minnesota Public Radio- “Law office on wheels comes to Twin Cities to help veterans,” June 9, 2009
  • AM 1030 Family Life – June 8, 2009 (general)
  • WILS-AM – May 28,2009 (Bath)
  • WGDN-AM/FM 1350 AM and 103.1 FM – May 20, 2009 (Standish)
  • WMUZ-FM 103.5 FM – May 13, 2009 (Sterling Heights)
  • WKSR – “Veterans Legal Help is Made Available,” May 12, 2009
  • WLAC-AM 1510 AM – May 14, 2009 (Nashville)
  • WKDF-FM – May 13, 2009 (Nashville)
  • WBCK-AM, WBXX-FM – May 13, 2009 (Coldwater)
  • WKSR.com – “Veterans Legal Help Is Made Available,” May 12, 2009
  • WKZO-AM – April 27, 2009 (Mattawan)
  • WKLA-AM/FM.com – “Free Legal Service Being Offered To Area Veterans,” April 16, 2009
  • WKZC-FM, WKLA-AM, WKLA-FM, WMTE-AM – April 15, 2009 (Ludington)
  • WMOM-FM – April 14, 2009 (Ludington)
  • WILS-AM and WXLA-AM – April 9, 2009 (Jackson)
  • WKHM-970 AM – April 9, 2009 (Jackson)
  • WILS-AM – March 23, 2009 (Lansing)
  • Veterans Radio (WDEO 990-AM Ann Arbor/Detroit, WMAX 1440-AM) – March 14, 2009
  • WJR-AM – March 10, 2009
  • WKZO-AM – March 6, 2009 (Kalamazoo)
  • WILS-AM (1320 AM) – February 9, 2009 (Mason and Lansing)

Print

Veteran Population:

  • 23.7 million or 10.4% of Americans are veterans. (Source: U.S. Census 2008 Abstract)
  • The military has discharged 4.4 million NEW veterans since 1990. (VA Report 2007)
  • A third of veterans served during the Viet Nam era.  The next highest period is Gulf War vets (18.7%), which includes all who served from August 2, 1990 to the present. (U.S. Census 2008 Abstract)
  • Six states had a million or more veterans in 2006: California (2.2 million), Florida (1.7 million), Texas (1.7 million), New York (1.1 million), Pennsylvania (1.1 million) and Ohio (1 million). (U.S. Census 2008 Abstract)
  • Alaska has the highest percentage of veterans, 16.2%. New York has the lowest, 7.9%. (U.S. Census)
  • 17.4 million veterans (74%) voted in the 2004 presidential election, compared with 63 percent of nonveterans. (U.S. Census, Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2004)

Scope of Problem:                        

  • More than a half a million veterans eligible for benefits are not receiving any.
  • The annual number of claims filed for compensation has increased 20% since 2001 from 674, 219 to 806,382 in 2006. (VA Data to National Law Journal/law.com 9/26/07)
  • More than 150,000 vets are homeless on any given night. (VA estimate, Philadelphia Enquirer http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20080510)
  • The unemployment rate for recently discharged veterans is 9.5% vs 4.3% for non-vets of the same age, gender and education. (VA Study, Abt Associates, Associated Press 2/8/08)
  • When an attorney represents a veteran, the VA pays $6225 more per year than to a veteran without representation.  (VA Inspector General Report, 2005; National Law Journal/law.com, 9/26/07)
  • Average wait time for a decision is now past 177 days nationally. (Harvard Master Thesis, 2004; Grand Rapids Press, 11/13/07)
  • More than 600,000 veterans currently have claims backlogged.  Some take as long as 10 years to reach a conclusion. (Veterans for Common Sense v. Nicholson 07-3758 N.D.-Calf; National Law Journal, law.com 9/26/07)
  • 2.7 million veterans received compensation for service-connected disabilities as of 2006 totaling $26.6 billion. (U.S. Census 2008 Abstract)

Project SALUTE:

  • The University of Detroit Mercy Law School is the only school in the nation with a Mobile Law Office. General Motors donated the custom-built 31-foot vehicle. 
  • The three primary goals of  national tour are:
    1. Educating veterans of their rights under federal law and providing individualized legal counsel to obtain benefits.
    2. Educating attorneys around the country in Veterans Benefit Law to create a network of free assistance.
    3. Educating students by providing one-on-one contact with real clients with real cases.
  • More than 2,000 veterans filed cases with at the first 10 stops of the scheduled 64-city nine-month national tour.  The MLO has logged more than 23,000 miles visiting Michigan, Texas (3 cities), Florida (5), Georgia (1), New York (2), Pennsylvania (1), Virginia (1) and Illinois (1).
  • The demand in Jacksonville, Florida was so great, additional staff was flown in overnight and the visit extended a day to allow to serve more than 500 veterans in 3 days.
  • The VA issued a check for more than $96,000 in back benefits to a Houston-area veteran after a VA official viewed a television news report about on KPRC-TV, a Post-Newsweek Station and media sponsor of the tour.

Project SALUTE Video Archives


Project SALUTE Featured Newscasts Video Archive

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 		Austin, TX - KVUE 24 News At Five

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 		KVUE-TV News at Five, Austin, TX
02/13/2009

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 		KRIS-TV News at 6, Corpus Christie, TX 01/30/2009

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 		NBC Channel 7 San Diego, CA
10/07/2008

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 		WGNTV Channel 9, Chicago, IL
09/09/2008

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WJXT-TV Channel 4, Jacksonville, FL
03/17/2008