The Bill Smith Homeless Veterans Project is a special program of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, under the umbrella of its Government Benefits legal area. Created in 2000, the Project's goal is to protect veterans and their families by securing government benefits, and medical care and services, while stabilizing their living situation. The Project’s located at LAFLA’s Long Beach and East Los Angeles Offices.

Homeless veterans comprise 25 percent of the 73,000 homeless individuals in Los Angeles County. If not homeless, many veterans live in cheap hotels and over-crowded or sub-standard housing, despite the wealth of benefits offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs. A leader in representing veterans in Los Angeles and abroad, the nationally recognized project helps veterans navigate a complex bureaucratic system, which can often deter them from obtaining their benefits.

The Project is directed by Rick Little, accredited VA Claims Agent and member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims bar in Washington, D.C.

What We Do

	File claims for indigent veterans with service connected disabilities
	File Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD), Agent Orange and other herbicides claims
	File claims for disability compensation for mental disabilities other than PTSD
	File claims for disability compensation for veterans of the Persian Gulf War experiencing undiagnosed illnesses
	Help family members of living or deceased veterans apply for benefits
	Provide prison, pre-release support to incarcerated veterans

Contact: (562) 435-3501, ext. 3867

Success Story

Read about how LAFLA helped a struggling Vietnam War veteran.

Government Benefits

For more information about Government Benefits projects and services, please visit the Government Benefits section.

 

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