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Health & Fitness

Important Legal & Identity Theft Tips!

Why ALL Veterans Now Need a Lawyer

W. Ward

Over 90% of the emails that we receive are from veterans and active duty members describing difficult personal situations. The same is true with the calls we receive. The veteran will usually start off by describing their military affiliation and then lead into a description of a situation that is preventing them from living a worry-free life. The vast majority of the issues described are not so much personal in nature, they are legal issues. You may think that the reason these veterans need a lawyer is to address a denial letter from a disability claim to the VA. While this is true in a few cases, the bulk of the “cases” we hear about are all across the board and here are a few concerns from veterans:

  • What benefits do my wife and kids get if I get a divorce?
  • My landlord is threatening me after being late on rent, can you help?
  • I’m trying to buy a house and don’t understand these contracts.
  • Why do I have to suffer when the VA allowed my identity to be stolen?
  • Is there a benefit or representative to help with my will?
  • My boss is selling her company and I’m going to be unemployed.
  • Is there a benefit that helps with child custody?
  • I am flat broke and bill collectors are calling constantly.
  • I got ripped off, how do I fight this company when they aren’t responding?
Allow me to share my own story… After being honorably discharged from the Marine Corps with two combat tours in Iraq, I decided to go to college at 24 years old. I was living in a one-bedroom apartment in Monterey, CA, by myself, and was excited to get a degree. I was using the Post 9/11 GI Bill and working very part-time as a freelance ghost writer while sometimes taking up to 18 units during a semester. I was also receiving a disability check from wounds received in Iraq.

I was enjoying the freedom of going to college and collecting these two checks each month, which allowed me to have a 3.6 GPA and above. All I had to do was go to school and I enjoyed it. And then one day the money stopped. When I talked to the Regional VA representative about this I was told that the VA was notified by the Detroit Police Department that I was incarcerated in the city jail. On that basis, I was not eligible for VA benefits until the VA was notified of my release.

I was in shock that I was hearing this. How on Earth could the Detroit PD do this? And why wouldn’t the VA believe me that I was not in jail? I first thought that I could just call the Detroit jail and handle this myself. I called, explained the situation and even faxed them my social security card, license and other identification. Nothing happened. I eventually learned that they didn’t do anything because they had a person – who they believed was me – in the jail cell! That year the VA had over 26 million identity records stolen. I was unfortunate enough to count myself among them. Someone used my information when they were arrested and this information was entered “into the system”.

Once such an allegation has tarnished your record, it becomes complicated to set things right. This went on for about 3 months. I had little to no money to pay bills, I received an eviction notice, my power was shut off, my grades suffered dramatically and I was becoming frustrated and hopeless. No local VA reps could help, though they tried!

What was I to do?

Finally, someone told me about LegalShield, an affordable/ low-cost solution to any legal matter. I pessimistically called them believing that they couldn’t do anything either. To my great surprise, the matter was resolved within 3 days (seriously, only three days!). I received a call from the VA, apologizing for the confusion and within a week I received back pay. Life was good again.

My own experience and the stories I have heard from the military community, impress upon me the importance, especially for military members, of having access to affordable legal counsel. You may think that your situation does not require a lawyer, but I would strongly suggest that you at least talk to a lawyer to get their opinion and give yourself the peace of mind that having a team of attorneys on your side provides. If you are dealing with a tough situation, NOW is the time to get a lawyer. LegalShield offers the most affordable and comprehensive program I have run across. They turned my whole life around, see if they can do the same for you!

LegalShield
Sometimes your legal situation as a veteran, military member or family member isn't always covered in the free benefits or resources we have. This is why LegalShield is a phenomenal way to help you with any legal situation you have. Now with over 4 million users, LegalShield not only provides legal services in 49 states and 4 Canadian Provinces; but also it provides confidence and peace of mind for military members and families everywhere.

For one low monthly fee our members gain access to quality law firms without having to worry about high hourly costs. Because our attorneys are all paid in advance, they provide the same level of service for trivial or traumatic legal situations. Your monthly membership fee gives you access to a quality law firm in your state. Call about anything you want. It's that simple. Just contact your Provider Law Firm directly to speak with a qualified experienced attorney about any legal issue. We even provide 24/7 access for emergencies. You may phone your local and national rep (Jerry Cohen) at (818) 980-9810 or easily take just 5-minutes to sign up online at:  http://www.legalshieldassociate.com/memapp/jerrycohen
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