Free legal help for veterans next month

Military veterans with legal problems or questions can attend a free legal clinic next month. Lawyers who specialize in child support, employment, benefits, debt collection and other issues will be on hand for one-on-one consultations with veterans.

The drop-in clinic is being organized by the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans. Council program director Nathaniel Saltz said many veterans whose income has declined are struggling to pay child support.

"In recent surveys," he said, "unmet child support legal assistance has been one of the top needs for homeless veterans and one of the top barriers and so this comes out of that need."

Saltz added that child support problems can even help push veterans into homelessness.

"When a veteran is not receiving the same income that their child support is based on for several years, and so that they are so far behind on child support that their housing stability becomes an issue, we look at modifying [it] so that it's affordable."

The clinic will be held Jan. 8 at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis.

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