Rock Island Today

State Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) recently shared information about free legal assistance for Illinois veterans.

"VETERANS! The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs has announced a new partnership with the National Veterans Legal Services Program to offer incomparable free access to legal representation for Illinois veterans and their families in appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims," McCombie wrote in a Dec. 15 Facebook post.

In her Facebook post, McCombie shared a link from WGLC. That piece shared this info: "The Veterans Legal Services Program is a national nonprofit organization that has worked since 1981 to ensure the government delivers to our nation’s 22 million veterans and active-duty personnel the benefits to which they are entitled because of disabilities resulting from their military service to our country. When disability claims are denied by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans have the right to appeal and the NVLSP offers to represent the veteran or the veteran’s family at no cost. "

According to the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, "When disability claims are denied by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans have the right to appeal to the CAVC. Through this partnership, NVLSP will provide free legal representation in support of appeal cases. This process begins when the NVLSP reviews a case in which a Veteran's appeal to the Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA), the highest authority within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, is denied and determines there are grounds for an appeal to the CAVC. When this occurs, NVLSP offers to represent the veteran or the veteran's family at no cost. This strategic partnership between the IDVA and the NVLSP marks the first time this free legal service is available to Veterans in Illinois. In addition to NVLSP's assistance to veterans with claims appeals, NVLSP will also assist Illinois veterans with discharge upgrades, which will help veterans access benefits they may be wrongfully denied due to a less than honorable discharge."

The National Veterans Legal Services Program "is a national nonprofit organization that has worked since 1981 to ensure that the government delivers to our nation's 22 million veterans and active-duty personnel the benefits to which they are entitled because of disabilities resulting from their military service to our country."

McCombie was elected to represent the 71st District in 2016. She is a lifelong resident of Savanna, and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Western Illinois University. She owns and operates Blue Appraisals and is a real estate broker with MelFoster Company. Her previous political experience includes time as the mayor of Savanna and as a councilwoman on the Savanna City Council.