Bay Pines VA Healthcare System
Leaders Sign Monumental Agreement Ushering in New Legal Service for Veterans
March 23, 2017
BAY PINES, FL – With a stroke of pen, the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System (VAHCS) and several local law partners ushered in a new legal program for Veterans during an agreement signing ceremony last month at the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center.
During the event, dozens of leaders from the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, Stetson University Veterans Law Institute, Bay Area Legal Services, and Gulf Coast Legal Services gathered to recognize the start of the new Medical-Legal Partnership program – an achievement many months in the making.
“Today’s celebration at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System of our Medical-Legal Partnership represents an amazing start to the services Veterans and their families will receive here from our law partners and Stetson University,” said Suzanne M. Klinker, Director, Bay Pines VAHCS.
“[The program] is a terrific collaboration with our community in service to America’s heroes, and it makes a big difference for them and for us in helping them support their health outcomes and reach their goals,” she said.
MLP is a new program available at the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center designed specifically for Veterans enrolled for care in our healthcare system who are in need of legal representation and/or consultation for non-criminal offenses, who may not otherwise be able to afford legal representation.
Services available to Veterans through the new program range from Veterans benefits and Social Security Disability, to family law, guardianship, landlord-tenant disputes and elder law.
The service is available to Veterans every Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center, building 100, room 1E-241.
For more information, or to schedule an appointment, please call 727-398-9592 or visit www.baypines.va.gov/services/MLP.asp.
About Bay Visions News Brief
Bay Visions News Brief is a video news product line developed by the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System Office of Public Affairs and Medical Media Services. The news videos complement Bay Visions - a quarterly magazine distributed to Veterans, family members, VA employees and Volunteers, members of the general public and other stakeholders. For questions about Bay Visions News Brief or to share a story, please contact the Office of Public Affairs at vhabaypublicaffairs@va.gov.
- To view our other news products and publications please visit: baypines.va.gov/news/Publications.asp
- To view our ongoing video series titled Veteran Viewpoint, visit: baypines.va.gov/news/Viewpoint.asp
About the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System
The Bay Pines VAHCS is one of the nation’s leading VA healthcare systems, employing more than 4,000 medical professionals and support staff dedicated to providing the very best care to Veterans residing in southwest Florida. The organization is the fifth busiest VA health care system in the country in terms of patients served and is accredited by The Joint Commission, Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, and several other nationally recognized accrediting organizations. The Bay Pines VAHCS operates nine facilities to include the main medical center located in Bay Pines and outpatient clinics located in Bradenton, Cape Coral, Naples, Palm Harbor, Port Charlotte, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, and Sebring. To learn more, please visit www.baypines.va.gov, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/vabaypines, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/vabaypines.
