Document Type
Poster
Date
4-9-2026
Campus Community
College of Law
Language
English
Disciplines
Military and Veterans Studies | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Description/Abstract
In 2025, Andrew M. Patterson became the first university-based Veterans Benefits Attorney in the U.S., a role established through the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic at Syracuse University College of Law. Andrew is an Army combat Veteran and former Massachusetts State Police Trooper who provides free legal services to the Syracuse University veteran community "” students, faculty, and staff. His practice covers the full spectrum of VA claims, including disability compensation, education benefits (GI Bill, VR&E, Yellow Ribbon), healthcare enrollment, and discharge upgrades. The initiative integrates clinical legal education with institutional support to reduce barriers and improve benefits utilization among veterans. The model is seen as potentially replicable for other universities aiming to strengthen veteran-focused legal services.
Recommended Citation
Patterson, Andrew M. and Kubala, Elizabeth, "The First Dedicated VA Benefits Attorney for Syracuse University Veterans" (2026). Voices of Service Symposium. 43.
https://surface.syr.edu/vos/43
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
