Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) Program

Q: How are my VHA benefits affected if I am incarcerated? 

VHA generally may not provide the medical benefits package to a Veteran who is incarcerated. 38 C.F.R. § 17.38(c)(5). 

Q: How is my VBA affected if I am convicted and incarcerated? 

Incarcerated Veterans - Veterans –VA Benefits;  Incarcerated Veterans 

Justice Involved Veterans  - VA Fact Sheet related to VA SC or NSC Pension benefits, once convicted of a felony and imprisoned for more than 60 days, notify the VBA that they are incarcerated, or they may have to pay money back to VBA. 

Q: How do I restate my VBA benefits once released from prison after conviction over 60 days?  

Submit Form 21-4138  to the VBA with a copy of prison or jail release paperwork.  The information can be faxed to the VBA Claims Intake Center at .  A veteran can call the VBA at 1- with questions and to check the status of the reinstatement.   

• Home - Land of Lincoln  Legal Advice and Referral Center . Provides eligible low income and senior residents of central and southern IL with civil legal services in order to obtain and maintain their basic needs. Illinois: ONLY CIVIL (Housing, Family, Consumer/debt, public benefits/health, Services for Seniors/Disabled, sealing/expungement.)
• Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network (IL-AFLAN)  855-IL-AFLAN  IL-AFLAN: Free Legal Aid for Illinois Armed Forces    A statewide hotline that provides legal information, advice, brief services, and referrals to veterans, service members, National Guard, reservists, and their spouses and dependents. The hotline acts as the hub of the network.

• Illinois Legal Aid   About ILAO ;  Illinois Legal Aid Online   The Legal Self-Help Center provides legal information to St. Clair County residents about their legal rights and responsibilities, instructions on how to handle common legal problems, assistance with some legal documents and forms, and referrals to free and low-cost legal services.  

  Madison County IL Self-Help Center Courthouse 155 North Main Street, Edwardsville IL 62025 ; St. Clair County Legal Self-Help Center, Courthouse Law Library, 10 Public Square, Belleville, IL 62220; .

  DISCLAIMER: VA assumes no responsibility for the professional ability or integrity of the organizations whose names appear on this list. This referral does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by VA. Each resource has their own set of eligibility requirements and legal services they may provide.  

• Legal Services of Eastern Missouri  . Civil legal services to low income: Housing, public benefits, Family-domestic abuse or violence, consumer, and Veteran owned small businesses and non-profits. Legal Clinic at St. Louis Public Library - Central Branch - Legal Services of Eastern Missouri. 
• Catholic Charities Legal Assistance/St. Francis Community Services .  Legal assistance in civil matters to impoverished people who cannot afford to hire an attorney. Family, Guardianship, immigration, housing.  Veterans Advocacy Project | St. Francis Community Services  .  St. Francis Veterans Advocacy Project provides legal representation to our Veterans living in the St. Louis region. Through this project, St. Francis provides legal aid to low-income and homeless Veterans. 
• Kaufman Veterans Legal Referral Program:  . 90 mile STL radius of STL Arch.  Free or Low Cost Legal Assistance for Veterans Program strives to fill the gap in legal services available to Vets. We provide assistance to those who do not qualify for aid from other agencies through referrals to volunteer attorneys in private practice. Divorce, Legal Separation, Modification, Paternity, Contempt, including Child Custody, Support & Maintenance, Guardianship, Adoption; Criminal, including Felonies, Misdemeanor’s, Traffic, in State, County and Municipal Court; Landlord/Tenant, Rent & Possession, Evictions, Creditor/Debtor Rights & Bankruptcy; Employ/Labor Law; Wills, Trusts, Probate, other. 
• Arch City Defenders:  A holistic legal advocacy organization that combats the criminalization of poverty and state violence. Application for Services, please call 314-361-8834 
•  [AG1]Please add resource 
• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)   or 652-3114.  Defends civil liberties and the principles of equality and justice in MO litigation, legislative & public education programs.                                 
• STL Civil Rights Enforcement:  STL City   Civil Rights Enforcement Agency ;    Regional offices CIVIL RIGHTS INFORMATION

• St. Louis University School of Law:  Legal Clinics: SLU  (Children’s Permanency, Civil Advocacy, Criminal Defense, Entrepreneurship and Community Development, Human Rights ) 

  DISCLAIMER: VA assumes no responsibility for the professional ability or integrity of the organizations whose names appear on this list. This referral does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by VA. Each resource has their own set of eligibility requirements and legal services they may provide.  

• IL:  Expungement & Sealing Information and Forms
• MO: Understanding Missouri’s New Expungement Law - Your Missouri Lawyers 
• MO: Expungement Forms (mo.gov)  -- includes forms as well as which offenses are not eligible. 
• Expungement - ArchCity Defenders   Restart Expungement Program to assist individuals seeking to remove past convictions or arrests from their records. Apply for Services - ArchCity Defenders 

• Home - Land of Lincoln  Legal Advice and Referral Center . Provides eligible low income and senior residents of central and southern IL with civil legal services in order to obtain and maintain their basic needs. Illinois: ONLY CIVIL
• Kaufman Veterans Legal Referral Program:  . 90 mile STL radius of STL Arch.  Free or Low Cost Legal Assistance for Veterans Program strives to fill the gap in legal services available to Veterans. We provide assistance to those who do not qualify for aid from other agencies through referrals to volunteer attorneys in private practice.
• IL Courts:  Family | Office of the Illinois Courts
• IL Courts:  Approved Statewide Standardized forms
• Legal Services of Eastern Missouri  . Civil legal services to low income: Housing, public benefits, Family-domestic abuse or violence, consumer, and Veteran owned small businesses and non-profits. Legal Clinic at St. Louis Public Library - Central Branch - Legal Services of Eastern Missouri. 
• Catholic Charities Legal Assistance/St. Francis Community Services .  Legal assistance in civil matters to impoverished people who cannot afford to hire an attorney. Family, Guardianship, immigration, housing.  Veterans Advocacy Project | St. Francis Community Services  .
• Veterans Advocacy Project | St. Francis Community Services  .  St. Francis Veterans Advocacy Project provides legal representation to our Veterans living in the St. Louis region. Through this project, St. Francis provides legal aid to low-income and homeless Veterans. 
• MO Courts: Dissolution of Marriage
• MO Courts: Family Law Forms 
• Petition for Child Custody and Support (mo.gov)
• Fathers & Families Support Center, which also has a legal clinic for those who use their services.

• Home - Land of Lincoln  Legal Advice and Referral Center . Provides eligible low income and senior residents of central and southern IL with civil legal services in order to obtain and maintain their basic needs. Illinois: ONLY CIVIL
• Legal Services of Eastern Missouri  . Civil legal services to low income: Housing, public benefits, Family-domestic abuse or violence, consumer, and Veteran owned small businesses and non-profits. 
• Kaufman Veterans Legal Referral Program:  . 90 mile STL radius of STL Arch.  Free or Low Cost Legal Assistance for Veterans Program strives to fill the gap in legal services available to Veterans. We provide assistance to those who do not qualify for aid from other agencies through referrals to volunteer attorneys in private practice.
• National Veteran Financial Resource Center
• Credit Building - Justine Petersen
• IL: Consumer Protection  Office of the IL Attorney General 
• MO: Consumer Law Program - Legal Services of Eastern Missouri; deceptive car dealers, abusive debt collectors, illegal evictions, unlawful lender practices, unfair retail practices, etc.
• Missouri Attorney General Consumer Protection 1- Access form to submit online.
• Missouri Veterans Commission | Will Clinic Reservation Form ;  as scheduled
• St. Louis Bankruptcy Pro Se Assistance is designed to help individuals without an attorney to answer legal questions about bankruptcy, including how bankruptcy may be used to help prevent foreclosure. The PSAP provides self-represented (a.k.a, pro se) debtors with an opportunity to meet with a volunteer private attorney for a free 30-minute consultation.
• Wash U Low Income Taxpayer Clinic
• 12 places that offer free wills or trusts for Veterans - VA News 
• IL Department of Labor: Employment related complaints
• MO Department of Labor: Discrimination Complaint:  . 

• IL: Housing Law - Land of Lincoln  Free civil legal services to low-income and seniors, including housing law in central and southern IL.
• IL: Eviction Help Illinois: free legal aid, mediation services, and connections to other resources to increase housing stability. 
• MO: Legal Services of Eastern MO (LSEM)  includes an online & printable Tenant Toolkit. 
• MO Eviction Fact Sheet 
• MO Tenant Help:  Eviction Defense Document Engine asks you questions and uses your answers to complete your court forms. Home - Missouri Tenant Help
• Catholic Charities Legal Assistance/St. Francis Community Services .  Legal assistance in civil matters to impoverished people who cannot afford to hire an attorney.  Veterans Advocacy Project | St. Francis Community Services  .  
• St. Francis Veterans Advocacy Project provides legal representation to our Veterans living in the St. Louis region. Through this project, St. Francis provides legal aid to low-income and homeless Veterans. 
• Kaufman Veteran Legal Referral Program: . 90 mile STL radius of STL Arch.
• Veteran Legal Referral Program:  .   90 mile STL radius of STL Arch. 
• Metro STL Equal Housing & Opportunity Council: Private, not-for-profit fair housing enforcement agency working to end illegal housing discrimination in the Metro STL MO/IL. Fact sheets.
• HUD’s Fair Housing Hotline 1-. 
• Conflict Resolution Center- STL Mediation: Neighborhood, landlord-tenant, tenant-tenant, roommate/Housemate, citizen/police. 

• IL: Need Legal Help? | Illinois State Bar Association   (isba.org)
• IL:  Public Defender Directory
• MO Courts: Information about Finding and Hiring a Lawyer
• MO: Lawyer Referral Service of the Missouri Bar
• MO Bar: Discounted& Pro Bono Services:  
• MO: How to Apply for Services | Missouri State Public Defender
• The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis: St. Louis Lawyer Search
• Finding Legal Help | Stateside Legal
• Free 24/7 Support for Military Life | Military OneSource 
• ABA Military Pro Bono Project Helping Military Members and Their Families with Civil Legal Issues

• Register online to receive free, basic legal advice about non-criminal issues.   Missouri or Illinois    
• IL Bar: Legal Information | Illinois State Bar Association
• Illinois Court Help Illinois Court Help has guides to help you understand and go through the court process in IL. Call .
• MO Bar: legal topic guides  
• Topics | Missouri Legal Services

• VA- How to apply for discharge upgrade
• Veterans Law Clinic - WashU Law - The Veterans Law Clinic is dedicated to helping St. Louis area Veterans request discharge upgrades and correction of military records.
• University of Missouri School of Law Veterans Clinic: What We Do // Veterans Clinic  Under the supervision of experienced attorneys, law students help veterans – free of charge – with discharge upgrades and Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation claims. 
• Veterans Consortium:  Discharge upgrade program.
• The Mason Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic (M-VETS) at George Mason University provides pro bono legal services concerning VA Disability/Benefits appeals, Discharge Review Boards, and Boards for Correction of Military Records for all veterans regardless of location. Applications can be submitted online.

• St. Louis VA Regional Office: 9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63132  VSO direct numbers: 
• Jefferson Barrack and John Cochran onsite VSO’s:  (DAV): ext. 56382; (AL): ext. 54141 (VFW): ext. 56382 or ext. 66985; (AMVETS): ext. 54140
•  VA accredited representative FAQ’s 
•  OGC - Accreditation Search (va.gov)
• IL: VSO Locator County List
• IL: LOCATIONS | IACVAC Illinois Association of County Veterans Assistance Commissions 
• Missouri Veteran Service Officer Locator (arcgis.com)
• Missouri Veterans Commission - Veterans Service

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: Domestic Violence Support | National Domestic Violence Hotline 1- 
• Crime Victim Center: or STL Helpline: ; Legal Assistance:
• Safe Connections:  The Mission of Safe Connections is to reduce the impact and incidence of relationship violence and sexual assault through education, crisis intervention, counseling, and support services.   
• IL: Helping Crime Victims Assistance Line: 1- 
•  Illinois Attorney General - Safer Communities: Defending Rights,  advocating for women, children, older citizens, communities, protecting consumers, helping crime victims, etc.

*VA St. Louis Health Care System Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program(IPVAP)  Paula Hostetter or John Dalton  Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program (IPVAP) - VHA Social Work

Tap in Center | St. Louis County Library:    The St. Louis County Library partners with several justice-involved organizations to provide a Tap In Center to help individuals recall bench warrants and connect with local support services. STL county and STL City .

• St. Louis area online resource   
• The Missouri Attorney General’s – Defenders – Military Legal Assistance Team | Attorney General's Office of Missouri  - program works to aid active duty servicemembers and military on several different legal issues pro bono. 

Unlike traditional criminal courts, the primary purpose of a VTC is not to determine whether a defendant is guilty of an offense, but rather to ensure that he or she receives treatment to address unmet clinical needs. The  VA St. Louis Health Care System partners with seven  Veterans Treatment Courts. Six of these courts work with Veteran participants prior to any sentence, either on a pre-plea (diversion with charges dismissed upon successful graduation) or post-plea (“guilty” plea required with outcome agreed upon beforehand) basis.  Visit the Justice for Vets site to learn more about Veterans Treatment Courts. VJP does not attempt to influence criminal justice outcomes, such as charging decisions made by a judge, or to otherwise advocate for or represent a Veteran as would their attorney.

• Madison County IL Veterans Treatment Court:  This court adjudicates cases for Veteran participants in the Illinois 3rd Judicial Circuit (Madison County). The court typically considers both a pre-post adjudicatory cases with felony and misdemeanor cases that have a substance abuse or mental health disorder. Justice-Involved Veterans with current charges and awaiting case disposition should contact their attorney to discuss their options. For more information, have your attorney contact the prosecutor assigned to your case about screening or contact the Treatment Court Coordinator at . 
• St. Clair County IL Veterans Treatment Court: This court adjudicates cases for Veteran participants in the Illinois 20th Judicial Circuit (St. Clair County).  The court typically considers probation able felony or misdemeanor offenses and assessed as having a mental health and/or substance use disorder. For more information, have your attorney complete the court's referral form.  For questions, contact Veteran Treatment Court Coordinator Sidney Williams   or sidney.williams@co.st-clair.il.us. 
• Jefferson County Veterans Treatment Court: This court adjudicates cases for Veteran participants in the Missouri 23rd Judicial Circuit (Jefferson County).  The court typically accepts non-violent felony cases, but the team will consider any application on a case-by-case basis. Veterans or their attorneys may contact Treatment Court Coordinator Trish Hutson at or Trish.Bell@courts.mo.gov to initiate screening or for more information.
• St. Charles Veterans Treatment Court: This court adjudicates cases for Veteran participants in the Missouri 11th Judicial Circuit (St. Charles County).  The court typically accepts non-violent felony cases on either a pre-plea or post-plea basis.  However, the team will consider any application on a case-by-case basis. Veterans  who are interested should reach out to their attorney, or if they do not have an attorney, speak directly to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to determine eligibility.
• St. Louis City Veteran Treatment Court: This court adjudicates cases for Veteran participants in the Missouri 22nd Judicial Circuit (St. Louis City). This court takes non-violent felony cases on a pre or post plea basis. However, all applicants are considered on a case by case basis. As with the other courts, the veteran must have an attorney. Veterans interested in the treatment court should discuss this with their attorney, who then brings it before the court. 
• St. Louis County Veteran Treatment Court: This court adjudicates cases for Veteran participants in the Missouri 21st Judicial Circuit (St. Louis County). This court adjudicates cases for Veteran participants in the Missouri 22nd Judicial Circuit (St. Louis City). This court takes non-violent felony cases on a pre or post plea basis. However, all applicants are considered on a case by case basis. As with the other courts, the veteran must have an attorney. Veterans interested in the treatment court should discuss this with their attorney, who then brings it before the court.
• Eastern District of Missouri US District (Federal) Veterans Reentry Court: Unlike the other VTCs, the Federal Reentry Court works with Veteran participants after they have been sentenced in federal criminal cases and upon the completion of any incarceration that is part of that sentence.  Participation in this court is an alternative to traditional post-release supervision (parole), offering the incentive of a shorter time on supervision but with more engagement and treatment requirements.  While the team constantly screens new supervision cases for potential candidates, interested Veterans or their representatives may contact Reentry Court Probation Officer John Wolf at or John_Wolf@moep.uscourts.gov to initiate screening or obtain more information.

The HCRV meets with veterans in prison to check the Veteran’s eligibility for VA services and assess the Veteran’s needs and preferences.  HCRV helps Veterans utilize VA services that include, but are not limited to, VA homeless programs, mental health care, substance use care, and health care when the veteran is released.  The following Correctional Centers (prisons) are visited in person by the VA St. Louis HCRV:

Illinois:  Graham, Centralia, Vandalia, Jacksonville, Southwestern Illinois, Greenville (federal). Missouri:  Farmington, ERDCC (Bonne Terre), MECC (Pacific), Potosi

HCRV:  Keith Suedmeyer, LCSW  Keith.Suedmeyer@va.gov    

Jail Outreach: VJOs provide screenings and linkage to care for Veterans prior to release from incarceration. VJOs are not able to provide assessment and treatment to Veterans who are incarcerated.

NOTE: In many communities, State Department of Corrections and local county and city law enforcement agencies have partnered with VA to use the Veterans Reentry Search Service (VRSS) to identify these Veterans. For more information on VRSS see: https://vrss.va.gov/. This is an internal VA website that is not available to the public.

First Responder/Law Enforcement Outreach: VJOs provide outreach to Veterans, interfacing with first responders and law enforcement. VJOs also provide training to first responders and law enforcement on Veterans’ specific needs and resources.

NOTE: In many communities, the State Department of Corrections and local county and city law enforcement agencies have partnered with VA to use the Veterans Reentry Search Service (VRSS) to identify these Veterans. For more information on VRSS, see: https://vrss.va.gov/. This is an internal VA website that is not available to the public.