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Resources and Community Support
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Modern Military assists LGBTQ+ and HIV-positive military and veteran community members with referral services and resources to support discharge upgrades, legal name changes, gender marker updates, and a wide range of other legal issues.
Discharge Status Upgrade
- American Bar Association (ABA) Free Legal Answers: Provides answers on VA benefits, discharge upgrades, VA debts and overpayments, correcting or ordering military records, military retirement, and VA pension.
- Department of Defense: Requests for upgrade of discharge characterization.
- MilConnect Portal: Submit requests for DD214, DD215, report of separation, or other release papers.
- Mason Veterans and Service Members Legal Clinic (M-VETS): Provides free representation to service members, veterans, and dependent family members in discharge upgrades, PEB/MEB/Medical Discharge Assistance, and Record Corrections.
- National Veterans Legal Services Program: Get help to upgrade or change your discharge status.
- Presidential Pardon to individuals with court-martial convictions under former Article 125: Find out if you are eligible for a certificate of pardon under the President’s June 26, 2024 proclamation. If you are eligible, contact us to be connected with a pro bono attorney versed in legal work related to presidential pardons.
- Public Counsel: Assists low-income veterans and their caregivers with VA benefits claims and discharge upgrades.
- Swords to Plowshares: DD214 corrections for veterans discharged under DADT and prior policies.
- Veterans Affairs: Instructions on how to apply for a discharge upgrade.
- The Veterans Consortium: Get help with a discharge upgrade or legal name change.
- VetLex: Pro bono legal support for individuals seeking a discharge upgrade or appealing a disability determination by VA.
Name and Gender Markers
- American Bar Association (ABA) Free Legal Answers: Provides answers on VA issues and how to correct military records.
- Birth Certificate Corrections: How to make corrections to your birth certificate
- Trans Legal Defense and Education Fund Name Change Project: Provides pro bono legal name change services to low-income transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary people.
- Trans Legal Services Network Directory from Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE).
- Whitman Walker Name and Gender Change Clinics for the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area.
Disability Claims
- Mason Veterans and Service Members Legal Clinic (M-VETS): Provides free representation to service members, veterans, and dependent family members in pension/dependency, indemnity compensation, PEB/MEB/Medical Discharge Assistance, and Military Pay Entitlements.
- The Lewis B. Puller Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic: Assists disabled veterans in obtaining the disability compensation and medical benefits to which veterans are entitled.
- National Organization of Veterans Advocates (NOVA): Directory of legal advocates who support veterans on VA disability claims or appeals.
- Public Counsel: Assists low-income veterans and their caregivers with VA benefits claims.
- VetLex: Pro bono legal support for individuals appealing a disability determination by VA.
Housing, Financial, and other Civil Issues
- American Bar Association (ABA) Pro Bono Project: Helping military members and their families with civil legal issues.
- ABA Home Front Directory: A list of free and low-cost legal service programs available to assist veterans, service members and their families.
- Fair Housing Act: Information about protections for gender identity and sexual orientation.
- Mason Veterans and Service Members Legal Clinic (M-VETS): Provides free representation to service members, veterans, and dependent family members in family and civil matters.
- Military OneSource: Legal and financial considerations for LGBTQ service members.
- National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR): State by state directory of direct service programs for low-income LGBT clients.
- Trans Legal Services Network Directory from Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE).
- U.S. Armed Forces Legal Services Locator: active duty legal activities offering general legal services within the continental United States.
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Information about the enforcement of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act against sex discrimination for LGBTQ+ people.
- Whitman Walker: Helps LGBTQ+ or people living with HIV legal support on health insurance appeals, work disputes, discrimination, Social Security disability applications and appeals, public benefits appeals (ADAP, Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP/Food Stamps), immigration matters, powers of attorney and wills, elder issues, medical privacy, and identity documents for trans and gender expansive clients, among other problems.
Justice-Involved Issues
- Veterans Justice Outreach Program: Helps justice-involved veterans access VA health care services.
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Thanks to modern science, there is no legitimate reason to deny people living with HIV from enlisting in the military or service members living with HIV the ability to continue to serve their country without arbitrary restrictions on their assignments and ability to deploy. Major advances in the treatment of HIV have rendered the virus untransmittable. Modern Military is working to ensure that the DoD’s HIV policy is consistently implemented and without significant barriers.
Resources
- AETC HIV Medication Assistance Programs
- HIV.gov resources
- Navy Medical HIV Prevention Resources
- NIH: HIV and AIDS Resources
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health: HIV/AIDS and PrEP Resources
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs HIV Resources
Policies and Research
- BMC Public Health Journal 2021 article: The 3 levels of HIV stigma in the United States military: perspectives from service members living with HIV
- Congressional Research Service: HIV/AIDS in the military 2023 report
- Georgia National Guard 2022 policy for soldiers living with HIV
- Department of Defense 2022 memorandum regarding HIV+ personnel within the military
- Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program
- Department of Defense Instruction: HIV in Military Service Members
- Military Health System: HIV Pre-exposure prophylaxis toolkits
- Military Times: Court ruling ends ban on joining military for people living with HIV
- Tricare HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment FAQ
- U.S. Army Human Resources Command HIV Policy
- U.S. Military Health HIV Research Program
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- Air Force LGBTQ+ Initiatives Team (LIT)
- American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER): Advocates and serves the needs of America’s LGBT armed forces veterans with information, referral, and limited legal consultation regarding VA benefits claims
- Blue Alliance: U.S. Air Force LGBTQ+ support network
- Folx Mutual Aid Funds Resource List: A list of mutual aid funds and scholarships for everything from binders to gender-affirming surgery and from groceries to legal aid
- Disabled American Veterans (DAV): Resources and Services for LGBTQ+ Veterans
- Healing Warrior Hearts: LGBTQ+ retreats
- Knights Out: LGBTQ+ West Point alumni and their allies
- PFLAG At Ease: Support for Military Families with LGBTQ+ Children and Teens
- U.S. Department of Defense: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Resources
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: VHA LGBTQ+ Health Program
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Directory of LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinators
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Center for Minority Vets
- Military Health System and Defense Health Agency: Transgender and Gender Diverse Healthcare Services
- National Veterans’ Training Institute a DOL Vets Program: LGBTQ+ Resources
- SPARTA: A Transgender Military Advocacy Organization
- Transgender American Veterans Association (TAVA)
- Transgender and Diverse Veterans of America (TDVA)
- U.S. Coast Guard Spectrum chapters
- U.S. Navy: LGBTQ+ Resources
- Veteran Crisis Line: Information about the specific challenges and risks that LGBT Veterans face, and how to communicate concern to connect in advance of a crisis
- Veteran Crisis Line: Dial 988 then press 3 for LGBTQ+ specific care or text 838255
Regional Community Resources
- CALVET: California LGBTQ+ Veterans Resources
- D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center: Washington D.C. Center Military Google Group
- D.C. Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs
- D.C. ServingTogether: D.C. region first care coordination services
- Maryland Department of Veterans and Military Families: LGBTQ+ Resources
- Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency: LGBTQ+ Resources
- NYC Department of Veterans’ Resources: LGBTQ+ Resources
- Upstate New York SAGEVets: Promotes the well-being of older gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning people in CNY through health programs, socials, support groups, & education.
- Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs: LGBTQ+ Veterans Program
- Portland Pride: Portland, Oregon LGBTQ+ Veteran Village
- State of Rhode Island Office of Veterans Services: LGBT Veteran Care
- Stonewall Columbus Ohio: LGBTQ+ Veterans
- Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs: LGBTQ+ Resources
- Washington State Forward Operating Base (FOB) HOPE: Veterans’ Resources
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