NW Illinois News

Illinois State Representative Tony McCombie (R) shared information regarding Illinois veteran benefits in a Facebook post published on Thursday.

"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.

The post also contained a link to a WGLC article published on December 12.

"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," the article read. "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."

The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs also shared information regarding disability claims.

"When disability claims are denied by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans have the right to appeal to the CAVC," the organization wrote. "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," they continued.

According to the National Veterans Legal Services Program's official website, the organization "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."

Tony McCombie is a Savanna resident who was elected to represent Illinois' 71st district in 2016. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Western Illinois University and currently owns and operates Blue Appraisals. She also works as a real estate broker with MelFoster Company. Her previous political experience includes serving as the mayor of Savanna, as well as a councilor on the Savanna City Council.