NVLSP — National Veterans Legal Services Program
When a benefits fight stops being paperwork and becomes law, this is the organization that does law. NVLSP is an independent nonprofit of veterans-law attorneys — litigators whose class actions and appeals-court cases have rewritten outcomes for entire classes of veterans, and whose pro bono network puts volunteer lawyers from more than 100 firms on individual cases, free.
- Founded: 1981
- Status: Independent nonprofit veterans service organization (no congressional charter)
- Headquarters: Arlington, Virginia
- Reach, in NVLSP’s own figures: “$7.2B delivered to veterans”; “8,100+ advocates trained”; “98%+ of CAVC cases won”
- Website: nvlsp.org
Who it serves
Veterans, service members, and their families seeking benefits they were wrongfully denied — across discharge upgrades, combat-related special compensation, medical retirement, traumatic injury insurance (TSGLI), burn-pit claims, appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC), and class actions.
What it does — and one boundary stated exactly
- Lawyers Serving Warriors® (LSW) — NVLSP’s pro bono program. It accepts applications in four Department of Defense matters only: (1) discharge upgrades, (2) military medical retirement, (3) Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC), and (4) TSGLI claims. Cases are placed with trained, mentored volunteer attorneys at no cost to the veteran. LSW states plainly that it does not accept VA claims (nor criminal or family law), and it is not a general referral service — a family with a VA disability claim belongs with a service officer first, not here.
- Individual representation before the CAVC — the federal court that reviews VA denials.
- Class actions and law reform — litigation aimed at the rule, not just the case.
- Training and publications — including the Veterans Benefits Manual, the reference much of the accredited-representative world works from.
How a family uses it
- Start at nvlsp.org under “I am a Veteran Looking For — Select a Program.”
- For the four LSW matters: online application, or LSW.intake@nvlsp.org · 202-265-8305, option 5 (leave a detailed message naming which of the four matters applies).
- General: 202-265-8305 · info@nvlsp.org. LSW help is pro bono — no cost to the veteran.
Facts and figures on this page are NVLSP's own, from nvlsp.org, checked October 2026. NVLSP's own site governs what cases it accepts. Corrections: care@bowmanwebservices.com.