/ en /ray <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Ray: Dignity for Senior Veteran </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sierra-chacona…</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2026-02-02T10:34:09-05:00" title="Monday, February 2, 2026 - 10:34" class="datetime">Mon, 02/02/2026 - 10:34</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-summary field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item">Air Force vet Ray Haag lived a modest but secure life with his Social Security and veterans’ benefits. But when a serious illness forced him into a nursing home, he quickly found himself overwhelmed by debt.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph-types field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><div class="paragraph paragraph--text-and-image paragraph--text-and-image--default paragraph--type--text-and-image paragraph--view-mode--default align-left" id="meet-ray" data-title="Meet Ray"> <div class="paragraph--content"> <div class="paragraph--column"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div> <img src="/sites/default/files/styles/hero/public/2026-02/gettyimages-2203781382.jpg?itok=WEd4_EAG" width="500" height="500" alt="Ray" loading="lazy" class="image-style-hero"> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph--column"> <h2>Meet Ray</h2> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-long-description field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Ray didn’t anticipate living the remainder of his life in a nursing home. But that’s the situation he found himself in after an unexpected medical event left him unable to care for himself. The sharp rise in medical costs left him with just $50 per month – not nearly enough to cover his credit card payments. When the credit card company sued Ray for over $20,000 in debt, Ray turned to Legal Aid of Western Ohio. His attorney stepped in, explained Ray’s circumstances, and worked with the creditor to resolve the case. The debt was waived, and the lawsuit was dismissed. With the financial burden lifted, Ray can now focus on his health and live with dignity.</p></div> </div> </div> <div class="text-respect fade-in-right"> <img src="themes/lsc/img/decor/respect.svg" alt> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--full-width-image-cta paragraph--full-width-image-cta--default paragraph--type--full-width-image-cta paragraph--view-mode--default" style="background-image: url('/sites/default/files/2026-02/gettyimages-522876102-170667a.jpg');" id="one-in-10-veterans-live-in-poverty-and-is-eligible-for-lsc-services." data-title="One in 10 veterans live in poverty and is eligible for ¿ìèÊÓƵ services." data-original-title="One in 10 veterans live in poverty and is eligible for ¿ìèÊÓƵ services."> <div class="paragraph--content"> <div class="full-width-image-cta__content"> <div class="field field--name-field-plain-title field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">One in 10 veterans live in poverty and is eligible for ¿ìèÊÓƵ services.</div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-long-description field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>More than 75% of low-income veteran households experienced at least one civil legal problem in the last 12 months.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-double-call-to-action field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--call-to-action paragraph--call-to-action--default paragraph--type--call-to-action paragraph--view-mode--default" id="call_to_action" data-title="call to action" data-original-title="call to action"> <div class="field field--name-field-call-to-action field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--link paragraph--link--default paragraph--type--link paragraph--view-mode--default" id="link" data-title="link" data-original-title="link"> <div class="field field--name-field-link field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://lsc-live.app.box.com/s/49bj9q5qj55fd5hknszo8haf66z85qqz">Learn more about ¿ìèÊÓƵ's commitment to our nation's veterans</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--double-cta paragraph--double-cta--default paragraph--type--double-cta paragraph--view-mode--default" id="learn-about-ohio" data-title="Learn About Ohio" data-original-title="Learn About Ohio"> <div class="paragraph--column"> <h2>Learn About Ohio</h2> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-long-description field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Learn about the civil legal needs impacting the state of Ohio.</p><img data-entity-uuid="851e933b-fac8-4659-a0f7-122d1d0fbc51" data-entity-type="file" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/ohio%20state.png" height="60" alt width="60" loading="lazy"></div> <div class="field field--name-field-call-to-action field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--call-to-action paragraph--call-to-action--default paragraph--type--call-to-action paragraph--view-mode--default" id="call_to_action" data-title="call to action" data-original-title="call to action"> <div class="field field--name-field-call-to-action field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--link paragraph--link--default paragraph--type--link paragraph--view-mode--default" id="link" data-title="link" data-original-title="link"> <div class="field field--name-field-link field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="/grants/our-grantees/ohio-state-profile">Learn About Ohio</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph--column"> <h2>Learn About Legal Aid of Western Ohio</h2> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-long-wysiwyg field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Learn about ¿ìèÊÓƵ grantee, Legal Aid of Western Ohio.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-secondary-cta field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--call-to-action paragraph--call-to-action--default paragraph--type--call-to-action paragraph--view-mode--default" id="call_to_action" data-title="call to action" data-original-title="call to action"> <div class="field field--name-field-call-to-action field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--link paragraph--link--default paragraph--type--link paragraph--view-mode--default" id="link" data-title="link" data-original-title="link"> <div class="field field--name-field-link field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="/grants/our-grantees/legal-aid-western-ohio-inc-program-profile">Learn About Legal Aid of Western Ohio</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-client-stories field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field field--name-field-client-stories field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items field__tags"> <a href="/taxonomy/term/192" hreflang="en">Veterans</a> <a href="/taxonomy/term/27" hreflang="en">Elder Law</a> </div> </div> Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:34:09 +0000 sierra-chacona@lsc.gov 4761 at /larry <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Larry: Senior Veteran Resolves VA Debt</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sierra-chacona…</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2025-03-26T16:42:17-04:00" title="Wednesday, March 26, 2025 - 16:42" class="datetime">Wed, 03/26/2025 - 16:42</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-summary field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item">A senior Navy veteran and his wife faced possible homelessness when a VA overpayment threatened to garnish his income. An ¿ìèÊÓƵ-funded medical-legal partnership discovered the overpayment was due to error and cleared the debt, giving Larry peace of mind. </div> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph-types field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><div class="paragraph paragraph--text-and-image paragraph--text-and-image--default paragraph--type--text-and-image paragraph--view-mode--default align-right" id="meet-larry" data-title="Meet Larry"> <div class="paragraph--content"> <div class="paragraph--column"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-oembed-video field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item"><iframe src="/media/oembed?url=https%3A//vimeo.com/956155524%3Fshare%3Dcopy&amp;max_width=0&amp;max_height=0&amp;hash=B6c3pV3vkT_EF_fEiFxtsbERkTuWrf8wRAvUj3_SoSE" width="426" height="224" class="media-oembed-content" loading="eager" title="SLLS-LARRY-SAVAGE-V1001"></iframe> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph--column"> <h2>Meet Larry</h2> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-long-description field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><span class="TextRun SCXW23159665 BCX0 NormalTextRun" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;-webkit-user-drag:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;user-select:text;" data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">Larry Savage, a 70-year-old U.S. Navy veteran, was assessed a $52,000 overpayment by the VA and was facing having most of his social security check garnished, which would have left him homeless. He reached out to the medical-legal partnership at the New Orleans VA for help. They worked with Southeast Louisiana Legal Services to uncover that the debt was due to a technical error at the VA. Through their representation, they were able to resolve the debt and zero out the balance for Mr. Savage. He recommends that other low-income veterans with problems seek help from legal services.</span><span class="EOP SCXW23159665 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}">&nbsp;</span></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-call-to-action field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--call-to-action paragraph--call-to-action--default paragraph--type--call-to-action paragraph--view-mode--default" id="call_to_action" data-title="call to action" data-original-title="call to action"> <div class="field field--name-field-call-to-action field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--link paragraph--link--default paragraph--type--link paragraph--view-mode--default" id="link" data-title="link" data-original-title="link"> <div class="field field--name-field-link field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://vimeo.com/956155524?share=copy">Watch on Vimeo</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="text-respect fade-in-right"> <img src="themes/lsc/img/decor/respect.svg" alt> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--full-width-image-cta paragraph--full-width-image-cta--default paragraph--type--full-width-image-cta paragraph--view-mode--default" style="background-image: url('/sites/default/files/2025-04/gettyimages-2165691722.jpg');" id="one-in-three-low-income-veterans-needs-legal-help.-" data-title="One in three low-income veterans needs legal help. " data-original-title="One in three low-income veterans needs legal help. "> <div class="paragraph--content"> <div class="full-width-image-cta__content"> <div class="field field--name-field-plain-title field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">One in three low-income veterans needs legal help. </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-long-description field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><span class="TextRun SCXW155531622 BCX0 NormalTextRun" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;-webkit-user-drag:none;margin:0px;padding:0px;user-select:text;" data-contrast="auto" xml:lang="EN-US" lang="EN-US">In 2022, 76% of low-income veteran households experienced at least one civil legal problem in the previous year. Only 16% of these received enough legal help to resolve the issue.</span><span class="EOP SCXW155531622 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{}">&nbsp;</span></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-double-call-to-action field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--call-to-action paragraph--call-to-action--default paragraph--type--call-to-action paragraph--view-mode--default" id="call_to_action" data-title="call to action" data-original-title="call to action"> <div class="field field--name-field-call-to-action field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--link paragraph--link--default paragraph--type--link paragraph--view-mode--default" id="link" data-title="link" data-original-title="link"> <div class="field field--name-field-link field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://justicegap.lsc.gov/">Learn More about the Justice Gap in America</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--double-cta paragraph--double-cta--default paragraph--type--double-cta paragraph--view-mode--default" id="learn-about-louisiana" data-title="Learn About Louisiana" data-original-title="Learn About Louisiana"> <div class="paragraph--column"> <h2>Learn About Louisiana</h2> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-long-description field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Learn about the civil legal needs impacting the state of Louisiana.</p><img data-entity-uuid="736473bd-960d-4176-aa9c-65e54b998148" data-entity-type="file" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/louisiana%20map.png" height="150" width="150" alt="louisiana map" class="align-center" loading="lazy"></div> <div class="field field--name-field-call-to-action field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--call-to-action paragraph--call-to-action--default paragraph--type--call-to-action paragraph--view-mode--default" id="call_to_action" data-title="call to action" data-original-title="call to action"> <div class="field field--name-field-call-to-action field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--link paragraph--link--default paragraph--type--link paragraph--view-mode--default" id="link" data-title="link" data-original-title="link"> <div class="field field--name-field-link field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="/grants/our-grantees/louisiana-state-profile">Learn About Louisiana</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="paragraph--column"> <h2>Learn About Southeast Louisiana Legal Services</h2> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-long-wysiwyg field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Learn about ¿ìèÊÓƵ grantee, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-secondary-cta field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--call-to-action paragraph--call-to-action--default paragraph--type--call-to-action paragraph--view-mode--default" id="call_to_action" data-title="call to action" data-original-title="call to action"> <div class="field field--name-field-call-to-action field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--link paragraph--link--default paragraph--type--link paragraph--view-mode--default" id="link" data-title="link" data-original-title="link"> <div class="field field--name-field-link field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="/grants/our-grantees/southeast-louisiana-legal-services-corporation-program-profile">Learn About SLLS</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-client-stories field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field field--name-field-client-stories field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items field__tags"> <a href="/taxonomy/term/192" hreflang="en">Veterans</a> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-state-or-territory field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/58" hreflang="en">Louisiana</a></div> Wed, 26 Mar 2025 20:42:17 +0000 sierra-chacona@lsc.gov 4594 at