VLI Supports Student Veterans at St. Pete College

Three young alumni stand with purple shirts promoting Stetson's Veterans Law Institute.
Left to right: Mary Samarkos ’20 and Morgan Zimarakos ’20 of Stetson’s Veterans Law Institute; Vasilios “Billy” Zimarakos ’20

Staff and students with Stetson’s Veterans Law Institute (VLI) and Veterans Advocacy Clinic (VAC) recently ventured to the nearby St. Petersburg College (SPC) Gibbs Campus to help student veterans file disability claims with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The event was coordinated by SPC’s Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions (ISPS).

The day started with two VAC teaching assistants, Valeriya Gilmutdinova and Dietta Hahn, presenting on the basics of a VA disability claim and how to support a claim for service connection.

Stetson VAC students and volunteer attorneys (all VAC alumni) then met with student veterans from SPC and provided direct legal advice on how to secure VA disability benefits for physical and mental-health injuries or conditions incurred in or otherwise caused by their time in service.

Stetson Law has conducted similar events at the primary Stetson University in DeLand, but this event was the first to take place at SPC. ISPS Executive Director Kimberly Jackson, a 2002 Stetson Law alumna, had asked VLI leadership to partner with the nonprofit on a campus event that supports students who are veterans. VLI staff and leadership were happy to oblige.

“Outreach events are exciting because our students have the opportunity to give back to their community by working one on one with local veterans,” said Veterans Advocacy Clinic Interim Director Morgan Zimarakos. “Many veterans do not require full legal representation but still need to be pointed in the right direction. Outreach events allow us to explain how to file claims, what types of evidence to submit, and how to prepare an appeal so that the veterans we work with are empowered to continue the process on their own. Thanks to Kimberly and ISPS for hosting this important event.”

The Stetson team told each of the veterans with whom they met that they could apply for further Veterans Advocacy Clinic services if they wanted continued assistance with their benefits claims.

Learn more about Stetson’s Veterans Law Institute.

Learn more about Stetson’s Veterans Advocacy Clinic.

Post date: Dec. 9

Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
[email protected] | 727-430-1580
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