Moylan Raises Awareness of New Legal Hotline Available to Veterans

DES PLAINES, Ill. – Illinois veterans, active-duty service members, reservists and their dependents now have access to free legal help for consumer, housing and family law issues through a statewide hotline and network of legal support services launched earlier this month and made possible by legislation passed by state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines.

“This new hotline will help give our brave servicemen and women the legal services they need to protect themselves and their family,” Moylan said. “Considering everything our veterans have done for us, we have an obligation to ensure they have the ability to legally defend themselves.”

The Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network (IL-AFLAN) was created by legislation supported by Moylan in 2015. Under House Bill 3933, the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation, a not-for-profit organization founded by the Illinois State Bar Association and Chicago Bar Association, is tasked with administering a pilot program, launched this month, that provides free civil legal aid to veterans and active duty military personnel.

IL-AFLAN operates a statewide hotline that is staffed by attorneys from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, to assist veterans with discharge upgrades, benefits appeals and civil legal problems such as family, housing and consumer issues. Veterans can call the hotline at 855-452-3526 or 855-IL-AFLAN. Former and active duty military members with an income below 80 percent of the Chicago area median income are eligible for services. For a family of four, this translates into $63,200 annually.

“I believe the least we can do for veterans is to ensure they have the ability to access the legal protections they fought so hard to defend,” Moylan said. “I encourage veterans and active-duty service members to use this free legal hotline and to spread the word about this valuable resource to fellow veterans.”