Section 79.20 - [Effective 12/13/2024] Legal servicesAllowable legal services covered under this Grant Program are limited to the following:
(a) Legal services related to housing, including eviction defense, representation in landlord-tenant cases, and representation in foreclosure cases.(b) Legal services relating to family law, including assistance in court proceedings for child support and custody, divorce, estate planning, and family reconciliation.(c) Legal services relating to income support, including assistance in obtaining public benefits.(d) Legal services relating to criminal defense, including defense and resolution of, and assistance with, matters symptomatic of homelessness, such as outstanding warrants, fines, driver's license revocation, and citations. To reduce recidivism and facilitate the overcoming of reentry obstacles in employment or housing, covered legal services relating to criminal defense also include legal assistance with requests to expunge or seal a criminal record.(e) Legal services relating to requests to upgrade the characterization of a discharge or dismissal of a former member of the Armed Forces under 10 U.S.C. 1553 .(f) Other covered legal services as determined appropriate by the Secretary, including: (1) Legal assistance with protective orders and other matters related to domestic or intimate partner violence.(2) Access to health care.(3) Consumer law matters, such as debt collection, garnishments, usury, fraud, deceit, and financial exploitation.(4) Employment law matters.(5) The unmet legal needs of male and female veterans in VA's annual Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education and Networking Groups (CHALENG) survey for the grant award year.(6) Legal services relating to requests for corrections to military records of a former member of the Armed Forces under 10 U.S.C. 1552 . 87 FR 33041 , 7/1/2022; 89 FR 89501 , 12/13/2024