During the spring 2025 semester, students in the Veterans Law Practicum at Cornell Law School achieved a significant victory for one of their clients, successfully appealing a claim for disability benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and securing $777,000 in retroactive payments for a Vietnam era veteran.

Connor MacDonough

The client, a Navy veteran, had previously been denied disability benefits by the VA for service-connected schizophrenia. Under the supervision of James Hardwick, adjunct professor and supervising attorney, students Gaige McMillian ’26 and Connor MacDonough ’25 meticulously reviewed the case, developed compelling legal arguments, contributed to settlement negotiations, and secured a federal court remand of the veteran’s claim.

Gaige McMillian

After the case was remanded back to federal court, the practicum continued to represent the veteran before the VA. The crux of the claim related to the effective date that the veteran’s benefits were deemed to accrue. The practicum was able to successfully argue that a claim filed by the veteran in 1976, shortly after his separation from the military, was improperly dismissed. The legal arguments rested on a careful review of VA appeal rights as they existed in 1976. Students were asked to consider whether the veteran at that time had received proper notice and whether his handwritten appeals were sufficient to preserve his appeal rights. The practicum argued that the early appeal was valid and the veteran, who represented himself at that time, properly appealed his earlier claim.

The Board of Veterans Appeals agreed and granted an effective date of benefits to the earlier claim. In the end, the VA awarded $777,000 in retroactive payments, ensuring the client receives the compensation owed for nearly fifty years of unpaid benefits.

“This outcome speaks to the power of legal education in action,” says Hardwick. “Our students not only honed their legal skills but made a profound impact on the life of a veteran who had waited far too long for justice.”

The Cornell Law School Veterans Law Practicum provides students with the opportunity to represent veterans and their families in complex benefits cases and discharge upgrade petitions. Through hands-on experience, students develop practical advocacy skills while serving those who have served the nation.