DES MOINES, Iowa – Those who served our country will be honored at Veterans Day events across Iowa on Tuesday, but a look behind the scenes shows many returning vets struggle with a myriad of issues. Attorney Todd Schmidt is an advocate for veterans at Iowa Legal Aid, which provides free legal advice and assistance for residents who can’t afford an attorney.

“We’ve had clients that have had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of their experience in Iraq or Afghanistan and that can create a lot of other issues,” says Schmidt. He says the civil legal help they offer can involve veterans benefits, consumer issues, family matters and more.

One common problem is affordable housing. Schmidt says Iowa Legal Aid is among the partners in the state now working with those who are homeless and unstably-housed through the Supportive Services for Veterans and Families program. “We do a legal assessment with each veteran to see if they have any civil legal issues,” says Schmidt. “If they do, we’re able to help them more readily than we would normally be able to as a result of this program.”

In all, Iowa is home to more than 230,000 veterans.

(Iowa News Service)