Federal Judge Orders Transformative Reforms at West LA VA Campus in Major Victory for Disabled Veterans

Robins Kaplan LLP, in collaboration with Public Counsel, Brown Goldstein & Levy, and Inner City Law Center, recently secured a sweeping victory for disabled homeless veterans in a landmark ruling that mandates significant changes at the West Los Angeles Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Campus.

U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ruled last week, after a 16-day bench trial, that the VA must honor its obligations to provide housing and healthcare to disabled homeless veterans on the campus, voiding several illegal land-use leases and ordering the construction of thousands of new housing units.

The ruling addresses the VA’s longstanding failure to utilize the 388-acre campus as intended and includes several critical orders, including:

• Housing expansion: The VA is required to build 1,800 additional permanent housing units for disabled veterans within six years, along with 750 temporary supportive housing units to be completed within 12 to 18 months.
• Leases voided: The VA must terminate agreements with UCLA Baseball Field, Brentwood School, Safety Park, and Bridgeland, as these leases do not primarily benefit veterans.
• Improved veteran services: All VA permanent supportive housing services must meet evidence-based standards. The court also ordered increased staffing and improvements to the VA’s housing voucher program and street outreach efforts.

Los Angeles is the homeless veteran capital of the United States, with over 3,000 veterans living on the streets where they are exposed to crime, lack of medical care, and spotty or non-existent services.  Most notably, this homeless population is denied meaningful access to the medical care to which each of these individuals is entitled by reason of their service to the country.

“This ruling represents a critical step in ensuring that our nation honors its commitment to those who have served,” said Roman Silberfeld, National Trial Chair at Robins Kaplan LLP. “For too long, disabled veterans have been left without the housing and care they deserve. This decision ensures that the West LA campus will finally serve its original purpose—a place of refuge and support for those who have sacrificed for our country.”

Read Judge Carter's ruling here

Additional coverage on this ruling includes:

• Los Angeles Times
• CNN
• NBC News