Congress·In Committee·H.R. 8420

Veterans Legal Support Act of 2026

Veterans: Funding for Law School Legal Clinics

Apr 21·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: A house committee

The Veterans Legal Support Act of 2026 is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It was recently sent to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs for review. There are no upcoming votes scheduled at this time.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

While helping veterans is usually a popular goal, bills introduced by non-voting delegates often struggle to move forward unless they are added to a larger package.

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 8805 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 8805 (118th) →

Key Points

This bill allows the Department of Veterans Affairs to give money to law schools that run legal clinics for veterans. These clinics help veterans who cannot afford a lawyer get the legal help they need for free or at a low cost.
The clinics would help veterans with several types of legal problems. This includes filing for VA benefits, appealing denied claims, and dealing with family, civil, or criminal law issues.
The program would provide $10 million every year from 2027 to 2031. This money would go directly to universities to support students and professors who are working on these cases.
Many veterans struggle to navigate the complicated paperwork required to get their benefits. By using law school clinics, the government hopes to make the process faster and easier for those who served in the military.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones3 actions

Apr 21, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Apr 21, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

Apr 21, 2026

Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E349)

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Veterans Legal Support Act of 2026

Bill NumberHR 8420

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.