The top three civil legal issues facing Washington’s veterans, service members and their families are applying for or appealing denials of benefits, legal problems at the end of employment, and disputes with landlords, according to a new state report.

The state Attorney General’s Office of Military and Veteran Legal Assistance (OMVLA) released its 2025 Civil Legal Needs Survey on July 22, highlighting the met and unmet civil legal needs of veterans across the state. 

The report is based on recent surveys of hundreds of people in need of services and service providers.

In addition to these legal concerns, service providers expressed concern about veteran homelessness and housing insecurity. Washington was one of 22 states that saw an increase in veteran homelessness in 2024.

“Our office is calling for robust support statewide to help Washington’s veterans, service members and their families,” said Attorney General Nick Brown, an Army veteran, in a release. “I ask that any veteran or service member who needs civil legal assistance contact my office to see how we can help.”

More than half a million veterans live in Washington, along with more than 65,000 active-duty service members, 17,565 members of the National Guard and Reserves, and an estimated 2 million family members and service members.

To address these identified legal gaps, the Legislature in 2017 created OMVLA to promote and facilitate access to free civil legal services for current and former service members. The program recruits and trains volunteer attorneys, maintains a registry of services and connects veterans with legal aid providers.

For more information about OMVLA or to request free civil legal assistance, click here.

To read the full report, click here.