Bart Stichman Email & Phone Number

Barton F. Stichman is a lifelong advocate for veterans, service members, their families and survivors. Stichman co-founded the National Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP), a high-impact, non-profit organization, in 1981 and served as its Executive Director until 2021. He is now Special Counsel to NVLSP. For over 45 years, Stichman has represented veterans and their families before federal courts, the VA and military review agencies to secure the benefits to which they are entitled. The lawsuits he has spearheaded while at NVLSP has resulted in more than $5.2 billion dollars being awarded in disability, death and medical benefits to hundreds of thousands of veterans and their survivors. He is especially committed to issues relating to disability benefits for diseases caused by in-service exposure to toxic substances like Agent Orange and fumes from burn pits. With Stichman’s guidance, NVLSP has fought vigorously to help veterans claim their rightful benefits and reform the VA benefits system. NVLSP was pivotal in securing the passage of critical legislation which allows veterans to appeal VA decisions to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC). In 2019, NVLSP made history in the CAVC by convincing the Court to certify its first two class actions in the landmark cases, Godsey v. Wilkie and Wolfe v. Wilkie. Stichman ensures that a significant element of NVLSP’s mission is increasing the pool of effective advocates available to represent veterans and their family members by training lawyers and non-lawyers and providing educational publications to them in veterans benefits law. Stichman helped write the "Bible" on veterans benefits law, The Veterans Benefits Manual (VBM) -- NVLSP’s 2200-page treatise that Stichman has co-authored since 1999. The VBM is updated annually and distributed to thousands of veterans service officers and lawyers. Stichman also helped create NVLSP’s pro bono program, Lawyers Serving Warriors®, which partners with law firms and corporate legal departments nationwide to provide free legal help to veterans from all eras. Stichman is a former President of the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Bar Association, in the Hall of Honor of the National Organization of Veterans Advocates, the recipient of the Charles Dorsey Award of the National Legal Aid and Defenders Association, and the recipient of NVLSP's Senator Daniel K. Inouye Award.

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  J.D., New York University School Of Law

  B.A. University Of Pennsylvania