Medical students partner with Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic

As Missouri veterans file disability claims with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) each year, most often know they deserve compensation, but don’t know what their first step should be or how to proceed after a denial. In 2014, the University of Missouri Law Veterans Clinic was founded to assist veterans – free of charge – with discharge upgrades and VA disability compensation claims.

Since its inception, the clinic has secured more than $20 million in VA benefits for its more than 1,600 clients. In 2022, the Mizzou School of Medicine began partnering with the Veterans Clinic, so that medical students would work side-by-side with Mizzou Law students to analyze veterans’ disability cases.

Richard J. Barohn, MD, executive vice chancellor for health affairs and Hugh E. and Sarah D. Stephenson dean of the School of Medicine, has continued to advance the medical school’s collaboration with the Veterans Clinic since beginning its partnership three years ago. As of the Fall 2024 semester, medical students can now receive elective credit for participating in the program.

After his 20-plus years of military service, Barohn knows firsthand the importance of assisting veterans and helping acquire the compensation they deserve.

“The addition of medical students to this program significantly strengthens the capacity to advocate effectively for veterans by providing the necessary medical insight to tackle complex disability claims,” said Barohn. “While there are a handful of law schools around the country with similar programs to assist veterans, we’re the only one where the medical school collaborates with them. The Mizzou Veterans Clinic not only helps veterans, but we believe it helps medical and law students in their professional development.”

Medical students Shreya Anand and Jaxsen Ball are currently assisting the Veterans Clinic and receiving elective credit for the Fall 2025 semester. Anand and Ball were each paired with a supervising physician faculty member and worked closely with students and faculty counterparts at the Mizzou School of Law.

The School of Medicine’s goal is to help translate complex and medical information into a format that supports the legal arguments made by the law students and faculty.

“I help compile updated research into the veterans’ medical conditions and how their service may have played a factor,” said Ball. “Our medical school provided the requisite knowledge to successfully navigate both the research and an understanding of the veterans’ conditions. Mizzou’s patient-based learning (PBL) curriculum provides a great foundation to organically think through complex cases like these.”

For both Anand and Ball, past personal experiences sparked initial interest in joining the Veterans Clinic. As Anand’s best friend previously participated in a law school clinic for victims of military sexual assault, she learned more about the challenges service members face, inspiring her to pursue advocacy work for that demographic.

“Mizzou’s Veterans Clinic became the perfect avenue for me to use my medical and research training to support those who’ve sacrificed so much for our freedom,” said Anand. “Being able to collaborate across disciplines and advocate for veterans in such a direct, tangible way has been one of the most meaningful parts of my medical education so far.”

Ball has strong ties to the military community and a passion for addiction advocacy and psychiatry, so it’s no surprise his path led to the Veterans Clinic. He considers his participation in the clinic a way to honor the service of his father in the U.S. Marine Corps, and a way to honor the life of his brother, who tragically passed away after an overdose.

“I plan to have a career in advocacy and this experience with the Veterans Clinic will be a great asset for my application with the REACH 2.0 program, which trains physicians to become leaders in substance use disorder and addiction treatment,” said Ball. “As the first in my family with a four-year degree, as well as the grandson of Latin American immigrants, I’ll absolutely take these lessons from the clinic with me to continue advocating for those who need it most.”