Low-income veterans in northern Pinellas County will have access to a walk-in legal clinic at the North Pinellas VA Clinic in Clearwater. Bay Area Legal Services and Bay Pines VA Healthcare System will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday, Aug. 28, to mark the new Veterans Medical-Legal Partnership clinic.
The clinic is the fifth location in a partnership between Bay Area Legal Services and Bay Pines VA Healthcare System that has operated since 2017. It will be held on the fourth Thursday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the North Pinellas VA Clinic.
No appointment is needed.
Pinellas County is home to more than 67,000 veterans, according to Bay Area Legal Services. The new clinic offers free help with VA benefits and disability claims, housing stability, family law, domestic violence and advance directives. Spouses and adult children of veterans who receive care at Bay Pines or live in Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties are also eligible.
“Medical-Legal Partnerships help remove legal barriers that can prevent Veterans from achieving stable housing, accessing benefits, and improving their quality of life,” said Pye Young, managing attorney of Bay Area Legal Services’ St. Petersburg office, who oversees the Bay Pines partnership. “We’re thrilled to expand this collaboration and strengthen pathways to justice for Veterans in northern Pinellas County.”
Young, a St. Petersburg native and 2005 Stetson University College of Law graduate, told Bay News 9 in August 2025 that the program’s purpose is “to meet them where they are on site here at the VA.”
Expected attendees include representatives from the offices of Sen. Ashley Moody, Rep. Gus Bilirakis and state Rep. Kim Berfield, according to The Florida Bar News. Will Gunn, vice president for legal affairs and general counsel of the Legal Services Corporation and a former general counsel of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs under President Barack Obama, is also expected to attend.
The partnership already operates clinics at Bay Pines VA Hospital, Bay Pines VA Lakeside Clinic, Bradenton VA Clinic and Sarasota VA Clinic. Nationally, the VA operates Medical-Legal Partnerships at 31 facilities across the country.
The North Pinellas VA Clinic is at 26286 US Highway 19 North, Clearwater. Veterans who cannot attend in person can call the MLP dedicated line at (727) 398-9592 or the statewide Veterans Legal Helpline at (866) 486-6161, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Upcoming
- Friday, Aug. 28, 10:30 a.m.–noon — Ribbon-cutting ceremony at Clearwater Countryside Library, 2642 Sabal Springs Drive, Clearwater.
- Fourth Thursday of each month, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. — Veterans Medical-Legal Partnership walk-in clinic at the North Pinellas VA Clinic, 26286 U.S. Highway 19 North, Clearwater. No appointment needed.
