Jacalyn Crecelius
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Attorney Jacalyn Crecelius, who leads Jacksonville Area Legal Aid’s Veterans Legal Services Unit, has received Veterans Administration accreditation, a qualification that helps ensure claimants have access to responsible and qualified representation on their VA benefits claims.
“This accreditation opens up major opportunities to serve northeast Florida veterans and their families,” Crecelius said. “There are so many underserved veterans who aren’t receiving the VA benefits they deserve, and I’m excited to be able to advocate for them in a notoriously complicated system.”
With accreditation, Crecelius can represent claimants after the VA has issued an initial decision on a claim. She can help them further develop evidence to support their claim and devise legal arguments on their behalf to submit to VA. She can also help clients navigate the VA appeals process.
“JALA is thrilled to have a VA-accredited attorney to better serve our veterans,” JALA President and CEO Jim Kowalski said. “VA studies have found that civil legal assistance is among the top unmet needs of unhoused veterans, and the affordable housing crisis has only increased the challenges faced by our veterans. Access to veterans’ benefits is critical to providing all low-income veterans with stability.”
JALA’s Veterans Services Unit launched in 2019 in connection with a statewide Florida Veterans Legal Helpline funded through the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs. The unit addresses veterans’ civil legal needs in areas such as landlord-tenant, employment, and family law.
Crecelius joined JALA in January and immediately began working toward VA accreditation. Previously, she practiced in the areas of family law, security clearance defense, and insurance/healthcare law. She represented clients in county and circuit court and argued in administrative hearings in front of various federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense and State and the Merit Systems Protection Board.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from Otterbein University in psychology in 2008 and her law degree from the University of Toledo College of Law in 2012. She then earned a master’s degree in Governance and Human Rights from Leuphana University of Lueneburg in Germany.
About Jacksonville Area Legal Aid
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid is a nonprofit law firm focused on delivering economic, social, and housing justice to low-income and at-risk individuals and families on the First Coast.
If you are an attorney wanting to volunteer with probate and heirs property issues, contact JALA Pro Bono Director Aaron Irving, at (904) 356-8371, Ext. 363, or Aaron.Irving@jaxlegalaid.org
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