Veterans Law Center

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
933824402
IRS 990 coverage
2024–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-N 2023
Location
Wallingford, PA, USA
Phone
2157140276
Rating
66
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Legal Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$767,712
Expenses
$507,609
Assets
$330,509
Liabilities
$74,737

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Michael Taub (President, Treasurer, Director)
  • Alexandra Muolo (Vice President, Secretary, Director)

Highest reported compensation

  • Michael Taub (President, Treasurer, Director): $159,165 total reported compensation
  • Alexandra Muolo (Vice President, Secretary, Director): $137,759 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of Veterans Law Center is to work in partnership with underserved veterans and provide high-quality and compassionate legal representation to secure housing stability and the benefits they earned through their service.

What it reported doing in 2024

Legal Services: Veterans Law Center (VLC) provides legal services to veterans seeking U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, military discharge upgrades, and assistance with a range of civil legal matters including landlord-tenant disputes, public benefits, consumer protection, and criminal record expungements. For many clients, VA compensation benefits serve as a crucial source of stability. These benefits help veterans meet their basic needs, access necessary medical care, and achieve greater financial independence. Beyond monetary support, they also recognize and affirm a veteran's service and sacrifice. In 2024, VLC delivered direct legal assistance to 313 veterans, addressing 472 distinct legal issues. VLC secured the following outcomes for clients with cases closed between January and December 2024: $1,536,000 in lump-sum VA benefit awards; $17,714,000 in anticipated lifetime VA benefits; and $450,000 in VA debt waivers. By providing competent legal representation, VLC plays a vital role in preventing veteran homelessness, securing essential benefits, and restoring dignity to those who have served. VLC's advocacy helps veterans overcome systemic barriers and empowers them with a clearer understanding of their legal rights.

Operating model

Revenue model
Other-operating. 93% of the money available for current operations came from other operating revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of total spending goes to programs. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 63
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 66
  • Sustainability: 53
  • Growth: NotEnoughData

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 59.3%; rating input score 59
  • Program expense ratio: 89.7%; rating input score 90
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 60%; rating input score 60; 12th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 6 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 75
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 33.9%; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.65; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.23; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 58.5%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: Limited
  • Revenue growth: Limited
  • Asset growth: Limited

Details

  • Where the money goes: 59.3% of revenue deployed · 89.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 5 board members independent · 6 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $455K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $159K · 5 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 39 of 39 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 59/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 30/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 1/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 29/100.