Noteboom The Law Firm

Houston VA Accused of Stifling Religious Speech

Just a few weeks ago the Houston National Cemetery was sued for attempting to censor a prayer mentioning Jesus Christ at a Memorial Day service. New claims of "religious hostility" have been made against the cemetery officials as well as the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

These new allegations stem from actions made by cemetery director Arleen Ocasio. Ocasio reportedly told National Memorial Ladies volunteers they could not say "God bless you" during funerals and must remove "God bless" from their condolence cards.

The plaintiffs amended their original complaint from the Memorial Day prayer incident to include other discovered incidents of religious censorship. The accusation states the VA has a history of "widespread and consistent practice[s] of discriminating against private religious speech."

Specifically, the complaint alleges discrimination by the cemetery against:

 

·      The American Legion Post 586;

·      Veterans of Foreign Wars District 4; and

·      The National Memorial Ladies.

 

The complaint further alleges Ocasio keeps the cemetery closed, has removed the cross and the bible, the chapel bells no longer ring, and the chapel has been renamed "meeting facility." VA spokespeople claim this is all due to construction, but that explanation is rejected by plaintiffs.

The VA moved to dismiss the case at a status conference, which was denied. The conference did, however, produce a heated exchange between the Judge and the VA attorney as to some of the basic tenets of the complaint.

If you are a disabled veteran who has been denied disability compensation or have not yet applied for benefits from the VA, a South Florida disability attorney from LaVan & Neidenberg is ready to help. To learn if you are entitled to certain programs and benefits contact our veterans disability rights firm today - 1-888-234-5758.