JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Project Salute is bringing its mobile law office to Jacksonville next week to help low-income veterans with benefit claims and to train lawyers to help vets continue to fight for the benefits they were promised.

The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law put together Project Salute's nationwide tour in an RV outfitted to provide legal assistance and representation to thousands of veterans on federal benefits. They also spend time in each city training lawyers to assist veterans in obtaining eligible benefits.

According to Project Salute:

• There are 1.75 million military veterans in Florida, of which 94,679 live in the Jacksonville area.
• About 500,000 veterans are not receiving benefits for which they are eligible.
• More than 600,000 claims are backlogged. Some take as long as 10 years to reach a conclusion.
• The annual number of claims filed for compensation has increased 20 percnet since 2001.
• Average wait time for a decision is longer than 177 days nationally.
• 1.8 million veterans are uninsured and not getting care from the VA.
• The unemployment rate for recently discharged veteran is 9.5 percent vs. 4.3 percent for non-vets of the same age, gender and education.
• Nearly 200,000 vets are homeless on any given night.

The mobile law office is to be in Jacksonville next Tuesday through Thursday. The bus will be at the Mary Singleton Senior Center at 150 E. First Street for an information session from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday and benefit interviews from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

The mobile office will move to Jacksonville Area Legal Aid at 126 W. Adams on Thursday for attorney training.

The Jacksonville stop is one of 64 scheduled over nine months. During its inaugural stop -- in San Antonio, Texas -- 225 veterans registered for assistance.

To assist in the group's mission, the school is asking for the financial support and the help of local attorneys.

For more information, visit Project Salute or call 888-836-5294.