Fort Riley Military Lawyer
Fort Riley sits at the center of one of the Army’s most active installation communities, home to the 1st Infantry Division and tens of thousands of soldiers, family members, and Department of Defense civilians. When legal trouble arises, whether it is a court-martial, a Medical Evaluation Board, or an administrative separation action, the consequences are not abstract. A career, a retirement, a VA disability rating, a security clearance, and a family’s financial stability can all turn on how well a servicemember is represented. Citizen Soldier Law is a Fort Riley military lawyer resource built specifically for that reality.
The firm was founded in 2013 by veterans who understood something that general-practice attorneys often miss: military legal proceedings operate under their own rules, their own command dynamics, and their own institutional pressures. Active duty soldiers at Fort Riley, Reserve Component members who train there, and National Guard troops activated under Title 10 orders all face legal situations that require an attorney who has actually worn the uniform and navigated those systems from the inside.
Thomas Roughneen, Esq., leads Citizen Soldier Law with a background that includes service as a JAG attorney, both on active duty and in the reserve component. The firm’s team includes retired JAG lawyers, a retired Army National Guard human resources NCO, and Dr. Alice Tzeng, M.D., a board-certified physician in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation who works directly on cases involving medical evaluation and disability determinations. That combination of legal and medical expertise is rare and consequential when MEB ratings and physical fitness thresholds are being contested.
Legal Situations Fort Riley Soldiers Actually Face
- Courts-Martial Defense: From Article 32 hearings through general courts-martial, Fort Riley soldiers charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice need representation that understands military rules of evidence, convening authority dynamics, and how command climate affects charges.
- Medical Evaluation Boards (MEB): When a soldier’s condition renders them unable to meet physical standards, the MEB process begins. Ratings, narrative summaries, and fitness-for-duty determinations at this stage shape disability outcomes for years. Getting the MEB findings right matters enormously before the case ever reaches a Physical Evaluation Board.
- Physical Evaluation Boards (PEB), Formal and Informal: The informal PEB is not a trial, but soldiers waive the formal board at their peril if the findings are wrong. A formal PEB gives a soldier the right to appear, present evidence, and cross-examine witnesses. These rights should not be surrendered without legal advice.
- IDES Representation Across All Branches: The Integrated Disability Evaluation System processes claims for Active Duty and Reserve Component soldiers across all branches in Title 10 settings. Citizen Soldier Law handles IDES representation nationally, including for Fort Riley soldiers and soldiers attached to the installation from other branches.
- Administrative Separation and Officer Elimination: Enlisted soldiers facing administrative separation boards and officers facing elimination proceedings both need attorneys who understand how boards are composed, how evidence is weighed, and how to preserve discharge characterization. A general discharge or OTH can eliminate eligibility for GI Bill benefits, VA healthcare, and retirement.
- CRSC Claims and Corrections: Combat-Related Special Compensation is frequently denied on the first application. Resubmission with better documentation and legal support improves outcomes, particularly for soldiers with combat-connected disabilities from deployments linked to Fort Riley units in Iraq and elsewhere.
- Military Records Corrections and Discharge Upgrades: Errors in official military personnel files follow soldiers into their post-service lives. Citizen Soldier Law assists with Board for Correction of Military Records petitions and discharge upgrade proceedings before service-level boards.
- Weapons Possession Advocacy: Law enforcement officers and veterans navigating firearms rights issues, particularly those related to prior military or civilian legal matters, receive specific advocacy through the firm’s weapons possession practice.
Why Fort Riley Servicemembers Call Citizen Soldier Law
Founding a law firm because injured soldiers needed better legal representation says something about motivation that a marketing slogan cannot. Thomas Roughneen and the team at Citizen Soldier Law started this practice in 2013 specifically because servicemembers going through the IDES, MEB, and PEB process were being underrepresented or misrepresented by attorneys who did not understand how those systems work. Over a decade later, the firm has accumulated more than one hundred years of combined military service across its attorneys and staff, including veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the practice remains national in scope precisely because military legal matters do not stop at state lines.
What separates this firm in MEB and PEB cases is Dr. Alice Tzeng, M.D. Having a board-certified physician in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation on the legal team changes how medical records are reviewed, how narrative summaries are challenged, and how impairment ratings are argued. Most law firms handling military disability matters refer clients to outside medical consultants after the fact. Citizen Soldier Law built that expertise into the team. For a Fort Riley soldier whose fitness determination may rest on the clinical interpretation of a nerve condition or a musculoskeletal injury, that internal medical review is a concrete advantage.
Retired JAG attorneys on staff understand how military convening authorities think, how command influence can shape proceedings, and how to protect a soldier’s rights at every stage, from the initial investigation through appellate review. For National Guard and Reserve soldiers at Fort Riley activated under Title 10, the firm’s specific experience with reserve component legal matters is directly applicable. These soldiers face the same IDES process as their active duty counterparts, but they often have fewer institutional support resources available to them when they return home.
What to Do When Legal Issues Arise at Fort Riley
If you receive notice of an MEB initiation, an adverse administrative action, or charges under the UCMJ, the first and most important thing you can do is obtain independent legal representation before making any statements or signing anything. Fort Riley’s legal assistance office and appointed defense counsel can provide some services, but their resources are limited and their counsel is not privileged in the same way a private attorney’s representation is. Your interests and the command’s interests are not always aligned, and you need someone who answers to you alone.
For MEB and PEB matters, preserve every piece of medical documentation you have. This includes treatment records from Irwin Army Community Hospital on the installation, records from off-post providers, VA records if you have received treatment, and any documentation of duty limitations, physical profile restrictions, or profiles that have been issued during your service. The narrative summary prepared by your treating physician is one of the most important documents in your case, and soldiers often do not know they have the right to review it and request corrections before it is submitted.
Courts-martial and administrative separation proceedings follow specific procedural timelines under the UCMJ and Army regulations. Missing a deadline to request a formal board, to submit matters to a convening authority, or to file a rebuttal can permanently forfeit rights that cannot be recovered later. Contact outside counsel as soon as you become aware of any investigation or adverse action, not after charges are preferred or a board is already convened.
CRSC claims denied by the Army are resubmittable with stronger documentation. If your initial application was denied, that is not the end of the process. The same is true for military records corrections through the Army Review Boards Agency. These proceedings have longer timelines but real outcomes, and they can be initiated from anywhere in the country, making geographic distance from the firm’s New Jersey base irrelevant to the quality of representation you receive.
Reserve Component Soldiers and the IDES at Fort Riley
National Guard and Reserve soldiers who are injured while activated and who go through the IDES are processed in a Title 10, active duty setting for both MEB and PEB stages, regardless of their home state or unit. This is a legal reality that creates confusion and, too often, inadequate representation. Reserve component soldiers frequently return home after hospitalization or treatment without understanding that their disability claim is still moving through a federal military process that requires active participation.
Citizen Soldier Law was built in part to serve this population. The founding attorneys are National Guard veterans. They have seen the gap between what reserve soldiers are entitled to and what they actually receive when they navigate the IDES without support. A Fort Riley National Guard or Reserve soldier who was injured during a deployment or activation has the same rights before the PEB as any active duty soldier, including the right to a formal board, the right to legal counsel, and the right to appeal findings through the Physical Disability Appeal Board.
Guard and Reserve soldiers also face unique challenges with administrative actions during and after mobilization. Separation boards, officer elimination proceedings, and record correction matters all require specific knowledge of how reserve component regulations interact with Title 10 authority. The firm’s retired Army National Guard human resources NCO adds a practical institutional knowledge to these cases that purely legal training does not provide.
Questions Fort Riley Soldiers Ask Before Hiring a Military Attorney
Can Citizen Soldier Law represent me even though the firm is based in New Jersey and I am stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas?
Yes. The firm handles military legal matters nationally, including all IDES, MEB, and PEB proceedings regardless of where the soldier is stationed. All IDES determinations are processed through federal Title 10 structures, which are national in scope. Administrative separation boards, courts-martial, and military records proceedings are similarly handled on a national basis. Geography does not limit representation in these matters.
What is the difference between the informal and formal PEB, and why does it matter?
The informal PEB is a paper review. The soldier does not appear in person. If the informal findings are accepted, the case is resolved based on the documentary record alone. The formal PEB gives the soldier the right to appear, to be represented by counsel, to present evidence, and to cross-examine witnesses. If the informal findings understate a disability rating or incorrectly find a soldier fit for duty, accepting those findings without requesting a formal board forfeits important rights. Legal review before accepting any informal PEB determination is strongly advisable.
What happens to my VA disability rating if the Army PEB rates me differently?
The Army’s disability rating through the PEB and the VA’s rating through its compensation system are separate determinations made under different standards. The IDES process is designed to coordinate these, but the outcomes are not always identical. A low Army rating can affect retirement pay while a separate VA claim can still yield a higher VA rating for the same condition. An attorney familiar with both systems can help identify where the findings diverge and how to address each through the appropriate process.
I am facing an administrative separation with an other-than-honorable discharge characterization. How serious is that?
An OTH discharge is serious. It eliminates eligibility for most VA benefits, including healthcare and education benefits, and it can affect federal employment eligibility, civilian licensing in some professions, and in certain circumstances, firearms rights. Appearing before a separation board with legal representation to contest the characterization or the underlying basis is significantly better than accepting the action by default. Discharge characterization, once issued, can be upgraded through the Discharge Review Board or the Board for Correction of Military Records, but those proceedings are difficult and not guaranteed to succeed.
My MEB narrative summary contains errors in how my condition is described. Can that be corrected?
Yes. Soldiers have the right to review the narrative summary before it is submitted and to request corrections through the treating physician and MEB process. This is one of the most important and most commonly missed opportunities in the entire IDES process. Errors in the narrative summary, whether factual inaccuracies or clinical mischaracterizations, can propagate through every subsequent stage of the evaluation. Getting the document corrected at the source is far more effective than trying to challenge it later.
I was injured during a training exercise at Fort Riley, not during a deployment. Does that affect my IDES eligibility?
Eligibility for the IDES and MEB process is based on whether a servicemember has a condition that may render them unfit for duty, not solely on whether the injury occurred in combat. Soldiers injured during training, on or off Fort Riley, who cannot meet applicable physical standards for their military occupational specialty can be referred into the MEB process. The origin of the injury can affect CRSC eligibility, which requires a combat-related nexus, but it does not eliminate IDES rights.
What role does Dr. Tzeng play in an actual MEB or PEB case?
Dr. Alice Tzeng, M.D., board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, reviews medical records and disability determinations from a clinical standpoint as part of the legal team. In MEB and PEB cases, understanding how impairments are rated, whether a narrative summary accurately reflects functional limitations, and whether diagnostic codes have been applied correctly requires medical expertise alongside legal knowledge. That internal review helps identify errors and omissions before they affect the final determination.
Can I pursue a CRSC claim if my initial application was denied?
Yes. CRSC denials can be challenged through resubmission with additional evidence establishing the combat-related nexus for each condition. Many initial applications are denied because the documentation does not sufficiently connect the disability to a qualifying combat operation, hazardous duty, or simulated war condition. A stronger evidentiary package, supported by service records, deployment orders, and clinical documentation, gives resubmissions a better chance of success.
Does having a JAG-appointed defense counsel mean I do not need a private attorney at my court-martial?
JAG-appointed defense counsel are often capable attorneys, but their caseloads are heavy and they do not have the same undivided attention that a private military attorney can provide. They also cannot always bring external resources, independent medical expertise, or the same level of pre-trial investigation that a private representation allows. For serious charges carrying punitive discharge, confinement, or other severe consequences, supplementing or replacing appointed counsel with private representation is worth serious consideration.
What happens to my security clearance if I am court-martialed or administratively separated?
Security clearance implications depend on the nature of the offense, the outcome of the proceeding, and the discharge characterization. A conviction at courts-martial or an OTH discharge triggers mandatory reporting to the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency and will result in a clearance review. Certain offenses involving dishonesty, financial issues, or foreign national contacts carry particularly serious clearance consequences. Addressing the underlying legal matter effectively is the best protection for the clearance.
Fort Riley Military Attorney Services Across the Region and Beyond
Citizen Soldier Law serves soldiers and veterans connected to Fort Riley across all of Kansas and the surrounding region. This includes soldiers and families in Junction City, Manhattan, Salina, Abilene, and Wamego, as well as those in Topeka, Lawrence, and Kansas City on the Kansas side of the metro area. The firm also routinely assists clients in the broader Midwest, including servicemembers in Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and throughout the Great Plains region who need military legal representation they can trust.
Because military legal proceedings are federal in nature and processed through national systems, the firm’s national reach extends wherever soldiers are stationed, deployed, or transitioning. Reserve and National Guard soldiers connected to Fort Riley who have returned to their home states in Iowa, Colorado, Illinois, and elsewhere are fully served by the firm’s representation model. Servicemembers stationed at other Kansas installations, including those at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, have also sought the firm’s assistance in MEB and administrative matters. The common thread is not geography but the nature of the legal proceeding: military, disability, and administrative matters that require specialized knowledge regardless of where the client lives.
Speak with a Fort Riley Military Defense Attorney
A career built through years of service should not be dismantled by a proceeding you navigated without adequate representation. Whether you are facing a court-martial, an MEB rating you believe is wrong, an administrative separation, or a CRSC denial that needs to be challenged, Citizen Soldier Law is a Fort Riley military defense attorney resource that understands both the law and the institution. Thomas Roughneen, the firm’s veteran JAG attorneys, and Dr. Tzeng have worked these systems from multiple sides. Call Citizen Soldier Law and speak directly with someone who can evaluate your situation and tell you honestly what your options are.
