News from the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network
Max Laun Honored as NLADA’S Dinner Highlights Pillars of the Justice Community
The National Legal Aid & Defenders Association held its 2017 Exemplar Award Dinner on June 20, 2017 honoring several leaders from the justice, legal and policy community. The annual dinner is a premier event drawing a diverse crowd from the legal, corporate, policy and public interest communities to support NLADA's longstanding commitment to providing equal justice to every American.
Max Laun, the Vice President and General Counsel at Arconic, was the 2017 Exemplar Honoree, which honors a member of the corporate counsel or private law firm community who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, vision, dedication, and achievement in promoting and supporting equal justice.
Attorney Laun currently serves on the Board of Directors of Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Inc. and is the Immediate Past President of the Board of Directors of Neighborhood Legal Services Association in Pittsburgh.
NEW NATIONAL REPORT, “MEASURING THE UNMET CIVIL LEGAL NEEDS OF LOW-INCOME AMERICANS” FINDS WIDENING JUSTICE GAP
Today, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) presented its new report: "The Justice Gap: Measuring the Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-Income Americans” during a congressional briefing at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. The report updates and expands LSC's 2009 study of the "justice gap" in the United States.
The newly updated study reports in the past year, a staggering 71 percent of low-income households experienced at least one civil legal problem, such as an eviction notice, wrongly denied benefits, or a family court suit resulting from domestic violence. Of the Americans facing such problems, 86 percent received inadequate or no legal help because they couldn’t afford it.
Health Law PA News - May 2017
The Pennsylvania Health Law Project has published the May 2017 edition of Health Law PA News.
Health Law PA News is a free newsletter containing the latest news relating to Health Law in Pennsylvania. You can subscribe to receive the PHLP eNews, which links to the Health Law PA News on the PHLP website at www.phlp.org.
Webinar: Community HealthChoices (CHC): What Consumers, Advocates, and Providers Need to Know
The Pennsylvania Health Law Project will be holding a free webinar entitled Community HealthChoices (CHC): What Consumers, Advocates, and Providers Need to Know, on June 14, 2017 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm.
Community HealthChoices is the State’s New Managed Care Program that will impact 450,000 Pennsylvanians.
Wolf Administration Announces Medicaid Policy Change for Individuals Suffering from Hepatitis C Virus
The Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced changes to the state’s Medicaid (MA) policy to expand coverage of life-saving drugs to treat Hepatitis C (HCV) virus. Beginning on July 1, the Department will begin phasing in coverage for individuals who have liver function test scores of “F1” or “F0”.
IRS Accepting Applications for 2018 Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Grants
The Internal Revenue Service has announced that the application period for Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) grants for calendar year 2018 will run from May 1 to June 20, 2017.
The LITC program is a federal grant program administered by the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate at the IRS, led by the National Taxpayer Advocate, Nina E. Olson. The LITC program awards matching grants of up to $100,000 per year to qualifying organizations to develop, expand or maintain an LITC. An LITC must provide services for free or for no more than a nominal fee.
Health Law PA News - April 2017
The Pennsylvania Health Law Project has published the April 2017 edition of Health Law PA News.
Health Law PA News is a free newsletter containing the latest news relating to Health Law in Pennsylvania. You can subscribe to receive the PHLP eNews, which links to the Health Law PA News on the PHLP website at www.phlp.org.
Funding for Civil Legal Aid: Where Do We Go From Here? - Article
Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Inc. Executive Director Samuel W. Milkes has authored an article entitled Funding for Civil Legal Aid: Where Do We Go From Here?, that appears in the current edition of The Pennsylvania Lawyer (May-June 2017), the magazine of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.
The article explores the current state of funding for civil legal assistance in Pennsylvania, the current challenges faced by the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, law school clinics, pro bono providers and all the other providers of civil legal aid in the state, and encourages lawyers to urge decision-makers to support legal aid.
DEA Continues Its Drug Abuse Prevention Efforts with Prescription Drug Take Back Day - April 29
Addictive prescription drugs that are thrown away or left untended on shelves and in drawers at home are often stolen and either abused or sold by family members and visitors. That’s why the Drug Eenforcement Administration (DEA) of the Department of Justice and thousands of its state, local, and tribal law enforcement and community partners are holding another Prescription Drug Take Back Day this Saturday, April 29, from 10 am to 2 pm local time, at over 5,000 sites around the country.
The service is free of charge, no questions asked.
2017 PLAN Public Benefits Conference - CANCELLED
Due to low enrollment numbers the Conference, scheduled for May 4-5, 2017 has been cancelled.
In the coming weeks, a series of webinars will be scheduled to cover the most pressing topics that would have been a part of the conference. Some of these webinars will be offered with CLE credit.
Legal Services Corporation Announces Pilot States for Innovative Program to Increase Access to Justice
Social Security Launches First “National Social Security Month” in April
Nancy A. Berryhill, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, invites everyone to celebrate the first National Social Security Month in April by taking five steps toward financial security at www.socialsecurity.gov/5-steps-toward-your-financial-security. During the month, Social Security will provide educational articles and video messages on its website featuring personal finance expert Suze Orman. Each message will provide the public with practical tips for developing a sound financial plan that includes Social Security as a foundation.
CFPB Features Your Money, Your Goals Spotlight Webinars
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will be offering Your Money, Your Goals Spotlight webinars this spring for front line staff and volunteers who work with consumers. The webinars will focus on Identity Theft, Financial Issues Facing Older Adults, and Prepaid Cards.
Your Money, Your Goals is a toolkit designed to help frontline staff and volunteers have the money conversation with the people they serve. You can attend sessions on all three topics, or pick the topics most relevant to you.
PA Supreme Court Approves Language Access Plan for Courts
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has adopted a comprehensive plan to improve access to justice for those with limited English proficiency and those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The Language Access Plan is designed to guide the judiciary in meeting language challenges brought by the growing diversity of Pennsylvania’s population. It also further solidifies the courts’ commitment to fair and equal access to justice by providing quality language access services to non-English-speaking and deaf court users.
Health Law PA News - March 2017
The March 2017 issue of Health Law PA News has been published by the Pennsylvania Health Law Project.
Health Law PA News is a free newsletter containing the latest news relating to Health Law in Pennsylvania. You can subscribe to receive the PHLP eNews, which links to the Health Law PA News on the PHLP website at www.phlp.org.
Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Inc. Presents 2017 Excellence Award Winners
The Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN) honored the recipients of the 2016 Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Excellence Awards on March 28, 2017 at the annual awards dinner held at the Hilton Harrisburg.
The Keynote Speaker at the event was The Honorable Josh Shapiro, Attorney General of Pennsylvania.
Webinar: Legal Basics - Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Justice in Aging will be holding a webinar entitled Legal Basics: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) on April 11, 2017 from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Eastern. This webinar is designed for legal services and other advocates who are just getting started in the field and others who want to learn more about the essentials of the program.
OFFICE CLOSINGS: PLAN CLOSED - MARCH 14, 2017
The Harrisburg Office of Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Inc. is closed today, Tuesday, March 14, 2017 due to the extreme weather conditions in the Harrisburg area.
State office buildings in the Capital Complex, Harrisburg area, Philadelphia office buildings, and the Reading and Scranton State Office Buildings are all closed as well.
The Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network program offices are reporting the following closing information:
SPECIAL ALERT: Fast Moving US House Bill to Radically Restructure Medicaid Would Be Bad for Pennsylvania
Last night House Republican leaders released a bill that details their plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, scrapping the mandate that nearly all Americans have health insurance and replacing it with a system of tax credits aimed at enticing Americans to purchase health care on the open market.
The bill would end Medicaid as we know it by imposing a “per-capita” cap, giving states substantially less federal funding than they would get under Medicaid today, with the cuts growing larger each year.
