General Resources

Enter the word(s) you are searching for; use quotes for exact phrase

Everything else!

Displaying 1001 - 1050 of 1339
View by Library Type
Sort by

Resources for RSDI recipients now over-income for MassHealth

CMS
Attached is a 2002 CMS publication describing rules enabling certain former SSI recipients to retain Medicaid/MassHealth as "deemed SSI" recipients when RSDI income exceeds Medicaid/MassHealth standards, and a Clearinghouse Review note explaining how to calculate whether one of these…

Education Acronyms

Massachusetts Advocates for Children
Following are the key acronyms for special education.   IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act DESE  -  Department of Elementary and Secondary Education ABA  -  Applied Behavior Analysis IEP - Individual Education Program OCR - Office for…

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus) provisions affecting MA

MLRI
Chart summarizing some of the ARRA provisions that affect people with low incomes in MA. It does not purport to cover everything. Among other things, it does not include education provisions (except for the higher ed tax break) and does not include the infrastructure projects.

Flyers for tax preparers on Individual Mandate

MLRI
MLRI has prepared two flyers for tax preparers: 1. A summary of the ways in which uninsured taxpayers are protected from the individual mandate penalty in 2008 without the need to file a hardship appeal. 2. A handout for taxpayers who do need to file a hardship appeal explaining what happens next.

Presentation to Connector on Administrative Appeals

Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority
Powerpoint presentation by Connector legal staff at Jan. 09 board meeting with stats. on hardship appeals from individual mandate penalties in 2007 --2/3 of appeals were dismissed on procedural grounds; but 3/4 of those making it to review were approved. Also stats. on Commonwealth Care appeals.

How Coalitions Can Help Legal Aid Attorneys Improve Access for Their Limited-English-Proficient Clients

Clearinghouse Review
Legal aid attorneys are increasing serving limited-English-proficient (LEP) clients bringing claims of discrimination based upon an inability to access an array of government services, such as public benefits, law enforcement, and the courts. While traditional litigation approaches may offer…

Food SNAP Coalition: "Fork Ready Stimulus" Proposal to Governor Patrick FY2010 Budget

Food Stamp Improvement Coalition
Attached is a letter to Governor Patrick, EOHHS Secretary Bigby and the Governor's Director of Infrastructure Investment, Jeffrey Simon. Yesterdays' Boston Globe highlighted the crisis faced by DTA in processing an overwhelming increase in Food Stamp applications.  The CORE recommendations -…

Attorney General's Advisory on the Independent Contractor Law (2008)

The need for proper classification of individuals in the workplace remains of paramount importance to the Commonwealth.  Misclassification deprives individuals of the many benefits, both public and private, that employees enjoy.  The Commonwealth is also harmed by misclassification in the…

MLRI Analysis of CHIP Reauthorization

MLRI
On Feb 4, 2009 President Obama signed the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization into law. MLRI analyzes some of the new options for states to improve coverage for children in Medicaid and CHIP under the new law.

SSI Extension Q&A (Spanish)

An Advocate's Guide to the New and Temporary SSI Extension Law for Humanitarian Immigrants (Vietnamese)

An Advocate's Guide to the New and Temporary SSI Extension Law for Humanitarian Immigrants (French)

An Advocate's Guide to the New and Temporary SSI Extension Law for Humanitarian Immigrants (Russian)

An Advocate's Guide to the New and Temporary SSI Extension Law for Humanitarian Immigrants (Lao)

An Advocate's Guide to the New and Temporary SSI Extension Law for Humanitarian Immigrants (non tech Creole)

An Advocate's Guide to the New and Temporary SSI Extension Law for Humanitarian Immigrants (Amharic)

Cultural and Linguistic Competence Implementation Guide

Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health
From the intro: The Cultural and Linguistic Competence Implementation Guide provides community examples, best practices, and information on specific tools and resources that can assist system of care communities, partnering agencies, and organizations to build and promote CLC. The Implementation…

SSI Coalition Meeting Agenda January 2009

Post-Racialism or Targeted Universalism

john a. powell
Questions will emerge, such as how are we to understand racial conditions in society, and what is the proper role of public policy and law for addressing or avoiding racial questions? These questions about where we are as a society on the issue of race are not just factual or descriptive, but are…

Language Access in State Courts

Laura Abel, Brennan Center for Justice
This report is an examination of court interpreter services of 35 states, including Massachusetts.

Post-Racialism or Targeted Universalism

john a. powell
Questions will emerge, such as how are we to understand racial conditions in society, and what is the proper role of public policy and law for addressing or avoiding racial questions? These questions about where we are as a society on the issue of race are not just factual or descriptive, but are…

Myths and Realities of Identity Change

NNEDV Safety Net Project in partnership with Valenda Applegarth,GBLS
Information about identity change issues.  To download the article from the National Network to End Domestic Violence website, click the "Go To Website" link below.

Food stamps offer lifeline. Aid may keep some in college.

Boston Globe
Boston Globe article on MLRI outreach campaign on SNAP/Food Stamps for working college students.

Systems Thinking and Race

Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity - Stephen Menendian and Caitlin Watt:
From the authors: As we struggle to make sense of changes to our environment, as health care workers try to anticipate the possible spread of infectious diseases across the globe such as avian flu, or resistance to treatments within the human body, as politicians and policymakers grapple with the…

SSI Coalition Meeting Agenda November 2008

Helping Elderly Homeowners Victimized by Predatory Mortgage Loans

National Consumer Law Center
Information from the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) on how to help elderly clients victimized by predatory mortgage loans.

Employment Screening: Credit Reporting

Powerpoint presentation about the use of consumer or credit reports (which contain criminal background information) for employment screening, with some information about CORI as well.

In rough economy, more seniors turn to food stamps

Boston Herald
Seniors rising use of food stamps.

Ma Special Ed Surrogate Parent Program (SESP)

The SESP Program recruits and trains volunteers across Mass to act as special education decision-makers for children who are in in the custody of a state agency. These children have no parent or guardian available to make these decisions on their behalf. (Formerly the Educational Surrogate…

Checklist of Key Protections for Utility Consumers

National Consumer Law Center
Two page flier of basic utilities rights, written by the National Consumer Law Center. Still current as of August 2019.

Lawyers, Clients and the “Third Person in the Room”

Gary Blasi
Overview Blasi frames his article by first observing that, in his opinion, Ahmad’s article, to which he is responding, makes two significant contributions: first, Ahmad considers the interpreter as serving a role beyond mere translation; rather, the interpreter operates as a conduit for…

IEP Forms and Notices.

MA DESE
 Links to a number of documents that are used in the IEP development process, including an IEP form, Chapter 688 referral form, and Special Education eligibility determination form. 

Providing Effective Communication for Clients who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or Deaf/Blind

Jacksonville Area Legal Aid
This handbook is specifically designed to assist attorneys in working more effectively with Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf/Blind clients. While the handbook is geared toward Florida attorneys, the information is relevant to attorneys and advocates in any state.   This handbook does not…

MassHealth Breast & Cervical Cancer Program Flyer

MLRI
MLRI has prepared a flyer on the MassHealth Breast & Cervical Cancer program --more affordable and comprehensive benefits for uninsured women AND women on Commonwealth Care or MassHealth Essential

Child Poverty in Massachusetts: A Tale of Two States

Mass Citizens for Children
Report from Mass. Citizens for Children on increasing child poverty in Massachusetts calls for a coordinated state effort to reduce child poverty.

Plain Language: Tips for drafting CLE materials to be more accessible to LEP clients

South Carolina Access to Justice Commission
Includes links to online resources about how to draft plain language documents.

Executive Office of Health and Human Services - Senior Benefits Expos in September and October

During September and October, EOHHS is hosting a series of events for Seniors to highlight key benefits including food stamps, fuel assistance, housing and health care. DTA has informed us that DTA staff will be available at most of these events to take food stamp applications in person. Local…

Proposed Bill re EAJA Fees

Agenda for SSI Coalition Meeting, September 12, 2008

NPR: Tehcnical Amendments to Definition of Persons Closely Approaching Retirement Age, 73 Fed. Reg. 35100 (6/20/08)

Comment period expired on August 19, 2008

Wall Street Journal about Debit Cards for Disability Benefits

Multilingual Interpreter Rights and Requests for Help posters and cards

Massachsuetts Law Reform Institute
The following are links to various posters, flyers and "I Speak" cards.  These materials are translated into many languages.  They help clients who have limited proficiency in English to ask for help and service, including legal services, and to learn about their rights to an…

Coming up short: High food prices outstrip food stamp benefits (C-SNAP report)

C-SNAP
Today C-SNAP's latest report, 'Coming up short: High foodcosts outstrip food stamp benefits,' shows that the maximum foodstamp benefit is insufficient to buy the Thrifty Food Plan (the diet upon which food stamp benefits are based) in any size food store in Boston and Philadelphia. Even families…

"What You Need to Know About Advocacy for Limited-English-Proficient Elders"

Clearinghouse Review
Growing numbers of limited-English-proficient senior citizens frequently encounter language barriers when attempting to access government services and programs. Older people have a number of language-access rights under both federal and state law as well as under legal services program policies.…

CLE flier on Food Stamp ABAWDS and work rule waivers and exemptions

MLRI
Flyer explaining that Food Stamp work and time limit rules do not apply to many MA residents now. In June of 2008, DTA issued guidance revising its policy around the food stamp program (FS) time limits and work requirements for non-disabled adults without children. DTA announced that USDA had…

MCDHH Consumer Guide

The Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MCDHH)updated Savvy Consumer’s Guide to Hearing Loss. The new guide serves as a reference tool specifically for individuals who have lost all or much of their hearing during their teenage or adult years. Topics include the impact of…

Collecting Child Support From SSI and SSDI Benefits

DOR
Power Point Presentation from MA Department of Revenue explains how DOR withholds money from SSI/SSDI beneficiaries, how to modify a child support order, how to adjust arrears and apply for penalty exemptions.

How to Get Paid in SSA Cases (NOSSCR)

NOSSCR

Who is the Payee in SSA Federal Court Cases (NOSSCR)

NOSSCR

Food Stamps - EBT store vendors in Massachusetts by Zip Code

Excel file of the location and type of all supermarkets, chains, small and medium grocers and convenience stores authorized by USDA to accept food stamp EBT payments for food - current as of June 17, 2008. The following is the code to the files:CS - Convenience Store; SG - Small Grocery Store; MG -…