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Next SSI Coalition Meeting is Friday March 9th at LACCM - Agenda Attached

DRAFT AGENDASSI Coalition MeetingFriday, March 9, 2007Legal Assistance of Central Massachusetts405 Main Street, 4th Floor, Worcester, MA508-752-3718; 800-649-37189:30 - 10:00            Continental Breakfast 10.00 -…

Executive Order 478. “Order Regarding Non-discrimination, Diversity, Equal Opportunity & Affirmative Action."

Office of the Governor, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Click the "Go to Website" link below or see PDF for Executive Order 478 by which Governor Deval Patrick promotes equal opportunity in agency programs, activities, and services and ensures that agency programs, services, activities and decisions do not discriminate against persons with…

GBLS flier on interpreter rights at DTA

GBLS
Written for advocates, including lay advocates.

What advocates need to know about expanded coverage under the new health reform law

MLRI
This January 2007 memo outlines new coverage options for people under 300% of the poverty level under the 2006 health reform law including Commonwealth Care for uninsured adults and expanded Family Assistance for children.

Virtual Gateway application statistics (Food Stamps, WIC, Medicaid)

Attached is a file with Virtual Gateway applications taken by mainly health care and some community based organizations. There are TWO sets of data - one is the weekly stats for the last week of December 2006, the other is the TOTAL Gateway applications taken since the inception of the Gateway,…

Draft Agenda for January 19, 2007 SSI Coalition Meeting

DLC
9:30 - 10:00               Continental Breakfast 10.00 - 11:00             DSI and the Electronic File - Recent Developments: DDS issues (John Reilly, Assistant…

Interpreting Communities: Lawyering Across Language Difference

Muneer Ahmad
This article, by Muneer Ahmad, highlights the complexities of layering across language differences particularly in poverty law. The article examines the many struggles in representing LEP individuals and invites readers to reimagine the traditional attorney client relationship when an interpreter is…

SSA-3377-BK, Function Report - Child Age 3 to 6th Birthday

SSA
SSA uses Forms SSA-3375-BK through SSA-3379-BK in the disability determination process to request information from a child's parent or guardian for children applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The five different versions of the form contain questions about the child's day-to-day…

FRAC Guide to Food Stamp Outreach Collaborations

FRAC
The FRAC Guide to Food Stamp Outreach Collaborations provides detailed information and weblinks on best practices for food stamp outreach with a wide range of community based and government partners and information on pre-screening and on-line application tools.

Parent Response to Proposed IEP and Proposed Placement.

Memorandum on the Implementation of 603 CMR 28.05(7): Parent response to proposed IEP and proposed placement Department of Education staff in the Program Quality Assurance Services office and the Special Education Planning and Policy Development office have received numerous questions related to…

Sanctions: GBLS flier on how to avoid and undo sanctions

Know your rights flier.

Facilitating Reentry of Formerly Incarcerated People: A Systemic Approach

David Peter Stroh
From the introduction: The multiple organizations and people required to solve a chronic, complex problem often do not appreciate the many ways in which their work is connected. To address this issue the Open Society Institute (www.soros.org) convened The After Prison Initiative, a gathering of…

SSR 94-1c: ILLEGAL ACTIVITY AS SUBSTANTIAL GAINFUL ACTIVITY

SSR 85-15: TITLES II AND XVI: CAPABILITY TO DO OTHER WORK

Step 5. Grids.

SSA Announces 3.3% COLA for 2007

Text version online at https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/index.html.  Pdf version attached.Highlights of 2007 changes:Substantial Gainful Activity (non-blind): $900/mo.Substantial Gainful Activity (blind): $1500/mo.Trial Work Period threshold: $640/mo.SSI Federal Benefit Rate: $623 (individual); $934…

SSA publishes proposed revisions to the Immune System Listings, 71 Fed. Reg. 44431 (8/4/06)

SSA
Published at 71 Fed. Reg. 44431 (8/4/06). Comments due by 10/2/06. Available at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2006-08-04/content-detail.html. Affected are the Immune System Disorders Listing, 20 CFR Pt. 404 Subpart P Rules 14.00 and 114.00. The immune system listings, including the HIV/AIDS…

Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition

SSA publishes SSR 06-03p - Considering Opinions and Other Evidence From Sources Who are not Acceptable Medical Sources, 71 Fed.

Pdf is attached.This ruling, which seems to be largely positive, has 2 parts. Part 1 expands upon 20 CFR 404.1513, 416.913(Medical and other evidence of your impairments) and 20 CFR 404.1527, 416.927 (Evaluating Opinion Evidence) Basically, the SSR emphasizes that, while an impairment must be…

SSA 3288 - Consent for Release of Information

This is the form to use to get permission to obtain information and/or records from SSA about a claimant or beneficiary you do not represent. The claimant or beneficiary may give consent to an individual or an organization to obtain the information and records.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) Online

Links to Axis I and Axis II Disorders.

ACT !! Coalition's Recommendations to the Connector Board on Affordable Enrollee Premiums and Cost Sharing

ACT II

Health Reform/Budget Update August 2, 2006

MLRI

Summary of MassHealth FY 2007 Budget and Health Reform

HA 4632 - Claimant's Medications

Flier: Food Stamps for Working People

USDA
USDA flier on common myths about Food Stamps for working individuals and families, and the information correcting them.

ABA LEP Standards for the Provision of Civil Legal Aid

American Bar Association (ABA)
The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants published Standard 4.6 on Communication in the Primary Langauges of Persons Served which states, "A provider should assure that all langauge groups within its low income communities have access to its services…

Keep Your Housing - A Guide to Help Mass. Tenants With Mental Health Issues Maintain Their Housing

Northeastern University School of Law and Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee
From the Guide's introduction: "This guide is designed to help tenants understand their housing rights and responsibilities, so that they are able to maintain their housing.  This guide does not cover the topics of accessing housing or defending against eviction (although it does…

Revised DSI Checklist (NOSSCR 7/19/06)

NOSSCR/DLC Region I Representatives Meeting
Issues to look out for as the Disability Service Improvement (DSI) process is rolled out.

Using the DSI Advocates Listserv

Summary of DSI Final Regulations - Do they Help or Hurt Claimants (NOSSCR 7/06)

Meeting Agenda

Health Reform Highlights for Low Income People

MLRI
MLRI's summary of key features of health reform affecting low income people

Food Stamps and Utility Expenses: Advocacy letters and CLE flier

 Attached are two updated documents and a Client Legal Education flieron FS and Utility Expenses. MLRI has received reports of Food Stamp recipients being underpaid because DTA did not consider their heating/cooling expenses or receipt of fuel assistance when calculating their food stamp…

Steps that Advocates Can Take to Avoid Foreclosure

NCLC
Information from the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) about steps that advocates can take to help seniors and other homeowners to prevent foreclosures. For more information, see also Brochures for Older Consumers.

An Advocate's Guide to the Disaster Food Stamp Program

FRAC
This guide was developed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, but it also explains a lot of the steps in the disaster declaration process generally.

Massachusetts Health Reform -Summary of chapter 58

Updated summary of key provisions in the health reform law enacted in April 2006

Summary of SSA's New Administrative Review Process (Disability Law Center, April 2006)

Summary of Disability Service Improvement (DSI) final regulations. Attached below, in Word, WP, and pdf.

List of state funded public housing units, broken down by community and bedroom size

2005 Information about state public housing units, broken down by bedroom size

GBLS
2005 listing of state public housing authorities broken down by bedroom size

Insurance for Mental Health Services

Mental Health Legal Advisors
This links to a section on MassLegalHelp.org which discusses how to get mental health services paid for once you have health insurance (either private or through MassHealth).

DTA 2005 Annual Report

DTA's 2005 Annual Report on cash assistance, homeless services, and food stamps.

Section by Section Summary of Health Reform Bill

A section by section summary of the April 4, 2006 health reform bill (H # 4580)prepared by the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing.

Dimensions of Institutional Racism in Psychiatry

MELVIN SABSHIN, HERMAN DIESENHAUS, and RAYMOND WILKERSON
Defining institutional racism in terms of self-perpetuating barriers to blacks' participation as equals in all areas of psychiatry, the authors review the influence of white racism on the image of the black patient, neglected problem areas, treatment accessibility, community mental health, research,…

Our Homes, Our Communities: How Tenants Preserve, Protect and Steward Public Housing

A report prepared by the Massachusetts Union of Public Housing Tenants and Massachusetts Law Reform Institute for Joint Committee on Housing's special hearing on preserving state public housing. The report calls for more capital and operating funds and, through the stories that people rarely hear,…

Our Homes, Our Communities: How Tenants Preserve, Protect and Steward Public Housing

Massachusetts Union of Public Housing Tenants and the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
The use of a narrative in advocacy.  MLRI's "storytelling project" that led to an advocacy tool that public housing resident leaders used at the statehouse to shine a light on the good work that public housing residents do in their communities which goes mostly unseen. 

Documenting Disability - Simple Strategies for Medical Providers

This manual is a guide to documenting medical impairments in support of applications for the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) disability benefits programs. It is primarily intended for health care providers in the United States serving individuals with disabilities who are homeless or…

Flyer on Medicare Part D Appeal Rights-Spanish-Espanol

Flyer entitled "My Medicare Drug Plan Won't Pay for My Drugs, What Can I Do?" in English & Spanish prepared by Medicare Advocacy Project

USDA Findings on DTA Food Stamp Access Barriers

MLRI
MLRI memo on February 1st USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Report on the November Program Access Review, and attached report of findings of serious violations of federal food stamps requirements.In November, FNS Regional Staff visited four local DTA offices to review both open and closed food…

Resources for Professional Development of Spanish Court Interpreters

Office of Trial Court Services (NJ)
Resources for people wanting to improve their interpreting skills Content Includes: -Standard Reference Materials -Self-help Training Resources -Sample Examination -Colleges/Universities That Offer Courses -Other…

2006 SSI Payment Levels and SSI/SSDI Thresholds

Tables with 2006 SSI payment levels in Massachusetts reflecting 4.1% cost of living adjustment. Payment levels are grouped by living arrangement and indicate federal benefit rate and state supplement. Separate chart with 2006 threshold amounts, including substantial gainful activity (SGA), trial…