See email below from MLRI Mass Websites Project. We are very excited to share this new way for your clients to get free legal advice.
Below is an announcement on funding for local school districts in high poverty areas. Please circulate to your local school districts.
See also contacts in Taunton, Chicopee and Salem who can advise your local schools as well.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Andrea Silbert <rfp@eosfoundation.org>
Date: Tue, Feb 14, 2017 at 5:02 PM
Subject: Grant Opportunity: Up to $10,000/school to launch After the Bell, Breakfast in the Classroom
Happy Day after Valentines Day! We still love you and all the work you do to protect and defend SNAP! Keep it up! Here's some important updates.
The NEXT Boston SNAP Coalition Meeting is Tuesday, February 28th in Boston (10-Noon) at St Francis House. An agenda will go out soon, which includes an update on the SNAP Gap campaign!
See email below from DTA Central re late opening for both local DTA offices and DTA Assistance Line (which has an audio greeting rre same).
And remember - SNAP Households may also be eligible for SNAP replacement benefits if they lost food as a result of power outages due to this week's or last week's storm.
Information and DTA forms to request replacement can be found here:
We want to remind you that SNAP households who suffered loss of power triggering loss of food (refrigeration etc) may be eligible for SNAP replacement benefits for the value of food lost that was purchased with SNAP.
According area news, Winter Storm Niko caused 4,000 power outages in Eastern and Southern MA - some lasting many hours. http://www.masslive.com/news/
MLRI was recently contacted by a SNAP recipient from Central Massachusetts hassled at the check out line at a local Honey Farms and denied a food purchase. Honey Farms is chain of convenience stores predominantly in Central MA.
The federal Department of Health and Human Services recently announced an increase in the federal poverty level (FPL), effective 1/31/17. For SNAP purposes, this only impacts the 200% FPL gross income test. The 130% FPL, 100% FPL and maximum SNAP benefit levels have NOT changed (these are adjusted October 1st).
We last sent an eblast about the wage match lawsuit settlement in early January. The settlement includes retroactive relief- back benefits - for about 17,000 to 24,000 households that lost SNAP in 2014 or 2015 due to a wage match. For more information go to: www.masslegalhelp.org/
Gentle reminder that the deadline for your State Rep to sign as a co-sponsor for House legislation is Friday, Feb 3rd by 5 PM. Please call your State Rep today to sign on.
Jan. 31 is the last day of "Open Enrollment"--the deadline for people to sign up for individual insurance (ObamaCare) or switch plans. At the national level, HHS has pulled its ads urging people to sign up before it's too late.
http://www.politico.com/story/
