Law Overviews & Guides

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Comprehensive guides and overviews of legal topics intended for advocates; in general, do NOT code simple fact sheets or client education materials with this term.

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Administrative Advisory SPED 2019-2: Extended Evaluations

MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has received numerous questions from special education directors, directors of approved special education schools and other stakeholders regarding the use of extended evaluations, particularly when the extended evaluation is conducted at an…

School Discipline Resources - Mass Advocates for Children

Mass Advocates for Children
Webpage with school discipline resources including: laws and regulations; supplemental information and history; school dsicipline decisions by the Problem Resolution System (PRS) at MA DESE and by US DOE OCR.

Webinar Powerpoint: Navigating Student Loan Solutions with Survivors

Persis Yu
On January 30, 2019, Persis Yu, Staff Attorney with the National Consumer Law Center, presented a webinar to provide an overview of the student loan system, options and common issues for survivors, and provide in­ depth strategies to get survivors out of default and into income driven repayment…

Utilities Advocacy for Low-Income Households In Massachusetts

National Consumer Law Center
Step by step advocacy guide for helping low-income households stop utility shut offs, arrange payment plans, secure assistance to pay arrears. This is the fourth edition, updated in 2019.  Note as of March 2020 in light of the COVID-19 Emergency, the state of Massachusetts has instituted a…

Governor's FY 2020 Budget Proposal: MLRI's Preliminary Analysis of Selected Issues

MLRI
The Governor’s FY 2020 Budget Proposal: Preliminary Analysis of Selected Cash and Nutrition Assistance,  Child Welfare, Health Care, Homelessness Services, Housing and Legal Services Items On January 23, 2019, Governor Baker released his budget proposal for…

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Commission on the Status of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
The primary purpose the Commission on the Status of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren is to serve as a resource to the Commonwealth on issues affecting grandparents and all relatives raising grandchildren. Commission's website is devoted to fostering education, networking, research,…

Addressing Tax Issues in Family Law Cases with Survivors

Jamie Andree, Laura Russell, Katie VonDeLinde
Laura Russell, Jamie Andree, and Katie VonDeLinde presented a webinar to enhance individual survivor centered advocacy and share legal remedies and strategies to address tax issues in family law cases. They drew upon CSAJ’s Guidebook and walked through multiple case scenarios with attendees to…

A Survivor’s Guide to Custody in the Massachusetts Probate & Family Court

Custody Awareness Collaborative
From the introduction: The survivor’s guide has tools to help you prepare for your custody case in Massachusetts. This guide has recommendations from survivors of abuse, lawyers, and domestic violence advocates. This guide can help you prepare for your case and understand the people and…

How to Lower Your Rent and Boost Your SNAP Benefits: An Advocacy Tool Kit for Mass Tenants

MLRI
This Advocacy Tool explains tenants who are elderly or disabled and live in public, subsidized and voucher housing can lower their rent and maximize their SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits with their medical expenses.  

Copyright and Creative Commons Guide for Legal Services

LSNTAP
NTAPguide on the basics of Copyright and Creative Commons for Legal Services.  It focus on the basics of copyright and where to find free content for videos or blogs. There is a whole chapter on best practices and another on resources.  Click the "Go to Website" link below to…

New Health Insurance Confidentiality Protections

Health Care for All
This is a link to HCFA's page on  new state law called the Protecting Access to Confidential Health Care (PATCH) Act that took effect July 1, 2018. This law fixes a crucial barrier to accessing health care by ensuring that if you are covered under another person's health plan in…

Advocate's Guide to MAGI

National Health Law Program
From the Executive Summary: "National Health Law Program's updated Advocate's Guide to MAGIaddresses changes to MAGI under the Republican tax plan enacted in 2017, as well as recently passed legislation affecting Modified Adjusted Gross Income-based calculations,…

Rulemaking Resources

Various
How to Participate in the Rulemaking Process overview. The Reg Map - steps in the rulemaking process.

Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program

Elizabeth Whiteway, Senior Attorney, Greater Boston Legal Services
The attached document provides an overview of the recently enacted Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program.

When Access to Language Means Access to Justice

Tere Ramos
Our clients have a civil right to language access in programs and benefits offered by recipients of federal funding, such as courts, schools, and housing offices. How do we enforce those rights? And what are best practices for representing limited-English-proficient clients? Tere Ramos gives a great…

Senate Ways and Means FY 19 Budget Proposal: MLRI's Preliminary Analysis of Selected Issues

MLRI
On May 10, 2018, the Senate Committee on Ways and Means released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2019, S.4. MLRI offers this preliminary analysis of selected issues affecting low-income residents of the Commonwealth. 

House Ways and Means FY 19 Budget Proposal: MLRI's Preliminary Analysis of Selected Issues

MLRI
On April 11, 2018, the House Committee on Ways and Means released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2019 (FY 19), House 4400.  MLRI offers this preliminary analysis of selected budget topics affecting low-income residents of the Commonwealth. Download the document below.

MassHealth Managed Care Changes for 1 million March 1, 2018

Vicky Pulos
Attached is an updated powerpoint describing MassHealth managed care changes in the works for several years now that will affect over 1 million members starting March 1, 2018. The materials provide an overview of what's going on including descriptions of several problem scenarios, possible…

Family First Act Implementation Timeline

Children's Defense Fund

Family First Prevention Services Act Summaries

Children's Defense Fund

Governor's FY 2019 Budget Proposal: MLRI's Preliminary Analysis of Selected Issues

MLRI
The Governor’s FY 2019 Budget Proposal: Preliminary Analysis of Selected Cash and Nutrition Assistance,  Child Welfare, Health Care, Homelessness Services, Housing, Income Supports and Legal Services Items On January 24, 2018, Governor Baker released his budget…

Family Law Advocacy for Low & Moderate Income Litigants

Jacquelynne J. Bowman, Patricia A. Levesh, et al
2018 Edition From the preface: "This third edition of this manual continues the vision of the original publication to enable family law litigants to have a greater understanding of what to expect when faced with the emotional but critical legal issues affecting their lives and their…

Guides to Economic Rights and Resources For Domestic Violence Survivors in Western Massachusetts

Massachusetts Rural Domestic and Sexual Violence Project
This series of guides were designed to be used by advocates for survivors of domestic and sexual violence when working directly with survivors. There are guides for Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties of Massachusetts, as well as guides for those working with immigrant survivors of…

Parent's Guide to Bullying Involving Students With Disabilities

Mass Advocates for Children
A fact sheet on bullying and the MA anti bullying law for parents.  Explains what bullying is, the school's responsibilities and some interventions/accommodations to help a student who's being bullied.

Tax Law 101 for the Legal Aid Practitioner

John Young
Practical Tax Law Information for Legal Aid Attorneys.  Click the "Go to Website" link to access the article.

2017 EAEDC Advocacy Guide

Marion Hohn, CWJC, Patricia Baker, MLRI, Laura Gallant, NHC
ALERT: Since 2017 some EAEDC rules have changed. MLRI is working on updating this Guide.    An Advocate's Guide to Emergency Aid to Elders, Disabled and Children in Massachusetts - 2017 Edition! EAEDC is a state-funded cash assistance benefit for individuals with…

PAIR Project / Legal Resources

PAIR
The Political Asylum/Immigration Representation Project (PAIR) is a nationally recognized pro bono model that works to secure safety and freedom for asylum-seekers who have fled from persecution throughout the world and to promote the rights of immigrants unjustly detained. See PAIR's website for…

Post-Hospitalization Skilled Nursing Facility Care: Will Medicare Cover your Stay?

Medicare Advocacy Project
If you are a Medicare beneficiary, Medicare can pay for up to 100 days of care in a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) such as a nursing home.  Usually, in order to qualify for Medicare coverage, you must have a qualifying hospital stay of 3 consecutive days or more (often referred to as the…

Legal Tactics: Tenants' Rights in Massachusetts (private housing)

MLRI
Link to the 2017 edition of Legal Tactics: Tenants' Rights in Massachusetts. This handbook provides practical information about tenants' rights in private housing-housing that is owned by an individual or a privately owned company.  Click the "Go to Website" link below to read the book online (on…

AG Guidance: Information for Massachusetts Health Care Providers Regarding Immigration Enforcement

Mass. Attorney General
The AG’s Office issued  guidance following inquiries from health care providers and public school officials about the impact of federal immigration policies and executive orders on patients and students.“Parents should never be afraid to send their children to school, and people…

Preliminary Look at How the House Repeal and Replace Bill Could Affect MassHealth and ConnectorCare

Vicky Pulos
Attached is MLRI's summary of some of the most worrisome features of the initial version of the House bill to repeal and replace key features of the Affordable Care Act (as of March 13, 2017).

SNAP and Photo EBT Cards: Information and Resources

MLRI
What are photo EBT cards and who gets one? Massachusetts state law requires that some DTA recipients be issued Photo EBT Cards with a picture of the head of household - but MANY People are EXEMPT.  If you receive SNAP or DTA cash benefits, you may need to have a photo EBT card.…

SSI/SSDI Overpayments and Appeals -- A Primer

Illinois Pro Bono
Illinois Legal Aid has put together an online primer on SSI and SSDI overpayments and appeals.  Click the "Go to Website" link below to access these materials.

Representing Clients in MassHealth Cases

Vicky Pulos
Powerpoint from June 2016 training for legal aid and pro bono lawyers on Reprenting Clients in MassHealth Cases. 

Review of Summary Process Actions in Housing Courts Statewide in 2011 and 2014

MLRI
Over the past 25 years, the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute has compiled four surveys of residential summary process (eviction) cases in Housing and District courts throughout Massachusetts. As policy makers consider legislation to expand the Housing Court Department statewide and other…

SSDI Overpayment Booklet

Disability Law Center
SSDI Overpayment: What you can do when Social Security claims you were paid too much SSDI

Power point: Federal Tax Advocacy for Survivors: What Attorneys Need to Know

Jamie Andree, JD
CSAJ's Expert Advisor, Jamie Andree, provided a webinar training on a range of tax advocacy issues facing survivors.  Access the webinar slides here. The recording is available at www.csaj.org/webinars.

A Guide to Gathering and Using Legislative History in Massachusetts

Sean J. Kealy, Boston University School of Law
The article provides an overview of the legislative process in Massachusetts.  It includes sections on: the Massachusetts legislative process and timelines sources of legislative history reconstructing a bill's legislative history where to find Committee and legislative…

Guardianship of an Adult in Massachusetts

Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee

Alternatives to Conservatorship in Massachusetts

Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee

Alternatives to Guardianship in Massachusetts

Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee

Credit Checks: An Illegitimate Barrier to Employment for Survivors

Amy Traub, Demos, and CSAJ
How employer credit checks impact employment opportunities for survivors. Individual level advocacy strategies were discussed with an emphasis on systems change work, as demonstrated by the NYC credit check ban.  

Beyond Financial Aid 2015: A Guide to Extra Help For Low-Income Adult Students

Deborah Harris, MLRI and Ruth J. Liberman, Crittenton Women's Union
The booklet resolves the misconceptions that college students are not eligible for resources such as food stamps or subsidized housing and guides students to make wise choices about affordable schools and career choices that will help stretch their limited resources. Written in a clear…

Emergency Assistance (EA) Shelter: The Top Ten Things for Advocates to Know

Ruth Bourquin, MLRI
Top ten things advocates should know about Emergency Assistance (Shelter) 1. Provided by the Division of Housing Stabilization (DHS) of the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) at local offices of the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA). 2. For families…

"Workaround" for Disabled Adults with MAGI over 133% FPL

Vicky Pulos
This memo summarizes the circumstances in which the new eligibility and enrollment system will not be able to make an accurate determination for certain disabled adults, and a "workaround" is in place to eventually make the correct determination.  

Advisory 2016-1 Time out and Seclusion

MA DESE
Technical Assistance Advisory by DESE on time out and seclusion in school.  The advisory addresses: The use of inclusionary time-out as a behavioral support strategy The use of exclusionary time-out in educational settings Seclusion Exclusionary time-out and seclusion

Immigrant Eligibility Alert-Data Entry Errors

Vicky Pulos, MLRI
We are still working on tracking down the source of persistent eligibility errors affecting immigrants. It looks like one source of the problems may be when information from paper application forms are entered into the computer by the state. In this alert, we show what the computer screen menus…

Adobe Legal Department Legal Style Guide

Adobe
Adobe's Legal Department developed a Style Guide to help its lawyers write in Plain English and avoid legalese.  Click the "Go to Website" link below to download it from Adobe's website.  In particular, the section on Word Choices (p.15) has some useful substitutions for…

Access to Emergency Shelter and Resources for Families Experiencing Homelessness

Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
Click the "Go to Website" link below to access information from the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless about resources for those who are homeless, or at imminent risk of being homeless.

Veteran's Healthcare Benefits Handbook

Military Handbooks
From the introduction: "This unique handbook, written for veterans, gives you everything you need to know about: how to apply, veterans service centers, choosing a facility, changing a facility, second opinions, prescriptions, dental care, chiropractic care, non-VA care, travel, POW…