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Family Law Matters for Same Sex Couples

GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) is a non-profit legal rights organization based in Boston that serves residents of the New England states. GLAD works to end discrimination based on sexual origenation, HIV status, and gender identity and expression. The organization…

Pro Se 30A Form

Sample Pro Se Complaint for Judical Review of EA decision

Eviction Process Online Course for Housing Court Lawyer For the Day Volunteers

MLRI
A number of housing courts in Massachusetts have Lawyer for the Day programs where lawyers provide unrepresented tenants and landlords with assistance.  Volunteer lawyers help parties fill out forms and understand basic legal information. Often the Lawyer for the Day will be the only…

Information for LGBTQ Veterans and Servicemembers

Lynn Girton, Veterans Legal Services
Many LGBTQ individuals have served in the military and have encountered discrimination based on their LGBTQ status. Indeed, in the period between the end of WWII and the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT), approximately 114,000 servicemembers were involuntarily discharged based on…

Stateside Legal - National website for military members, veterans and their families

Stateside Legal
A national website for military members, veterans and their families, with the goal of helping them to to find their own solutions to common legal problems, and to find someone to help, if legal advice is needed. 

MassVetsAdvisor

MassVetsAdvisor
This webiste gives Massachusetts veterans and their families the ability to search through 230 benefits programs based on their service branch, time period and family needs. The website is regularly updated.

Housing Law and the Impact on Domestic Violence Survivors

Network for Public Health Law
Many municipalities in the U.S. have enacted nuisance property ordinances, which can have harmful effects on victims of domestic violence. Although state fair housing laws, landlord-tenant statutes and other legal provisions may protect the housing rights of some survivors of domestic violence,…

OLGT 2018-61: TAFDC – Clothing Allowance, September 2018

DTA
The Department will issue a nonrecurring clothing allowance to eligible TAFDC clients under the age of 19 for September 2018. This year the Legislature raised the amount of this benefit to $350 per eligible TAFDC client.  A payment of $350 (separate from the semi-monthly payment) will be…

DTA Monthly Caseload by Community Report

DTA
DTA began posting monthly caseload information broken down by zip code for SNAP, TAFDC and EAEDC in December 2016. We will post each month's  excel spreadsheet on this page. See notes from DTA in the excel spreadsheet for more information on the month the data represents. Generally, the SNAP…

Family Abduction Resources

MRLI
  Polly Klass Foundation Web site with reports and resources on the topic of family abduction prepared by the Polly Klass Foundation in California.   Massachusetts AMBER Alert Plan   Information about using Massachusetts' AMBER Alert Plan to find…

Links to Mass. Congressional Delegation Contact Info

Link to contact information for Senators Markey and Warren: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=MA   Link to contact information for Mass. members of U.S. House: http://www.house.gov/representatives

The Racial Justice Institute: Bringing a Race Equity Lens to Legal Services Advocacy

Janerick Holmes, Kimberly Merchant and Ellen Hemley, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
Recognizing the critical link between race and poverty, the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law (Shriver Center), with support from a dedicated and talented national Advisory Committee, launched the Racial Justice Institute (RJI) in 2014. RJI is a cutting-edge national leadership program,…

2018 DTA Performance Scorecards

DTA
DTA monthly scorecards for 2018, which include performance measures such as SNAP, EAEDC, and TAFDC caseloads, average waiting times, and accuracy rates. January 2018 February 2018 March 2018 April 2018 May 2018 June 2018 July 2018 August 2018 Once…

A TOOLKIT FOR CENTERING RACIAL EQUITY WITHIN DATA INTEGRATION

Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy
With trust in government and experts (e.g., researchers) at historic lows,1 efforts that rely exclusively on these institutions to “use data to solve social problems” are unlikely to succeed. Too often government organizations and their research partners fail to identify and address…

Resource for Individual Hurricane Maria Evacuees (Households without members under 18)

State of Massachusetts
Resource Guide for Individual Hurricane Maria Evacuees distributed by the state of Massachusetts in June 2018.  This guide is for households with no family members under age 18.

Massachusetts Hurricane Recovery Resources for Evacuees Living in Hotels

State of Massachusetts
Massachusetts Hurricane Recovery Resources for Evacuees distributed by the state in June 2018.   This communication is only for evacuee families with a FEMA number who are living in a Red Cross or FEMA funded hotel or motel as of 6/30/18.

Massachusetts Family Law & the ACA

MLRI
What Massachusetts Family Law Practitioners Should Know about the ACA Family law cases routinely involve decisions regarding custody, health care coverage, tax dependency exemptions, whether to file joint tax returns and what tax filing status might be most beneficial to the…

New MRCP Rules 8.1 and 55.1 (Effectvie 1/1/19)

SJC
Attached is the Supreme Judicial Court's order adding rules 8.1 and 55.1 concerning the collection of credit card debt to the Massachusetts Rules of Civil Procedure.  Also attached below are the Reporter's Notes on these changes.  The additions are effectvie on January 1, 2019.

Your Money, Your Goals

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Your Money, Your Goals is a set of financial empowerment materials for organizations that help people meet their financial goals by increasing their knowledge, skills, and resources.  Click "Go to Website" to visit.

Consumer Law -- Top 10 Things to Know

MLRI
1) M.G.L. c. 93A is the Massachusetts consumer protection law to fight against unfair or deceptive acts or practices in trade or commerce. The Attorney General's office has promulgated regulations that give specific examples and explanations of unfair acts and practices. 2)…

Shifting the Narrative: What it Takes the Reframe the Debate for Social Justice in the US

Alan Jenkins

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.

Inclusive Legal Spaces: The Importance of Diverse Mentoring

Faith Deredge
Creating inclusive spaces and developing a diverse team is critical to any industry. However, diversity and inclusion are particularly important in the legal profession to ensure that judges, prosecutors, and lawyers are just as diverse as the millions of Americans they serve. Lawyers of color are…

Continuity of Care in MassHealth Managed Care after March 1, 2018

Office of Medicaid and Others
March 1, 2018 over 1 million members will be moving to new kinds of health plans. This affects individual under age 65 with MassHealth as their only coverage. Individuals should have received notice of the change from MassHealth and their new plans. There are protections in place to try to avoid…

National Center for Law and Elder Rights -- Trainings

NCLE
The National Center for Law and Elder rights has a number of recorded trainings about elder law topics, including: Elder abuse and financial exploitation Medicare, Medicaid and other benefits and health issues Consumer and foreclosures and more. Click the "Download" link…

How to Make & Test Videos (with Limited Time & Money)

Northwest Justice Project
If you create print publications to inform your communities about their legal rights and responsibilities, videos can amplify your educational outreach efforts. Below, you can download a copy of a 10-page Guide called, "How to Make & Test Videos (with Limited Time &…

How to Write for Clients

Legal Services Corporation
Useful round up of resources to help write in plain langauge.

Comments on House 2 MassHealth Amendments Relating to the Pharmacy Program

CHLPI/MLRI
Comments on House 2 MassHealth Amendments Relating to the Pharmacy Program On behalf of the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation (CHLPI) of Harvard Law School, the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI), and the undersigned organizations, we are grateful for the opportunity to provide…

2018 ConnectorCare enrollment options after Jan 23

Health Care for All
People purchasing individual coverage including ConnectorCare can only do so during "open enrollment" or if they have experienced a "qualifying event." Open enrollment for 2018 ended in MA on Jan 23, 2018.  However, it is not too late for people to obtain ConnectorCare…

Resources for Locating Someone who is being Detained or is Incarcerated

Karen Breda, Boston College Law School
Useful information on how to locate someone in immigration detention, federal prisons, and state prisons.  Click the "go to website" link below.

Inside Game: The Key Players Behind Washington’s Biggest Foster Care Reform in Decades

Daniel Heimpel

Helping agency vs. an Authorized Representative

MLRI
We often hear of confusion from DTA case managers and from community organizations about the role of a helping agency or individual vs. the role of an Authorized Representative. It is very important that persons assisting with a SNAP case are not conflated with an Authorized…

Myths about the 10-Year Law Fotonovela

Iris Gomez, MLRI
**NEW (March 2018): Fotonovela Is Now Available in Haitian Creole!**   Fotonovela Printing Instructions:   If you want to print your own copy of “Maria and Jesus, Their Four Children, and Some Myths About the 10-Year Law,” you have two options. You can print each…

Federal Title IV-E funding to the states

Child Trends
Child Welfare Financing SFY 2014: A survey of federal, state, and local expenditures, Kristina Roskinsky, Dana Dean Connelly, OCT 04, 2016 Child Welfare Financing SFY 2014: Massachusetts Child Welfare Financing SFY 2014:  State-Level Data Table (SFY 2014 is the most recent state level…

FAMILY FIRST ACT PRESS

Inside Game: The Key Players Behind Washington’s Biggest Foster Care Reform in Decades, Daniel Heimpel, Chronicle of Social Change, March 7, 2018 Trump’s Top Child Welfare Official: Family First a Good First Step, but True Prevention is Key, Jerry Milner, Chronicle of Social Change,…

The US Census Bureau keeps confusing race and ethnicity

Nancy Lopez, Director, Institute for the Study of "Race" & Social Justice; Associate Professor, Sociology, University of New Mexico
If you were walking down the street, what race would strangers automatically assume you were? “Street race” – what race you look like, based on your skin color, facial features and more – is an important aspect of a person’s experiences. For example, research…

National Immigration Law Center: Health Issues

NILC

MassHealth Income Guidelines effective March 1, 2018

MLRI. MassHealth
The MLRI Health Income Chart includes the 5% MAGI allowance, plus the $20 income disregard for MassHealth Senior calculations The MassHealth Desk Guide does not include combined figures.

The Cap on Kids -- Impact on Gateway Cities

MLRI
About the Gateway Cities Gateway Cities are midsize urban centers that anchor regional economies around the state. For generations, these communities were home to industry that offered residents good jobs and a “gateway” to the American Dream. Over the past several decades,…

MassHealth Income Guidelines 2017 & 2018

MLRI, MassHealth
Attached are four tables.  The MLRI MassHealth Income Table for March 1 2017.  This table factors in the 5% MAGI income deduction to the various poverty levels.  Effective in MassHealth Mar 1, 2017 to Feb 28, 2018. Updated for Connector Open Enrollment beginning Nov 1,…

How Do I Talk About the Violence I Experienced? A Guide for K-12 Students and Their Caretakers

VRLC and Surviving in Numbers
 How Do I Talk About the Violence I Experienced? A Guide for K-12 Students and Their Caretakers  The Victims Rights Law Center and Surviving in Numbers have launched a resource bank and guide for young survivors (in kindergarden through 12th grade) and their caretakers.  The…

Lawyer for a Day for Housing Cases

MLRI
Information/Resources related to Lawyer for a Day Lawyer for a Day Next Steps Form - Customizable Word Document for Your LFD Program to Help Clients Keep Track of Next Steps Lawyer for a Day Program Housing Court Standing Order Reducing the Civil "Justice Gap" by…

Family First Prevention Services Act Summaries

Children's Defense Fund

Family First Act Implementation Timeline

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…

The hidden health inequalities that American Indians and Alaskan Natives face

Annie Belcourt, University of Montana
From the article: "Unfortunately, my story isn’t uncommon for most Native Americans. As a collective, American Indians and Alaska Natives live more challenging and shorter lives. These are statistics I’m acutely aware of as researcher in clinical psychology. Understanding…

SSI Deeming Chart

The attached chart includes SSI eligibility thresholds based on parent to child, spouse to spouse, and spouse to spouse to child deeming.

Frequently Asked Questions: USCIS Is Accepting DACA Renewal Applications

National Immigration Law Center (NILC)
Produced by NILC and United We Dream, this updated FAQ sheet on DACA renewal is also available on NILC's website, here. This is a useful resource for determining whether a person is eligible to renew, and what the necessary steps entail. For the links to the relevant USCIS forms for…

2017 DTA Performance Scorecards

DTA
DTA monthly scorecards for 2017, which include performance measures such as SNAP, EAEDC, and TAFDC caseloads, average waiting times, and accuracy rates. February 2017 (DTA did not post a January scorecard) March 2017 April 2017 May 2017 June 2017 July…

2018 SSI Payment Levels; 2018 SSI and SSDI Threshold Amounts

Disability Law Center
Two charts: 2018 SSI payment levels in Massachusetts 2018 SSI and SSDI threshold amounts