GEORGIA LEGAL SERVICES PROGRAM

SUMMARY OF CASE ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA

2009

N.B.    The decision to accept any individual case in any given office may be affected by staff workloads and available resources at the time legal assistance is requested. This listing of case types that we will consider is not intended to create an entitlement to services.

All offices

1.         Income Maintenance issues, focusing on TANF, food stamps, SSI and SSA cessations and overpayments, unemployment benefits, Medicaid, Medicare, Miller Trusts, and limited veterans benefits. Other issues related to health care access, including access to affordable prescription drugs and the indigent care trust fund. Consumer issues that threaten income or assets, such as identity fraud and theft, defense of garnishments or other legal actions that threaten employment or access to health care such as foreclosure on vehicles needed for related transportation.

2.         Housing including mortgage foreclosures, evictions, admission to subsidized housing, protection of vouchers, nursing home evictions, contractor fraud and predatory lending, and utility issues to prevent homelessness.

3.         Domestic violence including TPOs and related issues such as elder abuse, child support, housing, Medicaid, food stamps, TANF; contempt actions on temporary protective orders; divorces in limited circumstances.

4.         Education issues including discipline actions, access to free appropriate public education for children with special needs, admissions problems, and transportation issues.

5.         Other family issues including prevention of foster care placement, cessation of child abuse, legitimation where child support is available.

Special grant work

SENIORS

1.         In addition to issues included among general Case Acceptance Criteria above, per grantor priorities, offer services to ensure the rights of older people and prevent their abuse, neglect and exploitation. Areas of emphasis include cases involving income and healthcare benefits and prevention of loss of housing, including threats to nursing home residence.

2.         Elder abuse and domestic violence.

3.         Advanced directives, simple wills, and probate where necessary to preserve homeplace or qualify for benefits, nursing home issues such as conditions and discharge, home repair fraud.

4.         Abusive collection practices against seniors, including garnishment of protected assets or income.

5.         Issues related to disabilities, including discrimination, access to benefits, advanced

directives and wills (for persons with terminal illnesses).

6.         Termination of guardianships.

HOMELESSNESS

1.                  Evictions and transitions from shelters, identification, expungement of criminal records.

KINSHIP CARE

1.         Guardianships, custody, adoption (where appropriate), benefits counseling and advocacy, school admission

Pro Bono/ Judicare Programs

1.         Bankruptcy

2.         Wills, guardianships, advanced directives

3.         Domestic cases especially those not involving violence

4.         Probate to protect the homeplace or qualify for benefits

5.         Other types of cases as volunteers are available.

6.         Non-case-specific activities, including clinics, community education programs,

mentoring, training, and similar efforts.

Services for special populations

1.         Limited English proficiency clients: access to courts; access to and protection of public benefits; correction of birth certificates

2.         Persons with disabilities: discrimination; access to and protection of public benefits; advanced directives for persons with terminal illnesses

Farmworker

1.         Employment cases, both claims for wages, etc., under FLSA and contract theories, and retaliatory failure to hire or unlawful firing cases.

2.         Cases that tie "real" employers to the subcontractors who increasingly are the "paystub employer."

3.         Address pervasive retaliation both against GLSP clients, against workers who complain generally, and against the workforce as a whole so that they will remain silent.

4.         Address conditions related to employment, including housing, health, and safety.

Community Economic Development

Central, Savannah, Macon, Gainesville: Consideration of requests from community groups to assist with projects such as creating new housing, preserving old housing, creating enterprise opportunities, etc.

Rev. 2-9-09