Settlement of Conrad v. Perales
December 1, 2006
While, the Conrad case mirrors the length and literary plot of a Dickensian novel, its origins lie in the 1980s when the New York State Department of Social Services (DSS) and the nursing home industry developed a joint funding plan called “MOP II”, the Medicare Optimization Program. Read More
Policy Matters
December 1, 2006
“Policy matters,” Jim Tallon, President of the Untied Hospital Fund (UHF) declared as he opened a recent UHF conference on health care financing and delivery in New York State. “And,” he said, “policy is back.” Read More
New Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP) at Empire Justice Center
December 1, 2006
Next year, attorneys at Empire Justice Center will take part in a new loan repayment assistance program (LRAP) recently approved by our Board of Directors. The program will provide attorneys and those with job-related graduate school debt at Empire Justice with a forgivable loan each year to partially offset the monthly expense of repaying that debt. Read More
Expanding Access to Justice
New York’s Next Challenge
December 1, 2006
The New York Equal Justice Commission is pressing the incoming administration to take a fundamental policy approach to investing in civil legal services in New York. Here is our basic framing of the issue and the request. Read More
Son of Pronti Born
December 1, 2006
Litigation recently filed in the Western District of New York will build on the legacy created by the Pronti litigation, which charged now retired Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Franklin T. Russell with generalized bias against disability claimants. See Pronti v. Barnhart, 339 F.Supp.2d 480 (W.D.N.Y. 2004) (Pronti I). Read More
SSA Announces 2007 Cost of Living Increases
December 1, 2006
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced that the cost-of-living increase for Social Security benefits and for the SSI Federal Benefit Rate (FBR) for 2007 will be 3.3%. Read More
New York Law Allows New York Consumers to "Freeze" Their Credit Report
December 1, 2006
On November 1, 2006, the Credit Report Security Freeze Legislation (A.7349-D/S.6805-B) went into effect in New York State. The law allows New Yorkers to put a security freeze on their credit reports, disallowing unknown third parties from accessing their information. Read More
$325 Million Settlement with Ameriquest Mortgage Company
What It Means for New York Homeowners
December 1, 2006
Subprime mortgage lending, or lending to borrowers with damaged credit, has faced increased regulatory scrutiny in the last three to five years as the government has tried to prevent lenders from preying on borrowers. This sector of the lending industry, which mushroomed in the early 1990s with investment money from Wall Street, has allowed many borrowers to get loans that would not have been possible twenty years ago. However, it has also created opportunities for abusive lending practices. Read More
Access to Legal Services for Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Individuals
December 1, 2006
New York has one of the largest populations of Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals in the United States, and in response some legal services offices have begun developing language access polices and procedures to assure LEP clients are provided equal access to legal assistance. Read More
Expanding the Patchwork
Inequity in Child Care Subsidy Eligibility and Administration is Greater Now than in 2002
December 1, 2006
Inequity in Child Care Subsidy Eligibility and Administration is Greater Now than in 2002. Read More
