LEGAL AID HELPS CHILDREN
A legal aid attorney obtained food stamp benefits for six children whose mother had been killed in a car accident.  After the accident, the auto insurance company established a trust fund for the children, but this money was not accessible to them until they reached the age of majority.  The children went to live with their grandfather, who was on a limited income.  The grandfather applied for food stamps for the children, but his claim was denied because the food stamps office counted the trust fund as income.  A legal aid attorney appealed the denial and showed that the trust fund was not currently available to the family.  The grandfather was then deemed eligible for food stamps and now he can feed the children. 

           
LEGAL AID HELPS THE ELDERLY
A legal aid attorney assisted an 80-year-old female client in obtaining vital prescription medication.  She did not understand the Medicare system and had missed the first deadline for enrolling in Medicare Part D, the prescription drug benefit program.  The legal aid attorney helped her enroll during the second registration period and put her in touch with the state’s Medicare Connect Care HelpLine for the elderly.  The attorney also matched the client with the local Area Agency on Aging and the Charitable Christian Clinic, which operates a discount prescription drug plan. 

LEGAL AID HELPS END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
A legal aid attorney obtained a two-year Order of Protection against a client’s ex-girlfriend.  The ex-girlfriend hit him several times, bit him, head-butted him, and tried to stab him.  She also attempted to stab his brother when he tried to intervene.  While an Order of Protection is typically issued for a one-year period, in this case the judge agreed that the domestic violence was excessive and warranted a much longer period of protection.  After the Order was served on the ex-girlfriend, she came back to the client’s home and assaulted him again.  With the Order of Protection in place, she was arrested and charged with felony charges of aggravated assault and domestic battery. 

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