Nov 2019 - Supplemental Security Income

We give thanks for the life-changing work we get to do advocating for clients to achieve justice in court. We're thankful to work alongside many dedicated agency partners so that together we can make significant inroads against poverty, homelessness, and abuse in West Michigan. One way we regularly support other agencies is through our Donuts & The Law events for service providers - read on for details of our December events! Legal Aid helps adults and children get benefits when they are disabled. This newsletter talks about Supplemental Security Income (SSI), a public benefit for low-income people who are unable to work because of their disabilities. Having a lawyer or paralegal by your side to navigate an administrative or court appeal can make all the difference for these clients' ability to make ends meet and thrive despite their challenges.

We received a request to help obtain SSI benefits for “ Jayden,” a young man who has been in foster care for several years. Jayden’s Social Security file was surprisingly thin, and as we took time to speak with him and his foster care manager we discovered there was a lot more to the story. We were able to obtain Jayden’s missing educational and medical records which revealed the extent of his situation and that the initial denial of benefits was unfounded. At appeal, the judge agreed. He affirmed Jayden’s eligibility status and specifically thanked our attorney for the work Legal Aid did to recover all of Jayden’s records. The judge also praised Jayden’s efforts to improve his situation and encouraged him to keep striving for the very best!

If you work with low-income or senior clients, check out our upcoming Donuts & The Law events to learn more about SSI and when to refer clients to Legal Aid.  Donuts provided! SIGN UP HERE