Public Benefits
For people living with a serious illness, a disability, or very low income, benefits like Social Security and Medicaid often make it possible to stay housed and get medical care.
Were your benefits denied, cut, or stopped?
How we help
When benefits are wrongly denied, reduced, or cut off, we help people appeal and get them back. Our attorneys gather medical evidence, meet strict deadlines, and represent clients at hearings for Social Security, Medicaid, and other public benefit programs. We also step in when agency errors threaten the benefits people already rely on.
I was receiving essential home health services to help me manage. The agency cut my hours. From 120 per week to 70. Then to 40. This was after my surgeries! NJP saved my life. NJP negotiated for me and worked with the home community health agency to restore my care. I am so grateful.
Pamela
Legal Aid Matters
Most people who face a loss of their Medicaid, food assistance, or other support don’t have legal help. Having a lawyer represent you in an administrative hearing, where you can challenge the agency’s decision before a judge, may be the difference between winning and losing.
The rules are complex and the deadlines are short, and many people give up after a first denial. Having legal aid changes that. When people win the benefits they’re entitled to, they can pay rent, get the medical care they need, and focus on their health instead of stressing over paperwork. Successful appeals also bring federal dollars into Washington communities.
Lucilla’s Story
My Lawyer Made Everything Possible
When 78-year-old Lucila was ready to leave the hospital, DSHS refused to honor her daughter Hershey’s power of attorney and demanded she obtain guardianship, a costly, lengthy process. Their NJP attorney stepped in and quickly cleared the way for Lucila to move into an Adult Family Home with the care she needed.
Case Studies
Public Benefits
Protecting Care Hours for Help with Daily Living
Legal aid advocates have a long history of bringing cases to change our public benefits system to better serve the clients who need these social safety nets. In one case, NJP discovered that people who need in-home assistance to perform their activities of daily living – eating, washing, cleaning – were having their care hours reduced because they lived in the same home as their caregiver.
NJP challenged this rule as unfairly reducing the hours of need for a person based on something unrelated to their disability, ultimately prevailing in the Washington Supreme Court. As a result, individuals with disabilities who need assistance to live independently do not have their care hours reduced for reasons unrelated to their disability or needs.
Recent News & Stories
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On August 14, we celebrate the 90th anniversary of Social Security – along with two related birthdays: Medicare and Medicaid each turned 60 on July 30.
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