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MGH Community News |
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MGH Community News |
| January 2023 | Volume 27 • Issue 1 |
Highlights
Sections Social Service staff may direct resource questions to the Community Resource Center, Hannah Perry, 617-726-8182. Questions, comments about the newsletter? Contact Ellen Forman, 617-726-5807. |
Behavioral Health Road Map Initiatives Effective Jan 2023 - FAQs As reported last month (MA Behavioral Health Help Line and 25 Behavioral Health Centers With 24-Hour Crisis Intervention Set to Open in January) the state this month launched two key components of its Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform plan – 25 new 24/7 Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) and a new 24/7 clinical Behavioral Health Help Line. The help line offers a single point of contact for residents to receive real-time support, initial clinical assessment, and connection to the right mental health and substance use disorder evaluation and treatment, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. The phone and chat line offer real-time clinical triage and service navigation in more than 200 languages to help individuals and families access the range of treatment for mental health and addiction offered in the commonwealth, including outpatient, urgent, and immediate crisis intervention. Every call, text, or chat conversation will include clinical follow up. The help line is available through phone or text at (833) 773-BHHL (2445), as well as by chat online at masshelpline.com. Help Line FAQs - Adapted from Behavioral Health Update: Payments, Help Line, Loan Repayment, MHA Advisory -- Leigh Simons Youmans lyoumans@mhalink.org, January 5, 2023.
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SNAP Emergency Allotments to End After February Extra COVID Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, known as SNAP Emergency Allotments, were created during the pandemic to help individuals and families buy food. These extra COVID benefits are the difference between a household’s normal benefit amount and the maximum amount for their household size, with a minimum amount of $95 a month. Since March 2020, the benefits have been put on EBT cards at the beginning of each month as an additional payment, separate from their regular SNAP benefit payment. The recently passed Congressional Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 ends SNAP Emergency Allotments, as of February 2023. This means that households will receive their last Emergency Allotment payment on March 2, 2023. A family’s benefit would then revert to a calculation that may reduce the benefit depending on family income, minus certain allowed expense deductions. The state has launched a new website: Mass.gov/ExtraCOVIDSNAP to help residents plan for the end of these temporary federal benefits. Over the next several months, individuals and families should explore any eligible expenses that may be deducted from their income that may increase their regular SNAP benefits, including:
Households can tell DTA about these changes by uploading information via the agency’s free mobile app and online portal DTA Connect, calling the DTA Assistance Line at 877-382-2363, visiting a local DTA office, or working with one of the department’s over 100 SNAP outreach partners. SNAP outreach partners are local community organizations who work with DTA to help people apply for and maintain their SNAP benefits. How Much Will SNAP Benefits Change? Under the emergency allotment program, SNAP recipients received either an extra $95 per month or benefits up to the maximum amount for their household size, whichever amount was greater. In March, recipients will stop receiving this increase, and the benefit amount will be based on your household income rather than household size. Though the maximum monthly benefit recipient households can receive has increased from 2022 levels, some recipients may find themselves with a lower monthly allotment than they expect due to the expiration of the boost. Families receiving Social Security income and SNAP will also see a reduction in their food benefits. The Social Security Administration adjusts the cost of living yearly to keep up with inflation. As of January 2023, Social Security benefits increased by 8.7%—the largest bump in 40 years. Social Security benefits are counted as income, which means this bump will impact the SNAP benefits Social Security recipients can qualify to receive. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Social Security is the predominant source of income for SNAP households. “When Social Security or any household income goes up, SNAP benefits may go down,” according to the USDA. Food Prices Continue to Rise as SNAP Benefits DecreaseAlthough the princely jump in Social Security benefits is helping households, prices are still rising in many areas of life, from gas and electricity to rent and food. Elaine Waxman, a senior fellow in the Income and Benefits Policy Center at the Urban Institute, worries that many families will struggle with food insecurity once emergency allotments end. “We’re still facing unprecedented rates of inflation,” Waxman says. “So even if the public health emergency has subsided and Social Security benefits have gone up, we’re not looking at the real cost of living for people who are at the bottom of the economic ladder.” “The brunt of this reduction in SNAP benefits will be for people who qualify for the lower benefit level,” Waxman says. “Inflation and recessions always fall harder on people with fewer resources and less of a cushion.” Outreach Materials Help spread the word about the end of these extra COVID SNAP benefits:
- from DTA Press release: Federal Extra Pandemic SNAP Benefits to End as of February 2023 | Mass.gov, Forbes, and Extra COVID Food Funds for Families Ending March 2, Massachusetts Health Care Training Forum, January 26, 2023.
DTA Phone Prompts "Roadmap" The following information was shared this month on the MGH Outreach and Resource Navigation Group listserv. The MA Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) administers the SNAP, TAFDC and EAEDC programs. Applicants and participants can complete a variety of tasks via the DTA Assistance line. You can get case information and make certain updates to your case 24/7 via automated prompts. You can also speak with a worker Monday through Friday from 8:15am to 4:45pm. but navigating the voice prompts can be complicated. Here’s a visual guide to help you, and your patients/families find their way: https://www.mass.gov/doc/dta-assistance-line-roadmap-0/download (and below) and learn more about what tasks you can complete via the Assistance Line below and at https://www.mass.gov/guides/how-to-contact-dta#-dta-assistance-line-(by-phone).
Through the automated prompts you can:
You can be directly connected to:
From: https://www.mass.gov/guides/how-to-contact-dta#-dta-assistance-line-(by-phone) - Thanks to Jude Weinstein-Jones for sharing this resource.
Federal Public Health Emergency Renewed – But Some Protections Ending The federal government has announced that the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) has been renewed for an additional 90 days and then subsequently announced it will end on May 11, 2023 (see accompanying story). Many of the blanket health care-related waivers will remain in effect due to the PHE declaration including the waiver of the Medicare 3-day prior hospitalization for coverage of a SNF stay as does the SNAP waiver of the work requirement/time limit for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs). Two key protections have been de-coupled for the PHE and are sunsetting before the end of the PHE..
- Adapted from Federal Public Health Emergency Renewed, MHAlink, Leanne Banks On Behalf Of Adam Delmolino, January 11, 2023.
COVID-19 Emergencies to End on May 11, Biden Says President Joe Biden informed Congress on Monday that he will end the twin national emergencies for addressing COVID-19 on May 11, as most of the world has returned closer to normalcy nearly three years after they were first declared. The move to end the national emergency and public health emergency declarations would formally restructure the federal coronavirus response to treat the virus as an endemic threat to public health that can be managed through agencies' normal authorities. It comes as lawmakers have already ended elements of the emergencies that kept millions of Americans insured during the pandemic. Combined with the drawdown of most federal COVID-19 relief money, it would also shift the development of vaccines and treatments away from the direct management of the federal government. The costs of COVID-19 vaccines are also expected to skyrocket once the government stops buying them, with Pfizer saying it will charge as much as $130 per dose. Only 15% of Americans have received the recommended, updated booster that has been offered since last fall. Once the emergency expires, people with private insurance will have some out-of-pocket costs for vaccines, tests and treatment, while the uninsured will have to pay for those expenses in their entirety. Legislators did extend telehealth flexibilities that were introduced as COVID-19 hit, leading health care systems around the country to regularly deliver care by smartphone or computer. - See the full Boston Globe article.
Somerville to Launch a Consolidated Housing Waitlist – Sign Up for Alerts Somerville officials know that finding an affordable apartment in the booming city can be a daunting task. Not only are fair market rents on the rise, but renters hoping to luck out and snag one of the apartments in the city's Inclusionary Housing Program face a painstaking process. WBUR's Amy Sokolow reports there's a new initiative in the works that officials call a "game changer." The current process: Right now, renters have to closely monitor new apartment openings. And if they find one they like, they have to fill out and submit an application to enter that particular building's lottery. If they don't get it, it's the same thing over and over again for each new opening. Alanna Gaffny, the manager of Somerville's inclusionary housing program, told Sokolow that the frustrating process adds up and fatigues many applicants. The solution: Make it simple. This month, Somerville announced it will launch a “Consolidated Waitlist" later this year for future affordable rental openings. In other words, it's just one short application for all new openings in the city's inclusionary housing program. That includes over 400 units coming down the pipeline, as well as vacancies in the program's 350 existing units. How it works: A lottery will determine the initial, fixed order of the waitlist. That means people will only "be moving up" the list, noted Ben Wyner, a housing specialist for the city. (To keep the application form short, income eligibility and tenant suitability won't be checked until applicants are at the top of the list.) What's next: The waitlist doesn't have an official launch date yet, partly because officials are trying to get the word out first. But you can sign up for alerts at somervillema.gov/inclusionary - click the green box labeled “Affordable Housing Alerts: Sign Up Now.” - From An affordable housing "game changer", WBUR Today, January 30, 2023.
Free Emergency Mental Health Care for Veterans at Any Hospital After VA Rule Change For the first time, military veterans experiencing a mental health crisis now need only go to the nearest hospital to receive free emergency services. As of Jan. 17, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, any eligible veteran, whether enrolled in the VA healthcare system or not, that is in an “acute suicidal crisis” can go to a VA or non-VA facility and receive up to a month of inpatient care or three months of outpatient care without cost. Previously veterans needed to go to a VA facility in order to receive free or low cost care for mental health emergencies. For some veterans, that could mean travelling dozens or hundreds of miles from home for care while experiencing an emergency. “Veterans in suicidal crisis can now receive the free, world-class emergency health care they deserve – no matter where they need it, when they need it, or whether they’re enrolled in VA care,” Secretary for Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough said last week. “This expansion of care will save veterans’ lives, and there’s nothing more important than that.” According to figures provided by the VA, at least 17 veterans take their own lives every day, a rate far higher than seen among their civilian peers. Some studies suggest the rate could be more than twice that, with many suicides going unreported as such. According to the VA, the new rule will “provide, pay for, or reimburse for treatment of eligible individuals’ emergency suicide care, transportation costs, and follow-up care at a VA or non-VA facility for up to 30 days of inpatient care and 90 days of outpatient care.” Eligible veterans must have been discharged or released from active duty after more than 24 months of active service under conditions other than dishonorable. Reserve and National Guard veterans who served more than 100 days “under a combat exclusion or in support of a contingency operation either directly or by operating an unmanned aerial vehicle from another location who were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable” would also qualify. Veterans who were the victims of sexual assault while in the service are covered regardless of service time or conditions. Veterans in a mental health crisis — or anyone so confronted — can quickly reach a mental health professional by calling 988, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Upon calling veterans will be instructed to press “1” to be connected to the veteran’s crisis line. - See the full Boston Herald article.
Biden Restricting Nicaraguans, Cubans and Haitians at Border The Biden administration this month said it would immediately begin turning away Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, a major expansion of an existing effort to stop Venezuelans attempting to enter the U.S. Instead, the administration will accept 30,000 people per month from the four nations for two years and offer the ability to legally work, as long as they come legally, have eligible sponsors and pass vetting and background checks. These four affected nations are among those for whom migrant border crossings have risen most sharply, with no easy way to quickly return migrants to their home countries. This means that Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans attempting to seek asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border will now be turned away if they did not go through the parole program first. Parole is not asylum and it does not offer any ability to remain permanently or lawfully in the United States. Parole does have employment authorization attached to it, but there is often a prolonged delay in accessing employment authorization. The new policy would also mean that people who do not come to the U.S. under the parole program or try to enter without inspection or do not seek protection in countries they travel to on the way to the U.S. will be expelled back to Mexico and banned from seeking asylum in the future. This narrow parole program will only be available to a select few who can garner a passport, a U.S. sponsor, and a plane ticket. All of these imposed requirements disregard the dire conditions in which most people seeking asylum are living and will force them to remain in the dangerous conditions they seek to flee. This means only a privileged few will benefit from this program, leaving the most vulnerable behind. Many critics are concerned that the expansion of Title 42 and the new transit ban will further erode the legal right to seek asylum and put many more people in danger, particularly Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ people. Under the U.S. and international law, people fleeing persecution are not required to have a sponsor or connection in the United States to seek protection here. They also do not need a passport, or a plane ticket. Any person arriving at a U.S. border is entitled to seek asylum protection under the plain text of U.S. law. The new policy could result in 360,000 people from these four nations lawfully entering the U.S. in a year, a huge number. But currently, far more people from those countries are attempting to cross into the U.S. on foot, by boat or swimming. Migrants from those four countries were stopped 82,286 times in November alone. Anyone coming to the U.S. is allowed to claim asylum, regardless of how they crossed the border. But the requirements for granting asylum are narrow, and only about 30% of applications are granted. That has created a system in which migrants come between ports of entry and are allowed into the U.S. to wait out their cases. But there is a 2 million-case immigration court backlog, so cases often are not heard for years. The move, while not unexpected, drew swift criticism from asylum and immigration advocates, who have had a rocky relationship with the president. Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, called it “an affront to restoring rule of law at the border and a circumvention of immigration law that “will exacerbate chaos and confusion.” He welcomed allowing in more migrants, but said it will only benefit those who can afford it, not migrants fleeing violence and persecution. Under then-President Donald Trump, the U.S. required asylum seekers to wait across the border in Mexico. But massive delays in the immigration system created long delays, leading to fetid, dangerous camps over the border where migrants were forced to wait. That system was ended under the Biden era, and the migrants who are returned now to Mexico under the new rules will not be eligible for asylum. Biden has agreed to triple the number of refugees accepted to the U.S. from the Western Hemisphere, to 20,000 from Latin America and Caribbean, over the next two years. Both refugees and asylum seekers have to meet the same criteria to be allowed into the country, but they arrive through different means. At the U.S.-Mexico border, migrants have been denied a chance to seek asylum under U.S. and international law 2.5 million times since March 2020 under the Title 42 restrictions, introduced as an emergency health measure by Trump to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but there always has been criticism that the restrictions were used as a pretext by the Republican to seal off the border. Biden moved to end the Title 42 restrictions, and Republicans sued to keep them. The U.S. Supreme Court has kept the rules in place for now. White House officials say they still believe the restrictions should end, but they believe they can continue to turn away migrants under immigration law. Meanwhile, border officials are also creating an online appointment portal to help reduce wait times at U.S. ports of entry for those coming legally. It will allow people to set up an appointment to come and ask to be allowed into the country. - See the full WBUR story and the full Coalition on Human Needs post.
A New Program Lets Private Citizens Sponsor Refugees Everyday Americans will be able to help refugees adjust to life in the U.S. in a program being launched by the State Department as a way to give private citizens a role in resettling the thousands of refugees who arrive every year. The State Department plans to announce the program, dubbed the Welcome Corps shortly. The agency aims to line up 10,000 Americans who can help 5,000 refugees during the first year of the program. The State Department has traditionally worked with nonprofit groups that specialize in refugee issues to help people from around the world when they first arrive in the country and face a dramatically different way of life. Under the new program, five or more Americans would be able to form a group and fill this role as well. They would apply to privately sponsor refugees to resettle in America, and would be responsible for raising their own money to help the refugees during their first 90 days in the country. Assistance would include everything from finding a place to live to getting kids enrolled in school. A consortium of nonprofits with expertise in refugee resettlement will help oversee the vetting and certification of people and groups who want to be private sponsors. They'll also offer training so private sponsors understand what's needed to help refugees adjusting to life in America. The consortium will be responsible for monitoring the program. The new initiative will roll out in two phases, according to the State Department. Under the first phase, private sponsors will be matched with refugees already approved for resettlement under the U.S. Refugee Assistance Program. That will start during the first half of 2023. In the second phase of the program, private sponsors would be able to identify refugees abroad that they would like to help and then refer those people to the Refugee Assistance Program and assist them once they arrive in the U.S. The Welcome Corps program comes on the heels of a similar, smaller scale endeavor under which Americans were able to sponsor Afghans or Ukrainians fleeing their country. That program launched in October 2021 and has helped just over 800 people coming to America through a network of 230 certified sponsors. - See the full WBUR story.
ABLE Accounts Age Limit Extended but Pooled Disability Trusts Limited The new year brings us both good and bad news for people with disabilities. The good news is that as part of its budget bill, on the way out the door before Christmas, Congress expanded eligibility for ABLE accounts to include anyone who became disabled before age 46 (Adendum: unfortunately this provision will not go into effect until 2026). The bad news is that as one of his last acts on his own way out the door as governor, Charlie Baker imposed a transfer penalty on post-age-65 transfers to pooled disabilities trusts. ABLE Accounts As we’ve explained before, Congress has not increased the $2,000 asset limit for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and many forms of Medicaid (MassHealth in Massachusetts) since 1984. Fortunately, it created a safety hatch for some beneficiaries by passing a law permitting the establishment of sheltered Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts that are not counted against this limit. They may hold up to $100,000 in such accounts, funded at no more than $17,000 a year. This has proved to be a great benefit, enabling disabled beneficiaries to accumulate some savings, in some cases avoiding the need to create and administer a special needs trust, and making it much easier for existing trusts to make distributions to beneficiaries. Unfortunately, the impact of the law has been limited by its application only to individuals who became disabled before age 26. It’s not completely clear why Congress imposed this restriction except that they saw the law as analogous to 529 plans in which families may set aside funds for higher education in tax-free accounts. They thought that families should be able to do the same for children who are unlikely to go to college. Fortunately, whatever the original reasoning may have been, Congress has now lifted that limitation — at least partially — by requiring that individuals establish that they became disabled before age 46. Adendum: unfortunately this provision will not go into effect until 2026 - more information. Another safe harbor for individuals with disabilities are pooled disability or “(d)(4)(C)” trusts established under 42 USC Sec. 1396p(d)(4)(C). These permit disabled individuals of any age to set money aside in a trust managed by a nonprofit organization without such funds being considered in determining their eligibility for SSI or MassHealth. While there is no age limit for these trusts, there has been some disagreement on whether a transfer penalty may be imposed on individuals transferring funds into such trusts after age 65. Ultimately, the courts have ruled that this is up to the states — each can decide on its own whether to apply a transfer penalty. Up until now, Massachusetts has not applied such a penalty. This has been especially useful to nursing home residents who have been subject to the same almost-40-year-old $2,000 asset limit by permitting them to set aside some funds to pay for extras, whether that be to maintain a home, for extra therapy or assistance, or to hold a bed during an extended hospital stay. On a number of occasions, MassHealth has proposed regulations to impose a penalty on transfers to pooled disability trusts by individuals over the age of 65. Such a regulation took effect on Friday, December 30th, when MassHealth removed 130 CMR 520.019(D)(5), which excepted nursing home residents over the age of 65 from any penalty for transfers to pooled trusts. Governor Baker had previously vetoed a statute passed by the legislature that would have barred such a transfer penalty. Undoubtedly, the existing pooled disability trust and the Massachusetts chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys will urge the legislature to take up its legislation again. But, in the meantime, nursing home residents will no longer be able to use this safe harbor. - From https://margolisbloom.com/planning-for-life/good-news-and-bad-news-bakers-last-act/
DHS Issues New Labor Protections for Immigrant Workers The Department of Homeland Security has issued guidance to strengthen protections for immigrant workers involved in labor disputes. This new guidance creates a streamlined process for victims or witnesses of labor violations under investigation by a state or federal labor agency to apply for up to 2-years of deferred action and work authorization with the support of the investigating agency. Under this new guidance, DHS created a central processing point within USCIS to receive and adjudicate labor-related applications for deferred action on a case-by-case basis. For any applicants who are in removal proceedings or have a pending order of removal, USCIS will forward the application for deferred action to ICE for adjudication. This new guidance is part of the growing recognition on the part of policymakers that immigrant workers are especially vulnerable to labor abuses and that those abuses reverberate across entire industries, impacting not just the immigrant victims, but all workers. Allowing some employers to get away with labor violations leads to unequal competition, creating disincentives for other employers to follow the law. However, as we have seen over and over, just because the law promises equal protection to workers does not mean that government agencies always provide equal enforcement. - From DHS issues new labor protections for Immigrant workers Team MIRA, January 20, 2023.
Most Domestic Workers in Massachusetts Don’t Know There's a Law Protecting Them A state law providing domestic workers with basic protections from labor abuses is little known and barely used, according to a yearlong study from Brazilian Worker Center and Boston College Law Civil Rights Clinic. The Massachusetts Domestic Workers Bill of 2014 is supposed to provide domestic workers with straightforward labor protections, like a contract in a language that workers understand, payroll records, overtime pay and time off. But researchers found that the majority of those workers and employers had little or no knowledge of the law, and that there were serious violations by employers. Over three-quarters of the domestic worker respondents had zero to little knowledge of the law. Almost half of employers said the same. Results of the survey indicated that basic rights like overtime pay and a written contract for services are usually not provided to domestic workers. \ Over 90% of workers surveyed said they didn’t seek help when they thought their rights were violated. Of those, 36% said they didn’t even know how to get help. Advocates are concerned the Massachusetts attorney general’s office, which is tasked with enforcement of the law, has no “meaningful way” to identify employers of domestic workers so that they can be educated about their obligations under the law before a violation happens, or a complaint is made. Another hurdle to enforcement is simply identifying the people who employ domestic workers. They often pay under the table and keep no payroll records, meaning their transactions with employees aren’t monitored or reported to the government. The report authors suggest adding a “yes” or “no” question on state tax forms asking filers if they paid a domestic worker in the prior calendar year. They also propose making legal changes to allow the state’s Department of Revenue to share this information with the attorney general’s office, so the agency can directly send employers information about the law. - See the full WGBH story.
Citizens Energy Joe-4-Sun Program Offers Solar Credits to Low-Income Renters Most solar projects are fairly one dimensional. A homeowner puts a solar array on the roof and saves money over time by using less power from the grid and occasionally selling excess electricity into the grid. Solar developers operate similarly; they build a solar farm and sell the electricity into the grid. These sorts of projects favor those who own solar-friendly properties or homes and can come up with the upfront investment to install solar panels. But what about people that don’t have the upfront investment or the solar-friendly properties? What about people that rent? Community solar is solar financed by a group of individuals who then share the benefits. Citizens Energy has taken the concept a step farther, distributing the benefits to people who have no financial skin in the game but meet income requirements. “It’s like every person gets a panel or two from our solar farm,” said Hannah Goetz, a spokeswoman for Citizens Energy. As the Citizens Energy website says: “No Cost. No Fees. No installations. No obligations. No credit checks.” To participate in the program, customers must have service through National Grid or Eversource and either receive a residential assistance discount rate from their utility or have a service address in an environmental justice zone, according to the Citizens Energy website. The six-megawatt solar farm in Ashland produces electricity that is fed into the grid, generating either a direct payment from the local utility or a bill credit. Nearly half of the money goes to the company that operates and maintains the solar farm. The other half goes, in the form of bill credits, to the participants in the community solar program. The bill credits, split equally among the participants, are used to reduce the size of their electricity bills – but the participants are required to return half of the money they received in credits to Citizens Energy. Once all the payments are trued up, roughly half of the revenues from the solar farm go to the operator of the solar farm, a quarter go to Citizens Energy, and a quarter go to the community participants. It adds up to about a $400-a-year bill reduction for the community participants. According to Goetz, the savings are even greater on Cape Cod, where Vineyard Wind, the nation’s first industrial scale wind farm, is covering the Citizens Energy share of the credits, allowing all of the savings to flow through to participants. The Vineyard Wind subsidy is being provided as part of a resiliency and affordability fund. Citizens Energy currently operates seven solar farms – six in Massachusetts, including the one in Ashland, and one in New York. The company has about 3,000 customers, about 650 of them on Cape Cod. Learn more at the Joe-4-Sun website. - From Citizens Energy pushing community solar, CommonWealth, January 31, 2023.
Massachusetts Abortion Hotline Now Offers Free Legal Advice The free Abortion Legal Hotline – 833-309-6301 Massachusetts launched a hotline Monday offering free legal advice to people seeking abortions in the state, as well as their health care providers and helpers — joining several other states in a move spurred by the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last summer, which has led to increasingly restrictive abortion laws in other states. “It will help people and families, including those who travel from out of state seeking care, access these critical health care services,” Attorney General Andrea Campbell said at a news conference. When a patient or provider calls the hotline — which went live Monday morning — coordinators from the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation and the Women’s Bar Foundation will help connect the callers to one of about 150 volunteer attorneys who are specially trained, and come from one of five of Boston’s most prominent law firms or the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. A week ago, Oregon’s Department of Justice announced a similar project, which was modeled on hotlines launched by the attorneys general of New York and Delaware. Like those other states, Massachusetts has experienced an increase in the number of patients traveling from states where abortions have been banned or restricted since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Since then, near-total bans on abortion have been implemented in Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia. “Abortion remains legal in Massachusetts and no anti-abortion extremist should be able to reach across our borders and challenge that,” Rebecca Hart Holder, President of the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation, said at Monday’s news conference. “One of the results of the Dobbs decision has been misinformation,” , U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said. “Misinformation about which services are legal. Deception about where to receive health care services.” She called this type of misinformation “lies intended to discourage women from accessing basic reproductive care” and said that “with this hotline, Massachusetts is fighting back against misinformation, deception and outright lies.” People who travel from out of state to Massachusetts sometimes fear being arrested or losing their homes, said Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. “Patients and providers still find themselves in a new and frightening reality,” she said. “The Dobbs decision created a chaotic patchwork of abortion laws that make it very difficult for patients and providers alike to figure out how to navigate. And so there are so many legal questions that are raised and are going continue to be raised, so having this abortion legal hotline is just mission critical.” The hotline is on top of a powerful state law signed last July by former Republican Gov. Charlie Baker that protects abortion providers and people seeking abortions from actions taken by other states, including blocking the governor from extraditing anyone charged in another state unless the acts for which extradition is sought would be punishable by Massachusetts law. The measure also states that access to reproductive and gender-affirming health care services is a right protected by the Massachusetts Constitution; requires the state’s Medicaid program, known as MassHealth, to cover abortions; allows over-the-counter emergency contraception to be sold in vending machines; and requires public colleges and universities to create medication abortion readiness plans for students. More information: Abortion Legal Hotline - See the full AP article.
Youth Options Unlimited (YOU Boston) Helps Young People with Work Readiness Through their workforce development program, YOU Boston assists young people ages 16-24 that are court-involved, or gang affiliated, reentering the community from incarceration, or seeking a refuge from poverty or violence. While most participants live in Boston, individuals from the surrounding area can also be considered for the program. Career Pathways is a partnership with local job training providers to help provide participants with experiences to acquire job skills for successful careers. Summer Youth Employment is a program that takes place in July and August and places participants in paid, supervised work opportunities. Transitional Employment is a tiered program that allows participants to grow towards increasing levels of productivity and reward.
Operation Exit works to provide young people returning from incarceration a training opportunity in the building trades. Intensive Case Management Each YOU Boston program participant is assigned a case manager to assist them in creating an individual service plan and provide support as they work on setting and completing goals. Social Workers can refer an individual at: - Thanks to Hannah Perry for submitting this article.
MassHealth Prepares for End of Continuous Coverage - Launches First Phase of Redetermination Campaign The Omnibus appropriation act that was signed on Dec 29, 2022 delinked Medicaid (MassHealth) continuous coverage from the duration of the COVID 19 Public Health Emergency and set an end date of March 31, 2023. It will be important to get the word out that members will need to respond to any information requests they receive – particularly since many have been able to safely ignore many such messages received over the past two years without negative results. Federal Medicaid continuous coverage requirements have been in effect since March 2020. In the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), MassHealth received enhanced federal funding for adhering to the Maintenance of Effort (MOE) provision. This provision meant that individuals receiving Medicaid would generally not lose coverage unless they voluntarily withdrew, moved out of state, or passed away. This means that individuals whose coverage would have normally been lost or downgraded – because of loss of eligibility or non-response to a renewal attempt – maintained coverage. The continuous coverage requirements that were part of the MOE provision end on April 1, 2023, and members’ coverage may begin to change.
As a result of the MOE provision, MassHealth’s caseload increased significantly from 1.8M members to over 2.3M members (+>25%) since February 2020. MassHealth has continued its renewal processes during the MOE period, meaning many members have been renewed as normal in the last 2 years.
Member Renewal Process
For each renewal, MassHealth must “start over” its redetermination, even if the member was determined ineligible during their most recent renewal.
Implementing system changes MassHealth is implementing system and policy changes to adhere to federal requirements and enable a smoother renewal process for members. One such effort is enacting an increase in the “reasonable compatibility threshold” from 10% to 20%. MassHealth will process an application automatically, using existing data matching, as long as the reported income matches the data hub information within a 20% buffer range (up from 10%), enabling the renewal to proceed without additional member involvement required Another effort will align response timelines across Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI)* and non-MAGI** populations. This will provide all members with 90 days to respond to requests for information and with a 90-day renewal reconsideration period (rather than needing to complete a new application.) *The MAGI population includes individuals, families, and people with disabilities who are 64 years old and younger, or 65+ and parent/caretaker of a child(ren) under the age of 19 **The Non-MAGI population includes seniors and populations who receive long-term care, comprising of Seniors 65+ in the community, 18+ receiving services through HCBS Waiver, Children up to age 9 with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Disabled children up to age 18 that require skilled nursing LOC living in community (Kaileigh Mulligan), and Individuals of any age living in nursing home or other LTC facility For More Information and Outreach Materials MassHealth has launched a new website dedicated to the renewal/redetermination process. It includes an outreach toolkit with materials to help get the word out of members of the need to supply MassHealth with updated contact information. It also includes a powerpoint presentation with more information, about continuous coverage, the 12 month renewal period beginning April 1, and the ways in which MassHealth has prepared for it. - From: the EOHHS PowerPoint Presentation with additional material from MassHealth Launches Redetermination Campaign & HCFA issues RFR for Outreach Grants, Vicky Pulos, MLRI, January 20, 2023.
MassHealth Extends Infant Formula Flexibilities In response to continuing supply chain issues impacting formula availability, MassHealth is further extending its modified Prior Authorization (PA) processes for formula for both DME and pharmacy providers through at least June 30, 2023. MassHealth will continue to suspend all PA requirements on formula for pharmacy providers. For DME providers, MassHealth will continue its simplified PA process for PA requests for formula. In addition, MassHealth will continue to allow DME providers to obtain retrospective approval for formula dispensed to eligible MassHealth members (MassHealth continues to cover all medically necessary formula dispensed by DME providers). Additional details and effective dates for these policies are described below. - Source and for more information: MassHealth All Provider Bulletin 358 December 2022
Family Glitch Fixed: Affordability of Employer Sponsored Insurance for Eligibility for ACA Coverage Now Considers the Cost for Entire Family To qualify for Affordable Care Act coverage subsidies, one has to show that any employer sponsored health plan available to them is “unaffordable”. Previously the affordability of an employer sponsored health plan was based solely on the cost of the plan for the employee and not the whole family. This left many dependents without affordable employer sponsored coverage and unable to access tax credits, or subsidies, through the Health Connector. This issue was often referred to as the “family glitch.” A new rule eliminates the family glitch by considering the cost of a family plan when determining whether an employee’s family has access to affordable coverage. The new rule allows family members of workers who are offered affordable single coverage but unaffordable family policies to qualify for subsidies on the Affordable Care Act (also called “Obamacare”) exchanges. The new IRS rule takes effect for plan year 2023. The Health Connector application has been updated to include a new question in the 2023 application about the cost of family coverage offered by an employer. This will change how affordability is calculated for family members who have Employer Sponsored Insurance (ESI) offered through their spouse or parent’s employer and determine if family members qualify for subsidies if their ESI is unaffordable. More applicants and members will qualify for help paying for Health Connector coverage due to this change. Importantly, there are no changes to the rules about whether the employee has access to affordable coverage. Affordability for an applicant who is offered coverage by their employer will still be based on the lowest-cost self-only plan. The new question allows the applicant to provide information about the cost of the individual and family premiums, and the Health Connector will use the information provided about the family premium to calculate affordability and make determinations about tax credits. The online application now includes the new question; however, the paper ACA-3 does not currently have this question. It is expected to be included in the next version of the paper ACA-3 in March 2023. - From Family Glitch Update Related to Health Connector Eligibility, Massachusetts Health Care Training Forum mtf@umassmed.edu, January 5, 2023.
MassHealth to Cover Doula Services in Late 2013 Starting in late 2023, MassHealth members will be eligible to receive doula services as a covered benefit from pregnancy through 12 months postpartum. Doulas provide emotional, educational, and practical support to families during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. This initiative will promote equitable care as evidence shows doulas improve health outcomes particularly for BIPOC populations. - From MassHealth Seeks Input on Doula Services Program MHA Advisory, Alex Levie, MHA , January 3, 2023.
Medicare Coverage of Immunosuppressants My mother is having a kidney transplant soon, and I am helping with the logistics of her recovery. I believe Medicare should cover the immunosuppressant drugs she will need after, but the details are confusing. How will her immunosuppressants get covered? As you likely know, after getting a kidney transplant, a kidney recipient will need to take immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of their life to prevent their body from rejecting the donor organ. Medicare covers these drugs differently depending on the circumstances: Time-limited Part B coverage If someone receives a kidney transplant in a Medicare-approved facility, Medicare Part B will cover their immunosuppressant drugs for 36 months after their hospital departure if:
Note: If someone did not have Medicare at the time of their transplant, they can enroll retroactively in Part A within a year of their transplant. Part B coverage for the rest of one’s life If someone receives a kidney transplant in a Medicare-approved facility, Part B will cover their immunosuppressants for the rest of their life if:
Part B-ID coverage If someone’s ESRD Medicare benefits end 36 months after their transplant, they may qualify for Medicare’s new Part B-ID coverage of immunosuppressants if they:
Part B-ID coverage may not be the best choice if any other insurance is available. Part B-ID only covers immunosuppressant drugs and does not include coverage for any other Part B benefits or services. It also does not allow someone access to Part A. Part D coverage If someone does not have Part A when they receive a transplant, their immunosuppressants will be covered by Part D when they are enrolled in Medicare. Part D coverage for this type of drug typically means higher costs and additional restrictions, such as having to go to specific in-network pharmacies for drugs, as compared to coverage under Part B. All Part D formularies must include immunosuppressant drugs. Step therapy is not allowed once someone is stabilized on their immunosuppressant drug. However, prior authorization can apply. This might mean a Part D plan will verify that, for example, Part B will not cover the drugs before providing coverage. It’s good to look for plans that have the fewest coverage restrictions and where one’s pharmacy is in-network and has preferred cost-sharing available to minimize costs and disruptions. - From Dear Marci: How do I get my immunosuppressants covered?, Medicare Rights Center, January 30, 2023.
Healey Seeks $282 Million for Shelter, Food Aid Programs Gov. Maura Healey has filed a $282 million spending bill she said is necessary to manage a surge in demand for emergency shelter and prevent the free school meals program from running out of money, reviving a debate from her predecessor's tenure. Healey called on top House and Senate Democrats to make quick work of her new supplemental budget bill, which would steer $85 million toward an emergency shelter "crisis," allocate $130 million to keep expanded nutrition assistance in place for a few more months, and appropriate $65 million to ensure a universal school meals program remains afloat through the end of the academic year. Her bill targets the same growing shelter strain, fueled in part by an influx of migrant arrivals to Massachusetts, that prompted Gov. Charlie Baker to unsuccessfully seek $130 million in November. Healey's office said about $65 million would help the Department of Housing and Community Development expand shelter options, projecting the state will need more than 1,100 units beyond its baseline to meet demand. Another $21.9 million would help schools place a surge of students who have arrived through the process of shelter placements. "The demand for emergency shelter by families experiencing homelessness in the Commonwealth has significantly increased, and the emergency temporary shelter system is at capacity," Healey wrote in a letter to lawmakers. "While the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has been working to place vulnerable people and expanding capacity to meet its revised caseload projections, Emergency Assistance (EA) funds have been depleted. As a right to shelter state, the Commonwealth is committed to providing safe temporary shelter to these families." Healey also said she would press Congress to pursue immigration reform, warning that Massachusetts has "too many people here who aren't able to work who would like to work and we have employers who are ready to hire people, frankly." Top House Democrats declined to advance Baker's measure before the 2021-2022 term ended and said they had had several unanswered questions. The Baker administration warned in late December that the system was close to capacity and, within 90 days, would no longer be able to immediately place eligible families into emergency assistance shelter. - See the full WBUR story.
Opinion: Medicaid Should Cover the Incarcerated For millions of Americans with serious health care needs, their treatment is not being provided at a hospital or clinic, but at the county jail. Many outside of this field do not know that the social determinants of becoming involved in the justice system are identical to the social determinants of health: neighborhood quality, personal and family economic stability, social connections, education, and access to quality health care. As a result, jails like the one I oversee in Middlesex County have become de facto treatment centers for individuals who are otherwise forgotten in our health care system, and too often in society at large. The largest mental health treatment facilities in our country are all jails. And while many of us in law enforcement are proud of the quality treatment and programming we provide to this high-need population, we can all agree that you should not have to come to jail to get good health care. Consider this: 40 percent of state prisoners and 33 percent of individuals in federal correctional facilities have a chronic health condition. At my county facility, 65 percent of individuals are being treated for a chronic disease, ranging from asthma and cancer to psychological disorders. If we saw those numbers in our local community, we would rightly label it a public health crisis. These are longstanding problems in our criminal justice and behavioral health systems, and they have only worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. At my facility, where we use data and specialized programming to drive our treatment, we have seen it firsthand. In 2019, about 11 percent of our population had a diagnosed mental health disorder. Today, it’s approximately 44 percent. This is why I’ve been working closely with both state and national leaders to eliminate the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy, a little-known, antiquated section of federal law that bars any eligible incarcerated person from accessing their Medicaid services – even if they have yet to be found guilty of a crime. The stakes are literally life and death. Studies show that in the period immediately following release, formerly incarcerated people are 12 times more likely to die than the general population. The causes range from heart disease to homicide, suicide, and ALS. The rates of death from overdoses are particularly alarming as we grapple with another co-occurring public health epidemic in opioid use. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health found that opioid-related overdose deaths are 120 times higher for people released from state prisons and jails compared to the rest of the adult population. How many of these deaths could have prevented with access to health care? When Medicaid was created in the mid-1960s, few could have imagined that correctional facilities would become primary care facilities for so many who were eligible for it. Our jails and prisons were not designed or built for this purpose, but we have become experts in providing exceptional care. We need all the tools possible to help improve the health and criminal justice outcomes for this population. Avoiding gaps in Medicaid coverage upon release and facilitating connections to care can provide individuals the opportunity to remain in the community and hopefully avoid future law enforcement interactions. - See the full Commonwealth Magazine piece.
'Stop the Beef' Hotline is Fueling Effort to Stem Bloodshed in the City Stop the Beef Hotline: 1-833-4-NO-SMOKE (833-466-7665) A group of men intent on curbing bloodshed in Boston by intervening in bubbling disputes before they turn violent is putting out the call for people to call them for help. The Black-led effort – called the 10,000 Fearless Peacemakers – was formed out of tragedy in April 2019 when Eleanor Maloney, 74, was killed on her front porch in Mattapan by a stray bullet fired between neighborhood rivals in conflict. Minister Randy Muhammad, leader of Muhammad’s Mosque #11 in Grove Hall, said at the time that he had called on others to “change the culture in our community.” “I tell people all the time every conflict doesn’t have to end in violence with someone getting shot or stabbed,” he said. “We are a totally neutral third party. We’ve had several mediations and by the grace of God each has been successful. Each of them had the potential to eventually be deadly conflicts.” District 4 Councilor Brian Worrell said he supports the efforts of the hotline and plans to include the 10,000 Fearless program in his upcoming safety plan. “If we are to ensure our communities are safe and healthy, we need to expand our collaboration with community partners who already have a presence on the streets, in our neighborhoods, and are empowering community members,” he said. He added that the hotline makes sense as a solution grounded in reality, “Most mothers don’t want to call the police on their child. Most people seeking retaliation aren’t thinking of calling the police when they have a personal dispute with someone. This is why it’s important to have an alternative.” The group stages weekly peace walks in areas that have recently experienced violent incidents. While the outings have gone on for several years, this winter, the group is highlighting its ‘‘Stop the Beef Hotline,’ which started in 2021 and is something Muhammad hopes will result in more interventions. The number is 1-833-4-NO-SMOKE, or 1-833-466-7665 by the numbers. Muhammad said that group members present themselves as a neutral third party group dedicated to de-escalation and conflict resolution. They take calls from individuals going through conflict or from people who know of a situation. Usually, both parties want an off-ramp, but don’t know where to find that. In other cases, they can’t allow a situation of disrespect to go unchallenged, as it could lead to a reputation of weakness, and further victimization. Mediation sessions typically start when a call is made to the hotline. Three members of the 10,000 Fearless have phones that take such calls, which Muhammad said is the “low budget” way of doing things, but the only way to do it right now. Members put together a mediation team and identify four or five members who will sit in the session. Then they talk to both beefing parties separately and work out a time for mediation. For the actual mediation, they offer a neutral location with a safe environment where everyone is searched, and parties arrive at staggered times through separate entrances. Because members like Minister Randy have worked as chaplains in the state prisons and county Houses of Correction for many years, they carry a respect and trust on the streets that allows those in conflict to avoid violence and still “save face” with others. So far, the 10,000 Fearless have had 7 to 10 successful mediations that likely saved lives, Muhammad said. “All of them really had the potential to be conflicts that could be deadly. I’m really proud that we’ve done that,” he added. “They were serious and not school-yard beefs. These were grown men, hardened criminals who had been in and out of jail and were gang-involved and who carry guns. They were serious conflicts.” The minister is joined by members who he says are trained in conflict resolution, CPR, First Aid, mediation, and non-violent self-defense based on a curriculum developed from a national peacemaking initiative. Some 30 men have graduated and are certified. - See the full Dotnews article.
Sickle Cell Cure Brings Mix of Anxiety and Hope Terry Jackson lives a life dominated by sickle cell disease. The genetic disorder, in which misshapen red cells become wedged in blood vessels, causes him daily bone pain and lower back pain and has sent him to the hospital for pain treatment and life threatening emergencies for five decades. He has frequent transfusions of fresh blood. “You can’t escape it,” said Dr. Jackson, who owns a science communication business. “It is life-changing. It is each breath you take.” This year, Dr. Jackson and other people with sickle cell may have the option of finally living without the damage the disease causes. Two drug companies are seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration for gene therapies that may provide what amounts to a cure. But the decision to take the medication — should it become available — it turns out, is not so simple. Some like Dr. Jackson worry about after a life adapted to their illness and are unsure of how to begin again as healthy people. Do they go back to school after dropping out because of their illness? Do they start looking for jobs after thinking that, with frequent hospitalizations because of sickle cell, they were unemployable? What if this new life is not so easy to enter? Others fear that the logistical complexities of gene therapies may imperil their ability to access them. Two gene therapy drugs, one from Bluebird Bio and the other by Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics, have been in clinical trials. Both efforts reported that patients were freed of debilitating episodes of pain. Their blood was no longer flooded with misshapen red cells. “This is what science has been working toward for 50 or 60 years,” said Dr. Lewis Hsu, chief medical officer at the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America and director of the pediatric sickle cell program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. One report examined what private insurance companies paid and found that the lifetime costs of sickle cell were $1.7 million, including $44,000 that patients paid out of pocket. That, patients and advocates said, does not begin to capture what sickle cell really costs. Concerns about the high price of the treatment worry many people with sickle cell and their families. The modified virus that delivers gene therapy is expected to cost at least $1 million, based on what other gene therapy vectors cost. But that is only part of the price. Treatment starts with intense chemotherapy in a hospital to wipe the bone marrow clean, leaving space for genetically modified red blood cells that result from the treatment. Patients then spend about a month in the hospital waiting for the modified cells to grow. After they are discharged, the patients are immunocompromised for about six months while their immune systems recover. Insurers are likely to pay for the part of the treatment that involves using a disabled virus to deliver the therapy. But whether they will pay for most of the chemo, hospitalization and other costs is uncertain. Patients worry about bills from hospitals and doctors. Even if it is mostly covered, co-payments can be an issue. Will wealthier people get the treatment while others look on longingly, patients ask? And, independent of the cost, how easy will it be for patients and family members who assist them to take off a month or more for the treatment, often traveling to distant cities with medical centers that can administer the treatment? Patients ask when in the course of the disease is gene therapy needed. If they wait too long, the disease can lead to a stroke or permanent to damage organs and bones. But if the disease is mild and manageable, is it better to wait? - See the full New York Times article.
Despite Federal Rules, HIV Prevention Drug Still Comes with Costs For more than two years, most insurers in Massachusetts and across the country have been required to cover — for free — a medication that reduces the risk of contracting HIV, now a largely preventable virus. But several patients and advocates interviewed by the Globe said insurers have rejected such claims, forcing them to pay out of pocket or stop taking the drug.. “It’s like an extra month of rent,” said Henry Henderson, a 36-year-old from Somerville. “It incentivizes me to think, do I really need to do this?” Henderson has been charged between $100 to $300 almost every three months since 2020 for his daily oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication. The bills, for doctor’s visits and quarterly lab tests, have come despite regular communication with his physician’s billing office and calls to his insurer, Tufts Health Plan. He tried filing a complaint with the state’s Division of Insurance, but the agency informed him his insurer wasn’t doing anything wrong. Advocates say that several insurance companies are flouting mandates that grant most commercially insured patients free access to PrEP drugs, which reduce the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99 percent and from injecting drugs by at least 74 percent when taken as prescribed, according to the CDC. “We don’t want to put up any barriers to people accessing PrEP,” said Carl Schmid, executive director at HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute. “People want to be on PrEP for a reason. They feel they could be vulnerable.” Despite initially contesting Henderson’s claim with the Division of Insurance, Point32Health, the parent company of Tufts, said in a statement to the Globe that it had billed him in error. “After conducting research into this particular issue, we discovered the claim submitted by the member’s provider was not billed in accordance with our preventive services policy,” the statement said. Point32Health pledged to work closely with Henderson’s provider to make sure the issue didn’t happen again and said it would refund Henderson for the costs he incurred. Point32Health added that it would implement a “comprehensive review” to ensure that such billing has not occurred in other instances and would do more to educate providers about its policy. PrEP coverage mandates don’t apply to Medicare, and while MassHealth covers PrEP without cost in Massachusetts, other states’ Medicaid programs are not as comprehensive. Though oral PrEP coverage requirements were in effect by January 2021, insurers were slow to adopt the policy. The Biden administration published new guidance six months later, further emphasizing that insurers must cover all the costs associated with PrEP — not only the medication itself but also the required quarterly testing for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases; kidney function and other blood tests; and regular doctor’s visits. The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury said they would wait 60 days before taking action against insurers, to make sure payers had the time to come into line. Over a year has passed, and patients say they are still encountering problems. Programs exist to help individuals with any costs, including the Massachusetts Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Drug Assistance Program. Websites such as PleasePrEPMe.org can help patients find doctors who will prescribe the drug, and there are online telehealth companies such as MISTR that provide no-cost access to PrEP via telehealth and help patients navigate patient assistance programs to ensure no out-of-pocket costs. Jeffrey Schaffer, program manager for sexual health at Outer Cape Health Services said he proactively tells people to reach out to the clinic if they encounter billing problems. But cost is only one barrier to providing PrEP to at-risk populations. Schaffer said that some doctors refuse to prescribe the medication, telling patients they should just use condoms. The clinic helps counsel patients about ways to talk to their doctors about prescribing PrEP. They also help what is sometimes a tourist population in Provincetown access the medication while they are there. - See the full Boston Globe article.
Legal Aid Funding on Rise, But Chief Justice Says Mass Needs More The top state judge in Massachusetts wants lawmakers to make more funding available for low-income Bay Staters to get legal representation in civil matters, warning that recent investments still have not done enough to ensure access for those in need. Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly Budd warned that legal aid organizations are facing a surge in demand in recent years, exposing a clear need for additional state support. "Our legal system is dedicated to the principle of providing equal justice for all. But too often we fall short of that ideal because many people still lack the resources they need to present their cases in the courts," Budd said at an annual event highlighting the civil legal aid system. "And our legal aid organizations, who work tirelessly, simply do not have enough funding to provide counsel for everyone who comes to them seeking help." Lawmakers and Gov. Charlie Baker agreed to a substantial increase in recent years in funding for the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, which is the largest conduit for civil legal aid groups here to receive state dollars. MLAC's state budget line item was funded at $21 million in the fiscal year 2019 state budget and boosted to $41 million in the FY23 budget. To qualify for civil legal aid, people and families must earn 125 percent or less of the federal poverty level, or $34,688 per year for a family of four, according to MLAC. More than 96,000 people in Massachusetts benefited from civil legal aid in FY22, the group said. Budd said the injection of additional state dollars has helped cut the percentage of eligible recipients that civil legal aid organizations reject from 57 percent to 47 percent. "But still," she added, "that means that nearly half of the people who seek assistance do not get it." - See the full WBUR story. |
