Senior Legal Assistance Program Overview
The Senior Legal Assistance Program was created to be the hallmark and champion for justice by empowering, defending, and protecting vulnerable older adults with direct resources. Seniors and their families, often face an array of challenges and need help weighing all of the options to make the best decisions possible.
What does the Senior Legal Assistance Program offer?
The Senior Legal Assistance program provides access to legal advice, counseling and representation to older Marylanders. In addition, legal support to local Ombudsmen, Health Insurance Counselors, and Public Guardianship managers.
Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) contract with local attorneys and law centers to provide services to older Marylanders. Priority is given to issues involving the following:
- Income maintenance
- Nutrition
- Public/Disability Benefits
- Health Care
- Protective Services
- Abuse
- Housing
- Utilities
- Consumer Protection
- Employment
- Age Discrimination/Civil Rights
- Advocacy for Institutionalized person
Who is eligible?
Any resident of Maryland who is 60 years of age and older or said caregiver of that person.
How much is the cost for legal assistance?
There is no cost for legal assistance with priority issues.
Please note that preference is given to older adults with the greatest economic or social need.
Who do you contact for legal assistance?
7 SOURCES OF FREE LEGAL SERVICES FOR SENIORS
Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is the nonprofit organization that provides free legal services to low-income Americans. They fund 133 independent nonprofit legal aid organizations across the U.S.
Typically, LSC-funded programs help people who live in households with annual incomes at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines.
However, income qualifications and available legal services will vary depending on the location. Find a Legal Aid program in your area.
Your Area Agency on Aging provides community resources for seniors and caregivers. They’ll be able to connect you to local organizations that provide free and low-cost legal help for seniors.
To search online for community legal resources in your area:
Visit the Eldercare Locator
Enter zip code and click “Search”
In the drop down menu, select “Legal Services”
To speak with someone at Eldercare Locator, call 1-800-677-1116.
This nonprofit organization provides legally based advocacy services to people with disabilities in the United States.
On this page of their
website, NDRN lists a variety of problems that someone with a disability may be facing. This list covers many of issues that seniors commonly face.
If your older adult is going through one of these problems, contact your state’s Protection and Advocacy Agency to get legal help. To find it, click on your state in the list on the right side of the page.
Note: Near the top of this page, there’s also a link to a PDF with the contact list of agencies by state. Find a Protection and Advocacy Agency in your state.
Many companies, especially large corporations, offer free or discounted legal services through their Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Ask the Human Resources department to find out if legal services or legal insurance is provided as a company benefit.
If timely help isn’t available from organizations that offer free legal services or your older adult isn’t eligible, you may want to find low-cost or discounted legal help.
Here are a few options:
The American Bar Association also offers public-service oriented lawyer referral programs that will speak with you to understand the issue and provide a referral to a lawyer or a community organization that can help. Find a public-service lawyer referral program.
Contact your state or local Bar Association to see if they can refer you to an attorney that charges reduced fees. Find your state or local Bar Association. Helping people find solutions to their legal problems LawHelp.org
