The Center for Social Gerontology
2307
Shelby Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 tel: 734 665-1126 fax: 734 665-2071
tcsg@tcsg.org
STATE LEGAL
SERVICES
DEVELOPMENT
The Center for Social Gerontology, Inc. (TCSG), since its
inception in 1972, has been a non-profit research, training and social policy
organization dedicated to promoting the individual autonomy of older persons
and advancing their well-being in society. TCSG has pursued this goal through a
wide variety of projects, including serving since 1985 as an Administration on
Aging-funded National Support Center in Law & Aging.
TCSG's mission is to help society adapt to the dramatic
increase in the numbers of old and very old, and to insure that older persons
at all socio-economic and health levels are able to meet their needs and use
their talents and abilities in a changing society. We undertake to lead, and
even prod, policy makers and others to consider carefully the implications of
the aging of America in formulating social policies and programs.
In these roles, TCSG has, since the early 1970s, been
actively involved in working on aging programs and advocacy related to the
Older American's Act. A primary focus of TCSG's activities has been on legal
services development on
the national, state and local levels. A major part of our legal services
development activities has been the promotion of the effective and efficient
delivery of legal services for the most vulnerable older persons. A key
component of a states' legal services delivery system and of its elder rights
advocacy is the State Legal Services Developer, a position which originated in 1976
through the actions of the federal Administration on Aging and which now exists
in all 50 states. TCSG has been deeply committed to the Legal Services
Developer concept since its inception and has worked closely with the
Developers in the 50 states since they began. TCSG also was instrumental in the
creation of the National Association of Legal Services Developers in the late 1980s and continues to
provide support to this important organization. In addition, TCSG played a
significant role in the formulation and adoption by Congress in 1992 of Title
VII of the Older Americans Act - the Elder Rights title - and particularly the State
Elder Rights and Legal Assistance Development Program chapter of Title VII.
This web site on State Legal Services Development has been created to provide
information and resources which will enhance efforts by Legal Services
Developers, providers of legal services for the elderly, state and area
agencies on aging, policymakers and others to promote the delivery of legal
services to the most vulnerable older Americans.
LISTINGS OF LEGAL SERVICES DEVELOPERS & ELDER LAW
PROGRAMS
Listing of State
Legal Services Developers in 52 states & territories: This pdf list is updated regularly by The Center for Social Gerontology.
Listing of
State Long Term Care Ombudsman in 53 states & territories: This
link takes you to a complete list of the Long-Term-Care Ombudsman on the National
Citizen's Coalition for Nursing Home Reform website.
Listing of State
Legal Services Providers for Older Americans: By State
Listing
of Legal Hotlines for Older Americans -- AoA Site
Link
to Legal Services Corporation site to locate all LSC-funded legal services
programs in the nation: these
programs serve low-income older persons and many also have Title IIIB OAA
grants to serve older persons.
Links to other key
Legal Services-related sites
Consumers'
Guide to Legal Help on the Internet - ABA site
RECENT NEWS
New Release December 2020: Delivering High Quality Legal Services to Elderly Clients with Mental Illness--Final Report and Training Video
Recent News
about Legal Services & Elder Rights Developments: Updated April 12, 2011
NEW:
Legal Needs of Older Ohioans: A 2008 Survey In
December 2008 Pro Seniors and AARP Ohio State Office collaborated on a
statewide legal needs study of Ohio seniors. The 49 page report was
authored by Brittne Nelson of Knowledge Management, with assistance from Rhonda
Moore and Thomas Bedall of Pro Seniors. Surveys were mailed to 12,000
Ohioans age 60+ during March – May 2008. 4,715 surveys were
returned for a response rate of 39%. The report details responses and
trends for three subgroups, African American, low-income and vulnerable
respondents, defined as seniors who are homebound, receive home care, reside in
a nursing home or assisted living facility, or have mental or physical
disabilities. A demographic profile of respondents is included in the
report, as well as an annotated questionnaire for the entire sample. The
report provides data about seniors’ access to legal services. To see a
copy of the full report in pdf format, please click above.
Legal
Needs of Older Floridians: A 2006 Survey This 2007 AARP
publication, prepared by Erica L. Dinger, AARP Knowledge Management, reports
results from the 2006 Florida legal needs study. The 62-page report provides
data on the legal needs and concerns of older Floridians that include
healthcare coverage, housing issues, hurricane repair, and consumer issues.
Conducted in October through December 2006, surveys were mailed to 13,000
Floridians. Persons age 60 and older with incomes below $30,000 a year were
targeted, and an over-sample of Hispanic Floridians was drawn. The response
rate was 29%, with over 3,750 surveys returned. A demographic profile of
respondents is included in the report, and annotated questionnaires for the
entire sample and for the Hispanic respondents are included as appendices. To
access a copy of this report in pdf, please click above.
Elderly
Legal Assistance Program: Report on the Legal Needs of Seniors in Georgia This
September, 2006 report was prepared for the Georgia Division of Aging Services
by the Planning and Evaluation Section Quality Assurance Team in collaboration
with the Georgia Legal Services Developer, Natalie Thomas. This 23-page report
provides an assessment of the legal needs of Georgia's senior population. In
the fall of 2005, the Division of Aging Services sent a survey form to 1,596
seniors; the response rate was nearly 30%. The survey was based on a similar
survey done in Utah in 2004, and assistance with the Georgia survey was
provided by TCSG staff and TCSG Consulting Attorney Jilenne Gunther, who was
the co-author of the Utah study. The purpose of the study was to assess (a) the
legal needs of Georgia's seniors, (b) their awareness of available legal
services, (c) their experiences with and perceptions of lawyers, (d) the
barriers seniors have with using lawyers, (e) legal issues that concern
seniors, and (f) the legal services that would have the most benefit for them.
To access the 23-page report, in pdf format, click above.
Legal
Needs Assessment of Utah's Seniors This 2004 survey and report
on the legal needs of Utah's older persons was conducted and written by Jilenne
Gunther, J.D., M.S.W., Alan Ormsby, J.D., (Utah Legal Services Developer) and
Nathan Stephens, B.S. The study assesses the legal needs of Utah's seniors,
their perceptions of and experiences with attorneys, their awareness of current
legal services, and the barriers to obtaining legal assistance. This 34-page
study, with charts and graphs, is available in pdf format, by clicking above.
The 6-page, 43-question, survey questionnaire which was used to conduct this
assessment is available in pdf format by clicking here.
To access a PowerPoint presentation by Jilenne Gunther titled Assessing the
Legal Needs of Seniors describing the
study and its findings, click here.
State
Legal Assistance Development Program Study Prepared
in October, 2003, by Natalie Thomas, Esq., Georgia Legal Services Developer,
and Richard Ingham, Esq., Oklahoma Legal Services Developer, under a grant from
the Borchard Center on Law & Aging. This landmark, 150-page study is
available in pdf format by clicking above.
PowerPoint
Presentation on Selecting a Title IIIB Legal Provider Prepared
by Natalie Thomas, Esq., Georgia Legal Services Developer
Oklahoma's Law
Establishing "An Office of Elder Rights & Legal Assistance Services
Development" (Signed by
Governor Keating on April 16, 2001)
OLDER AMERICANS ACT INFORMATION & LINKS
TCSG's
Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act Web Site The Older Americans Act (OAA) was
amended/reauthorized in the fall of 2006. As of April 2007, an official
compilation of the OAA as amended had not been printed. To assist the many
organizations that would find it useful to have a complete, compiled version of
the OAA that incorporates the 2006 Amendments, The Center for Social
Gerontology, Inc. (TCSG) has put together an UNOFFICIAL COMPILATION. We have
italicized the language that was added or changed in the 2006 Amendments. We
are posting the "Unofficial Compilation" in the following two ways on
our website: as one complete version of the entire OAA; and, Title by Title of
the OAA so that it can be downloaded by individual Title for those who only
want portions of the OAA. The Compilation is in PDF format. This
link is to TCSG's site for comprehensive information on the OAA,
reauthorization of the OAA, and a complete UNOFFICIAL COMPILATION of the OAA as
amended in 2006 and prepared by TCSG.
The Focus on Elder
Rights Advocacy in the new Title VII in the 1992 Amendments to the OAA
THE ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES OF LEGAL SERVICES
DEVELOPERS
State
Legal Assistance Development Program Study Prepared
in October, 2003, by Natalie Thomas, Esq., Georgia Legal Services Developer,
and Richard Ingham, Esq., Oklahoma Legal Services Developer, under a grant from
the Borchard Center on Law & Aging. This landmark, 150-page study is
available in pdf format by clicking above.
Legal Services
Developers: The Key to a Strong Elder Rights System
TCSG's COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE DELIVERY OF LEGAL
ASSISTANCE TO OLDER PERSONS
This guide, which has been in print form since 1988, with periodic updates, is
now being updated; over the coming months, TCSG will be placing individual
chapters of the Guide on this web site. Click below for the Introduction pages
of the guide and each chapter.
Introduction
Pages for the Comprehensive Guide
Chapter
12: National Resource and Support Organizations
TCSG's GUIDE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF STATEWIDE STANDARDS FOR
THE DELIVERY OF LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO OLDER INDIVIDUALS Statewide
standards can be defined as a set of guidelines which describe and define the
essential elements involved in providing high-quality, high-impact legal
assistance to older persons in greatest need of assistance, and which set out
the major responsibilities and roles of the key actors and agencies involved in
the legal advocacy system.
This
TCSG publication is a step-by-step guide to the process of developing statewide
standards, based on the experiences of 18 states (as of 1994) which worked with
The Center for Social Gerontology (TCSG) to develop standards. Although
the Guide is slightly out of date, the process described represents TCSG’s
thinking on how best to approach this task, and reflects the learning from the
many and varied experiences of the different states. The Guide has been
reviewed by the Administration on Aging and the process was endorsed by the
Assistant Secretary for Aging, Fernando Torres-Gil, as a good approach to
developing effective standards that will be accepted and followed.
LEGAL NEEDS SURVEYS OF OLDER AMERICANS
Legal
Needs of Older Ohioans: A 2008 Survey In December 2008 Pro
Seniors and AARP Ohio State Office collaborated on a statewide legal needs
study of Ohio seniors. The 49-page report was authored by Brittne Nelson
of Knowledge Management, with assistance from Rhonda Moore and Thomas Bedall of
Pro Seniors. Surveys were mailed to 12,000 Ohioans age 60+ during
March – May 2008. 4,715 surveys were returned for a response rate of 39%.
The report details responses and trends for three subgroups, African
American, low-income and vulnerable respondents, defined as seniors who are
homebound, receive home care, reside in a nursing home or assisted living
facility, or have mental or physical disabilities. A demographic profile
of respondents is included in the report, as well as an annotated questionnaire
for the entire sample. The report provides data about seniors’ access to
legal services. To see a copy of the full report in pdf format, please
click above.
Legal
Needs of Older Floridians: A 2006 Survey This 2007 AARP publication, prepared by Erica L.
Dinger, AARP Knowledge Management, reports results from the 2006 Florida legal
needs study. The 62-page report provides data on the legal needs and concerns
of older Floridians that include healthcare coverage, housing issues, hurricane
repair, and consumer issues. Conducted in October through December 2006,
surveys were mailed to 13,000 Floridians. Persons age 60 and older with incomes
below $30,000 a year were targeted, and an over-sample of Hispanic Floridians
was drawn. The response rate was 29%, with over 3,750 surveys returned. A
demographic profile of respondents is included in the report, and annotated
questionnaires for the entire sample and for the Hispanic respondents are
included as appendices. To access a copy of this report in pdf, please click
above.
Elderly
Legal Assistance Program: Report on the Legal Needs of Seniors in Georgia This September, 2006 report was
prepared for the Georgia Division of Aging Services by the Planning and
Evaluation Section Quality Assurance Team in collaboration with the Georgia
Legal Services Developer, Natalie Thomas. This 23-page report provides an assessment
of the legal needs of Georgia's senior population. In the fall of 2005, the
Division of Aging Services sent a survey form to 1,596 seniors; the response
rate was nearly 30%. The survey was based on a similar survey done in Utah in
2004, and assistance with the Georgia survey was provided by TCSG staff and
TCSG Consulting Attorney Jilenne Gunther, who was the co-author of the Utah
study. The purpose of the study was to assess (a) the legal needs of Georgia's
seniors, (b) their awareness of available legal services, (c) their experiences
with and perceptions of lawyers, (d) the barriers seniors have with using
lawyers, (e) legal issues that concern seniors, and (f) the legal services that
would have the most benefit for them. To access the 23-page report, in pdf
format, click above.
Planning
for the Legal Needs of Utah's Seniors This 2004 survey and report on the legal needs of
Utah's older persons was conducted and written by Jilenne Gunther, J.D.,
M.S.W., Alan Ormsby, J.D., (Utah Legal Services Developer) and Nathan Stephens,
B.S. The study assesses the legal needs of Utah's seniors, their perceptions of
and experiences with attorneys, their awareness of current legal services, and
the barriers to obtaining legal assistance. This 34-page study, with charts and
graphs, provides excellent data, as well as a fine example of the value of such
needs assessments as planning documents and as an essential document in
fund-raising efforts for legal services for older persons. To access the full
study, in pdf format, click above.
Survey
Questionnaire for Utah Legal Needs Assessment: The 6-page, 43-question, survey
questionnaire which was used to conduct the Utah Legal Needs Assessment (see
above) is available in pdf format by clicking above. Such a survey could be
utilized in other states to conduct similar assessments. In Spring, 2005, TCSG
expects to publish an article in our Best Practice Notes describing how to conduct and utilize
such legal needs assessments; the article will be available online.
PowerPoint
presentation on Utah Legal Needs Assessment:Jilenne Gunther created a PowerPoint
titled Assessing the Legal Needs of Seniors describing the Utah Legal Needs
assessment and its findings. To access the PowerPoint click above.
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION ON SELECTING A TITLE IIIB LEGAL
PROVIDER This PowerPoint presentation was
prepared by Natalie Thomas, Esq., the Georgia Legal Services Developer, for a
speech delivered to Area Agency on Aging directors and staff to assist them in
understanding and implementing the requirements of the Older Americans Act regarding
the selection of the "best entity" as their Title IIIB legal
provider. The 15-slide PowerPoint presentation can be downloaded and adapted
for your own use by clicking here
ELDER RIGHTS ADVOCACY
Elder
Rights Advocacy & the LSC Restrictions: How Serious is the Conflict?
A
Model for Statewide Elder Rights Advocacy: the Massachusetts Elderly Legal
Coalition
REPORTING SYSTEMS FOR LEGAL SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY
Outcome Measures for
Title IIIB Legal Assistance Programs: An Introduction
Reporting &
Title IIIB Legal Assistance Programs; also, the Michigan Statewide Reporting
System
INFORMATION & DATA ON OAA LEGAL SERVICES FOR THE
ELDERLY
TCSG's
National Survey of Legal Assistance for the Elderly: 1998
ELDER LAW NEWSLETTERS
Link to
TCSG's Best Practice Notes Newsletters
KEY LINKS
Link to Administration on
Aging overall web site
Link
to Administration on Aging "Elder Rights & Resources" site
Link
to Legal Services site of National Aging Information Center
Link to Long Term
Care Ombudsman Resource Center, with listing of all State LTC Ombudsmen
Link to Legal Services
Corporation's Online Resource Library