ONLINE TRAINING

C.A.S.H.

Creating Assets, Savings and Hope (C.A.S.H.) Orientation: This orientation is designed to clearly & definitively communicate the mission of C.A.S.H. to all volunteers, and serve as an introduction to C.A.S.H. for those who are not familiar with our initiative. It will cover the history and value proposition of the C.A.S.H. Coalition, what's new this season, what happens at a C.A.S.H. site, volunteer opportunities, training schedule and volunteer expectations.

Child Care

Kinship Care: Rights, Authority, Assistance and Resources: This three hour course will cover kinship caregiver legal issues offering extensive practical information about legal issues facing grandparents and relatives raising children.

Child Care and Child Support: This course covers the fundamentals of the child support requirements for applicants and recipients of child care assistance. Discussions include the active pursuit of child support; good cause exception and determinations; failure to cooperate by applicant or recipient; the child support order; treatment of child support as income; what happens if the non-custodial parent stops paying support; practical difficulties and legal issues that may be raised by petitioners and respondent.

Child Support

The 17% Solution: Child Support Issues Faced By Low Income Parents: This session will focus on the myriad issues faced by low income custodial and non-custodial parents in the world of child support enforcement.

Consumer & Community Development

New Approaches to Stabilizing Homeowners and Communities in Western NY : this taped broadcast is geared towards housing counselors, legal services organizations, lenders, public officials, community-based organizations, and anyone who is concerned with the impact of the foreclosure crisis on homeowners and neighborhoods in the western part of the State. Discussion topics include information about housing counseling standards, specialized foreclosure trainings, State programs addressing the foreclosure issue, and successful approaches to reducing foreclosures, among other topics.

Celebrating 30 Years of the Community Reinvestment Act: On January 24, 2008, the Greater Rochester Community Reinvestment Coalition and Empire Justice Center presented a forum celebrating 30 years of the Community Reinvestment Act. This forum is presented online in four parts.

Representing Homeowners at Mandatory Settlement Conferences: Mandatory settlement conferences are now an integral component to the foreclosure process for subprime loans. The governor has signed a new law that expands the settlement conferences to all residential loans. Pro Bono lawyers have been approved to represent homeowners for the limited capacity of these settlement conferences. This training addresses important considerations for lawyers willing to represent homeowners in this capacity.

Criminal Law

Reentry: Criminal Law 101: What Every Poverty Lawyer Must Know About the Criminal Justice System: This session will give a crash course in law and practice in the criminal justice system, including the path of a criminal case, warrants, types of offenses, juvenile proceedings, criminal records and sealing, certificates of relief from disabilities, and what services are permitted under LSC restrictions. It will also introduce a new online tool that provides proven solutions to overcoming collateral consequences.

Disability Benefits

Maximizing Health coverage for DAP Clients - Before and After Winning the Case: The training includes: recent changes to Medicaid, Family Health Plus and Child Health Plus; Medicaid managed care for SSI recipients; transitioning to Medicare.

HIV AS A DISABLING CONDITION: Maximizing SSI / SSD: This training will provide case managers with basic information about Social Security's disability benefit program.

Res Judicata, Reopening and Revival: The 3 Rs for Keeping Social Security Cases Alive (so they can be paid): This training explores the ways in which the Social Security Administrations (SSAs) administrative finality and res judicata rules can be avoided. The session focuses on the significance of overcoming finality hurdles so that disability before the expiration of a claimants date last insured (DLI) can be established. Reopening strategies and the standards for good cause and new and material evidence, as well as rules for extensions of time for filing appeals are presented. The session also covers ways to guard against reopenings by SSA.

Introduction to Disability Law: This two part training will cover the fundamentals of disability law practice.

Childhood Disability: The 2009 Childhood Social Security Rulings (SSRs): This training provides a brief overview of the childrens  SSI program, including concepts of medical and functional equivalence to the Listings. Then, the 2009 SSRs are analyzed in detail, along with their impact on each domain of functioning and advocacy tips for using the SSRs in proving disability in children's SSI cases.

Effect of Holocaust Reparations on Medicaid, SSI and Other Benefits: The Victims of Nazi Persecution Act of 1994 creates a special right for survivors of the Holocaust. When they apply for federally funded benefits or services that are based on financial need, the payments they have received based on their status as a victim of Nazi persecution are not counted in determining their financial eligibility for these federally funded benefits.

Winning on Appeal: Using an HIV case as a model, this session will outline appeal procedures and practices at the Appeals Council and in U.S. District Courts. Presenters will focus on the practices and procedures specific to each of the four District Courts in New York.

Confronting Vocational Experts' ("VE") Testimony: If the Grids cannot be applied, you had better prepare for the testimony of a Vocational Expert (VE). Learn about when a VE will be called in a case, the role of the VE, dealing with hypothetical questions, and formulating a cross examination.

Handling SSI Child Disability Cases: This training will cover the child's SSI regulations including the concept of functional equivalence, domains of functioning, using forms and more.

SSI Non-Disability Eligibility: This training covers the fundamentals of SSI eligibility, including: income and resources, living arrangements, deeming, transfer of assets and other penalties, non-citizen restrictions, residency and more.

The Sequential Evaluation: Developing Mental Impairment Cases at Steps 4 & 5: This course builds upon the sequential evaluation process at Step 3. It focuses on Step 4 (past relevant work) and the Step 5 application of the Grid Rules. Participants will learn how to get off the grids and the use of vocational expert testimony in disability cases.

Sequential Evaluation: Developing Mental Impairment Cases at Step 3: This training is designed to be an introductory course for those new to Social Security Disability Law. It begins with an overview of Social Security Disability and the sequential evaluation process with a focus on Step 3 (the "Listings") for mental impairment cases. Participants will learn how to develop strong evidence and how to make winning arguments at Step 3, particularly in mental impairment cases.

Education

Special Ed Litigation: Achieving Systemic Change within School Districts: From Greece, NY to New York City, public interest attorneys have challenged school districts' systemic failures to provide appropriate educational support to students with disabilities. In this session, attorneys and advocates will learn about the most recent cases, as well as "cutting-edge strategies" for litigating systems-change lawsuits that aim to compel school districts to improve services for large numbers of students.

Health

Effect of Holocaust Reparations on Medicaid, SSI and Other Benefits: The Victims of Nazi Persecution Act of 1994 creates a special right for survivors of the Holocaust. When they apply for federally funded benefits or services that are based on financial need, the payments they have received based on their status as a victim of Nazi persecution are not counted in determining their financial eligibility for these federally funded benefits.

Medicaid 101: This session will introduce advocates to the patchwork of programs that make up New York's Medicaid program. We will discuss financial eligibility for the most widely utilized programs, and look at some case examples that utilize a valuable budgeting device known as spend down. We will then go over some of the recent changes in New York's program - highlighting those changes that pose implementation problems, as well as other issues that pose barriers to accessing health coverage.

Medicaid Home Care Advocacy Training: New York's Medicaid home care program is the most comprehensive in the country, enabling about 100,000 elderly or disabled persons a year to remain in their homes. As the government has cut back on all entitlements in the last decade, changes in policy make it more difficult to access home care. Aggressive advocacy is needed to obtain the amount of home care that clients need, but this requires intensive development of facts and medical evidence.

This training will explain to viewers the differences between the six different Medicaid home care programs, how to prepare medical documentation and win benefits for their clients, either through advocacy at the local Medicaid offices run by the Department of Social Services in each county (the "CASA" offices in New York City), by advocacy with certified home health care agencies (CHHAs), or by representing clients at a fair hearing.

Because of its length, this training has been broken into three parts. CLE credit will be awarded for each portion of the training completed. It is not required that all three parts of this training be viewed in order to receive CLE credit.  

Medicare with Medicaid: Maximizing Health Coverage for Dual Eligibles: This workshop will cover the A, B, Cs and Ds of Medicare and several strategies for helping elderly and/or disabled clients use both Medicare and Medicaid together, including Medicare Savings Programs, Medicaid Spend Down and the Medicaid Buy-in-Program for Working People with Disabilities.

What's Happening in Medicaid: Recent Changes to Eligibility and Services: This workshop will cover significant changes to New York's Medicaid Program in the last several years, including eligibility expansions, streamlining and simplification of enrollment and recertification requirements, and expansion of Mandatory Medicaid Managed Care.

Medicare Part D - Part I - (2008) Basics About Part D: This training covers almost everything social workers and advocates needs to know to assist their clients with the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit ("Part D"). It assumes no existing background in Part D.

Medicare Part D - Part II (2008): Using the Online Plan-finder for 2008 Enrollment, Part D Plans in New York State, More on Medicaid and EPIC and Part D.

Strategies for Maximizing Access to Health Care Services for People with HIV: This training will provide case managers and other client advocates with basic information about the public health care programs in New York State that are key for people living with HIV/AIDS, including Medicaid, ADAP, Child Health Plus and Family Health Plus

Navigating the New Medicare Part D Appeals Process: Nuts and bolts of the Medicare Part D appeals process, including strategies for representing clients with prescription coverage denials, appeals of denials for the low-income subsidy, and issues related to New York's Medicaid wrap-around coverage.

Housing

Landlord & Tenant 101: If you are a recently admitted attorney, or an attorney whose work primarily consists of representation in non-housing matters, this training will give you the information you need to advise and represent clients who are facing the possibility of eviction.

New Approaches to Stabilizing Homeowners and Communities in Western NY : this taped broadcast is geared towards housing counselors, legal services organizations, lenders, public officials, community-based organizations, and anyone who is concerned with the impact of the foreclosure crisis on homeowners and neighborhoods in the western part of the State. Discussion topics include information about housing counseling standards, specialized foreclosure trainings, State programs addressing the foreclosure issue, and successful approaches to reducing foreclosures, among other topics.

Representing Homeowners at Mandatory Settlement Conferences: Mandatory settlement conferences are now an integral component to the foreclosure process for subprime loans. The governor has signed a new law that expands the settlement conferences to all residential loans. Pro Bono lawyers have been approved to represent homeowners for the limited capacity of these settlement conferences. This training addresses important considerations for lawyers willing to represent homeowners in this capacity.

Immigrant Rights

Immigration Status & Public Benefits Eligibility: This is a training on immigration status as an eligibility requirement in various federal and state public benefits programs. The main focus of the session will be on the immigrant eligibility rules in means tested benefit programs, specifically the Family and Safety Net Assistance Programs, the Supplemental Security Income program (SSI), Food Stamps and Medicaid.

Language Access

Introduction to Language Access Rights: Language Access for Limited English Proficient (LEP) is a half day training for advocates and attorneys that work with LEP communities. Participants will be given an overview of the state and federal protections for LEP individuals.

Public Benefits

Welfare Work Rules 101: Welfare applicants and recipients face a daunting array of work requirements, and risk serious penalties for the slightest infraction or alleged failure to comply. But they also have a range of legal rights of which they are too often unaware, so these rights are inadequately protected. It is therefore critical for applicants, recipients, providers and advocates to know the rules and how to assert these rights. This introductory training provides an overview of the statutes, regulations, and policies governing the implementation of the welfare work rules in New York State.

Public Benefits Advocacy: Practical Skills that Make a Big Difference: You know the law of public benefits but how do you actually convince caseworkers, ALJs or judges in court to decide in your client's favor? This video covers persuasion skills and techniques that will give you a better chance of success.

Immigration Status & Public Benefits Eligibility: This is a training on immigration status as an eligibility requirement in various federal and state public benefits programs. The main focus of the session will be on the immigrant eligibility rules in means tested benefit programs, specifically the Family and Safety Net Assistance Programs, the Supplemental Security Income program (SSI), Food Stamps and Medicaid. In addition to the program rules, we will cover the immigrant documentation requirements of the benefits agencies and some special issues that arise in the context of immigrant use of benefits programs, including public charge, sponsor liability and reporting.

(updated 12/09) Public Benefits 101: This training, which is geared for those new to welfare work, will provide an overview of the different cash public assistance programs (Family Assistance, Safety Net Assistance, special grants and Emergency Assistance) and the basic eligibility rules of each program.

(updated 12/09) Food Stamps 101: This course will cover the rights of individuals to apply for food stamp benefits; the financial and non-financial eligibility requirements of the program, including a brief summary of immigrant rules; a basic look at the food stamp budgeting methodology, including how to read a food stamp budget, and the food stamp recertification process.

Work Rules 101: This training will begin with an overview of public assistance programs in New York and discuss how advocates can use local employment and child care plans to assist their clients.

(updated 12/09) Emergency Assistance 101: This course provides an overview of the emergency assistance programs in New York State: Emergency Assistance to Families, Emergency Safety Net Assistance, and Emergency Assistance to Adults. The training reviews the situations that constitute an emergency, and the financial and categorical eligibility requirements for receipt of emergency assistance, and pays special attention to shelter and utility emergencies.

Unemployment