Project Description
New York's AT Advocacy Project will provide the following services:
Technical Assistance
We will provide technical assistance to callers statewide. In many instances this may
simply involve information about how to apply for funding from a government
agency, a referral to an advocate in your area, or it may involve extensive
consultation on how best to present evidence at an upcoming hearing. Callers will
be made aware of the resources we have available to assist them in advocating for
themselves or others.
Statewide AT Clearinghouse
We are a statewide clearinghouse for information and resources needed to advocate
for AT. For example, we have collected Medicaid fair hearing decisions statewide
and have put them in a word-searchable data base which is available to advocates
statewide. When an advocate calls to ask for hearing decisions regarding electric
wheelchairs, for instance, we can transmit the relevant decisions either electronically
or through the mail.
Individual Representation
We will represent a small number of individual clients. Our priority will be cases,
particularly litigation, in which the case outcome is likely to have a significant impact
beyond one individual.
Briefs and Pleadings
We have developed a pleadings and brief bank, gathering court papers from around
the state. In the future, we will make them easily searchable by putting them in a
data base.
Pro Bono Attorneys
We have developed a list of attorneys, from various parts of the state, who are willing
to accept AT cases without charging a fee. To date, we have been most successful
referring Medicaid cases, but will seek to locate pro bono attorneys for all AT-
related cases that are brought to us. We also have a referral list of Legal Services,
Legal Aid and Protection and Advocacy offices that will accept AT cases without
charging a fee.
New York's Medicaid Regulations
We have New York's Medicaid regulations available in an electronic, word-
searchable format which is available to advocates statewide. In the future, we hope
to make regulations of other state or federal agencies available to advocates in a
similar format.
