PALawHELP.org News

HUD Secretary Donovan Announces Expanded Eligibility for Making Home Affordable Refinancing

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:26:00 EST

Expansion will allow more homeowners to become eligible for the program, by increasing the eligibility to borrowers whose first mortgage does not exceed 125 percent of the current market value of the property. Currently, only those borrowers whose first mortgage does not exceed 105 percent of the current market value of the property are eligible for the Obama Administration's Home Affordable Refinance Program. Making Home Affordable, a comprehensive plan to stabilize the U.S. housing market, was first announced by the Administration on February 18. In just a few months, more than 200,000 borrowers have received offers for trial loan modifications, tens of thousands of refinances and trial modifications are under way, and informational mailings about the program have been sent to more than one million borrowers who may be eligible.

HUD Expands Multi-Lingual Website to Help Families Who Are Limited English Proficient to Gain Access to HUD Programs

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST

Enhanced website to promote equal access to housing programs by providing important HUD documents in 12 different languages. HUD's expanded Limited English Proficiency (LEP) website features factsheets, housing brochures and other forms in Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Cambodian, Chinese, Farsi, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese, in addition to English.

The HUD site offers brochures on fair housing, model lease agreements, information about HUD's Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8), and a Resident Rights and Responsibilities brochure in various languages. These documents are free to the public.

May 2009 Health Law PA News

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:11:00 EST

The May 2009 Health Law PA News is now available on the website of the Pennsylvania Health Law Project. The May edition contains the following articles:

Proposed Senate Budget Slashes Health Care Funding
Act 62 Requires Many Commercial Insurers to Cover Services for Children and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders
New Possible Medical Assistance Contract Terminations in Southeastern PA
“Mini-COBRA” Legislation Approved
HealthChoices Consumers in Central and Southeastern PA May Have More Managed Care Plan Options in Future
Input Sought from Youth and Parents of Children with Special Health Care Needs
Stories of the Uninsured
Parents will Soon Have the Option of Keeping Their Adult Children on Their Health Insurance Policies
House Bill Introduced to Create Set-Aside Accounts to Support Mental Health & Mental Retardation Services
Federal Health Care Reform Update
Extra $25/week Unemployment Benefit NOT Counted For Medical Assistance or CHIP Eligibility

May 2009 Health Law PA News [PDF]

PennDOT Postpones Cancellation of Immigrants' Driver's Licenses

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:01:00 EST

PennDOT agrees to reissue cancellation notice with an extended deadline and corrected information about documents needed to contest cancellation and verify identity.

"Get Help Now PA!" Program Launched to Help Those in Economic Need

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:44:00 EST

Governor Edward G. Rendell has announced the launch of the "Get Help Now PA!" volunteer initiative to provide financial and legal help to the many Pennsylvanians who still face difficult situations while the economic recovery takes hold. This program is part of a nationwide effort initiated by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, who have asked all governors and first ladies to join them in a service initiative designed to help fellow citizens in need.

In a statewide webcast, Governor Rendell announced that he has enlisted attorneys, banking and mortgage professionals, and financial analysts who are knowledgeable in the area of finance, credit, and/or bankruptcy to serve on help desks in many of the county bar association offices.

Under the initiative, volunteers will provide assistance to consumers on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 1:00 p.m. to 6 p.m., starting July 7 and culminating on Sept. 11 with a National Day of Service and Remembrance. Consumers may learn more about the program and locations by visiting www.pa.gov or calling the Pennsylvania Bar Association, toll-free, at 1-888-799-4557.

Get Help Now PA! is a collaborative effort of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bankers Association, the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association, the Pennsylvania Association of Community Bankers, the Mortgage Bankers Association of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Association of Mortgage Brokers, the Pennsylvania Financial Services Association, the Office of the First Lady and Pennsylvania Department of Banking.

More Information from PA.gov

Social Security to Open New Teleservice Center

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:07:00 EST

First new call center opened by Social Security in more than a decade will help agency handle calls from boomer wave.

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced that the agency plans to open a new teleservice center (TSC) in Jackson, Tennessee, which will be the first new call center opened by Social Security in more than a decade. The Jackson TSC will employ about 175 people once it is fully operational.

“Social Security is facing an unprecedented wave of people needing our services as baby boomers retire,” Commissioner Astrue said. “Response times have been improving significantly, and the new Jackson TSC will help us provide even more timely service to the 60 million Americans who call our toll-free number each year.”

Social Security currently has 35 TSCs operating in locations all across the country. All TSCs take calls from throughout the U.S. and provide service via Social Security’s national toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). Live service is available from 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Automated service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

More than two-thirds of the calls to Social Security's 800 number come from the Eastern and Central time zones. Jackson was chosen as the site for a new TSC because of the additional capacity needed in these time zones to handle calls. In addition, with four colleges and universities in Jackson and several others within a short commute, the Jackson area will provide Social Security with a highly-skilled and well-educated workforce.

CLS' Road to Recovery Forum draws large crowd eager to hear from expert panel about stimulus spending decisions

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:21:00 EST

Community Legal Services, with the support of The William Penn Foundation, hosted "The Road to Recovery: Implementing the Stimulus in Philadelphia and Beyond," which featured two panels of experts who discussed the decisions being made to effectively implement the federal stimulus money provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Addressing an audience of more than two hundred community members, presenters gave an overview of the local and regional economic environments, the opportunities presented by the funds, and spoke of specific concerns about the stimulus funds designated for unemployment compensation and TANF Emergency Contigency Funds.

Follow the link to access MP3 recordings of the discussions and handouts from the event.

Full Story and Materials