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NORTHWEST JUSTICE PROJECT'S MLP: ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT HEALTH CARE VICTORY FOR LOW-INCOME CHILDREN
In a change hailed as a turning point for struggling Washington families with autistic children, the Washington State Health Care Authority has agreed to cover the cost of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy to treat children enrolled in Apple Health for Kids and diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. More than 9,000 people younger than 21 and on in Medicaid may benefit from the therapy in the next several months. A mediated settlement approved by U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones requires that the therapy become part of the regular benefits offered by Apple Health for Kids starting January 1, 2013.
The settlement is the result of a case brought by the Northwest Justice Project's Medical Legal Partnership (MLP) last April and represents yet another important MLP health care victory for low-income Washingtonians.
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 COLUMBIA LEGAL SERVICES: PEREZ-FARIAS V. GLOBAL HORIZONS ARTICLE BY LORI ISLEY, WORKING FAMILIES PROJECT ATTORNEY, CLS YAKIMA
In 2004 the H-2A program, the federal program which allows employers to bring in temporary agricultural workers from outside the US, was first used on a significant scale by the Washington tree fruit industry. The monumental impact on agricultural communities in central Washington is reflected in the long litigated Perez-Farias v. Global Horizons, a class action suit arising from the wholesale replacement and firing of hundreds of farm workers in the Yakima Valley in that same year.
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KING COUNTY RESTORES LEGAL AID FUNDING TO PRE-RECESSION LEVELS
ARTICLE BY ERIC GONZALEZ, EQUAL JUSTICE COALITION DIRECTOR
The King County Council passed a 2013 budget which includes a sizable increase to the county's investment in legal aid programs serving King County's most vulnerable people. Between 2007 and 2011, King County's investment in legal aid was reduced by a near cumulative $160,000. This year, our goal was to have funding restored to pre-recession levels. However, we faced multiple challenges: (1) The Executive's budget included only four of the five programs supported in FY12; and (2) we were looking to expand King County's support to include Seattle Community Law Center, an Alliance member working to secure federal benefits for people with disabilities who are homeless or low-income in King County. During the nearly two-month budget process, we attended and testified as a group during community hearings on the proposed budget and met with Councilmembers (and their staff) to discuss the collaborative delivery system the Alliance for Equal Justice promotes and to ensure the needs of low-income people are met in a timely and efficient manner. We received support from various supporters of the Alliance for Equal Justice and members of the Equal Justice Coalition. The King County Council did more than champion our ask: they passed a budget that restored funding to pre-recession levels to Eastside Legal Assistance Program, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, TeamChild, Family Assistance Program at Solid Ground, and Unemployment Law Project; added Seattle Community Law Center as a beneficiary; and secured additional funding for ELAP to provide a Domestic Violence Attorney at the Domestic Abuse Women's Network (DAWN). Legal aid funding from the King County budget increased from $302,000 to nearly $526,000. We are grateful for the outpouring support from our grassroots members and the Council's understanding of the impact legal aid can have on individuals, families and communities county-wide.
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WA STATE ATJ BOARD WINS ABA GRANT
ARTICLE BY BRIAN ROWE, ATJ TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE CHAIR
The American Bar Association's (ABA) Access to Justice Commission Expansion Project has allocated $20,000 to the Washington State Access to Justice Board (ATJ) for a project to collaboratively develop Best Practices for the Implementation, Use, and Public Access of Electronic Court Records. In Washington State several counties are considering different systems for enabling access to Electronic Court Records. This project will work directly with courts, technologists, legal aid and user groups, and technology providers to facilitate the creation of Best Practices that take these diverse interests into account. For this project the ATJ will be partnering with the National Center for State Courts Center on Court Access to Justice for All (www.ncsc.org/atj) to help ensure that the best practices developed from this project can be used by other states with similar court systems. The ATJ Board will also be partnering with a range of diverse stakeholders from members of legal aid groups to technology administrators to local court administrators. This project will focus on answering several questions including: - What functions do county courts seek in electronic records access systems?
- To what extent do these systems enhance, supplant, or merely coexist with traditional record keeping and filing systems?
- How have counties integrated electronic records systems to date, and what are their ultimate goals?
This project will be guided by the ATJ Technology Principles help to promote fundamental considerations of full and open accessibility into the daily operations of participating judiciaries and third-party service providers. This project will focus on practical outcomes including: - The minimum acceptable functionality of an electronic records storage, management, and access platform;
- Efficient model forms and fee schedules for all counties and its litigants
Special thanks to Joan Fairbanks, Charles Dyer, and Andrew Lee for their contribution in helping write the grant proposal that provided this wonderful outcome.
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KING COUNTY COUNCIL CELEBRATES PRO BONO WEEK
The Metropolitan King County Council proclaimed the week of October 21 - 27 as "Celebration of Pro Bono Week" in honor of those who volunteer their time pro bono to provide legal services to individuals and families in need. Read more about the proclamation, which includes quotes from Councilmember Bob Ferguson, Washington State Bar Association President Michele Radosevich, and Equal Justice Coalition Director Eric Gonzalez.
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CAMPAIGN FOR EQUAL JUSTICE
The 2012 Campaign for Equal Justice ends December 31, 2012. Our goal is to raise $1.3 million for 23 Alliance providers. It's not too late to make your gift. Donate online today or visit www.c4ej.org to learn about more ways you can help.
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2013 GOLDMARK EQUAL JUSTICE INTERN: EMILY C. NELSON
The Legal Foundation of Washington is proud to announce that Emily C. Nelson, 2014 JD Candidate from the University Of Washington School Of Law has accepted the 2013 Goldmark Equal Justice Internship, a 10-week summer internship with Chelan Douglas County Volunteer Attorney Services in Wenatchee, WA.
Read more about Emily and the work she will do next summer, that will include participation with the Housing Justice Project.
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