LCE staff help 6,000+ clients each year in many areas of civil law. Attorneys represent seniors facing foreclosures, evictions, and consumer fraud. LCE handles Medicaid and Social Security cases, provides benefits checkups to assure that seniors and Veterans are receiving the benefits they are due, prepares Wills and Powers of Attorney, and educates elders in ways to avoid Medicare and Medicaid fraud. Clients come to LCE directly through the LCE Legal Hotline, they are referred by partner organizations and the courts, and LCE attorneys, plus its more than 800 volunteers, are regularly in the community meeting elders at senior centers and faith-based organizations. LCE also accommodates homebound seniors by providing legal services in their homes. LCE houses the office of the D.C. Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, which advocates on behalf of seniors in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and those receiving home health care. LCE has a strong relationship with a number of pro bono law firms that assist staff with approximately 600 cases a year. LCE staff testify and make recommendations regarding laws before the D.C. Council that affect seniors, and have been instrumental in bettering conditions for D.C. seniors through assistance with local legislation. More than 40 years after its founding, LCE continues to develop innovative, cost-effective ways to deliver legal services, serving as a model for organizations around the country. LCE is incorporated as a 501(c) (3) and is an affiliate of AARP.
- The Public Benefits and General Services (PBGS) Unit attorneys work on a variety of cases, ranging from Social Security retirement, disability, overpayments and hearings, Medicare, and Medicaid, (including cases before the Office of Administrative Hearings), VA benefit claims for Pension and VA debt relief, utility scams, tax debt, and language access issues affecting access to these benefits and other resources. The unit is also in charge of Latino Outreach for the office through a grant from the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs.
- Because of the high volume of cases, interns and externs have the opportunity to assist attorneys with direct client work to expand our capacity. Interns and externs work closely with attorneys and are responsible for client interviews, research, drafting letters, memos and pleadings, investigation, hearing preparation, and third party communication with government agencies, social workers and physicians. There are also opportunities to go to court and participate in community outreach.
- AARP also considers non-traditional interns who are looking to re-enter the workforce or change careers. This may include those who have previously graduated college and are now enrolled in a continuing education program.
- Spanish-language skills are preferred but not required.
https://careers.aarp.org/ShowJob/Id/1488583/Summer-2018-Public-Benefits-...(Legal-Counsel-for-the-Elderly,-Law-Students)/