Utilities
Tenants and homeowners with health problems who are unable to pay their utility bills may request a “medical certificate” from their gas, electric or water company to keep their service on. Medical certificates are only able to keep service on for a limited time, so that individuals can apply for financial assistance programs like LIHEAP,…
Landlord Tenant Issues
Tenants have a right in Pennsylvania to a safe and habitable rental, regardless of what their lease may state. This right is called the implied warranty of habitability. Tenants must be able to prove that they notified their landlord about the problem, so putting repair requests in writing is strongly recommended. Landlords who violate the…
Jaci Adams Identity Initiative
A recent CDC study estimated that 42% of transgender women have HIV. Sixty-two percent of black trans women are thought to be living with HIV. For these women, and for others who may acquire HIV, a simple legal process to change their name can make a life-affirming difference. The AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania has…
Unemployment Compensation
State and federal unemployment compensation benefits are available to eligible workers who have less work or no work. Self-employed workers who have less business may be eligible for benefits.
Identification Documents and Name Changes
Obtaining identification documents is often a circular path. To get a birth certificate, you need a Social Security card. To get a Social Security card, you need photo ID. To get photo ID, you need a birth certificate. Fortunately, a lawyer, using their own photo ID and attorney’s license, may order a birth certificate for a client. Even…
Wills, Living Wills, Powers of Attorney
Wills, living wills and powers of attorney are three important legal documents. They make sure that your wishes for you and your belongings will be followed if you die or become too sick to speak for yourself. Without these documents, family and friends are often left not knowing what to do. We know it is…
Public and Private Benefits: Income Replacement and Health Care
More than a 25 percent of the clients who come to the AIDS Law Project are looking for some form of public or private health insurance as the road to health care. As HIV has become for many people, a chronic, manageable condition, the key is access to health care and medications. The AIDS Law…
Standby Guardianship
No question haunts a parent living with HIV/AIDS as much as, “Who will care for my children if I can’t?” Long-term stability is critical to the healthy development of children. Pennsylvania’s Standby Guardianship law, which the AIDS Law Project authored, helps terminally ill parents make permanency plans for the future care of their children. A…
Medical and Legal Partnership
The medical-legal partnership (MLP) model combines health and legal services at a single site of care. A multidisciplinary team of professionals works together to address medical and social/legal problems that have an impact on overall health. The AIDS Law Project has medical-legal partnerships with Garden State Infectious Disease Associates in Voorhees. NJ, Prevention Point Philadelphia, the…
Immigration
Immigrants, non-immigrants and undocumented aliens who are living with HIV or AIDS face complicated legal issues. The good news is that HIV is no longer an automatic exclusion to entering the U.S. or obtaining legal permanent residency. Beginning in 2010, HIV is no longer an “excludable” condition under the immigration laws. This means that people…