Social Security Advocacy
Helpful Guides
- Using Work Incentives under Social Security and SSI to Fund Assistive Technology - This booklet (revised in 2002) is published through the National Assistive Technology (AT) Advocacy Project by Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc.
Organizations
Disability Law Center - Massachusetts
The DLC provides advocacy, information, or referral for requests for disability related advocacy.
In the Boston area call:
Phone: (617) 723-8455/(800) 872-9992
TTY: (617) 227-9464/(800) 381-0577
In western Massachusetts:
Phone: (413) 584-6337 / (800) 222-5619
TTY: (413) 582-6919
Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC)
MLAC provides legal services to low-income people (up to 125% of the federal poverty level) throughout Massachusetts. Programs include the Medicare Advocacy Project (MAP) for low-income people improperly denied Medicare coverage, and the Disability Benefits Project (DBP) for low-income people with disabilities who have been improperly denied federal SSI or SSDI benefits. Additional service areas include General Support (family law, housing, income maintenance, health care access, consumer problems), and the Battered Women's Legal Assistance Project.
For more information:
11 Beacon St., Suite 820 (Map)
Boston, MA, 02108 US
Voice: (617) 367-8544
Fax: (617) 367-8815
Mass Legal Help website
Legal aid programs are also available by region:
Eastern Massachusetts
- Greater Boston Legal Services (MLAC) (Map)
197 Friend Street
Boston, MA, 02114 US
Voice: (617) 371-1234/(800) 323-3205
Fax: (617) 371-1222
TTY: (617) 371-1228
www.gbls.org - Boston College Legal Assistance Bureau (Map)
24 Crescent Street, Suite 202
Waltham, MA, 02453-4088 US
Voice: (781) 893-4793
Fax: (781) 893-4799 - Community Legal Services & Counseling Center (Map)
One West Street
Cambridge, MA, 02139 US
Voice: (617) 661-1010
Fax: (617) 661-3289
www.clsacc.org - South Middlesex Legal Services (Map)
54 Waverly Street
Framingham, MA, 01702 US
Voice: (508) 620-1830
Fax: (508) 620-2323
www.ncla.net - Volunteer Lawyers Project (LSC) (Map)
29 Temple Place, Suite 300
Boston, MA, 02111 US
Voice: (617) 423-0648
Fax: (617) 423-0061
www.vlpnet.org/
Central and Western Region:
- Legal Assistance Corporation Of Central Massachusetts (MLAC) (Map)
405 Main Street, 4th Floor
Worcester, MA, 01608 US
Voice: (508) 752-3722
Fax: (508) 752-5918
www.livejustice.org - Western Massachusetts Legal Services (MLAC) (Map)
127 State Street, 4th Floor
Springfield, MA, 01103-1944 US
Voice: (413) 781-7814
Fax: (413) 746-3221
www.wmls.org - Massachusetts Justice Project (LSC) (Map)
57 Suffolk Street, Suite 401
Holyoke, MA, 01040 US
Voice: (413) 533-2660/(800) 639-1209
Fax: (413) 535-1774
TTY: (413) 533-2660
www.neighborhoodlaw.org
Northeast Region:
- Neighborhood Legal Services (MLAC) (Map)
37 Friend Street
Lynn, MA, 01902 US
Voice: (781) 599-7730
Fax: (781) 595-2022
www.neighborhoodlaw.org - Childrens Law Center Of Massachusetts (Map)
P.O. Box 710
Lynn, MA, 01903 US
Voice: (781) 581-1977
Fax: (781) 598-9364
www.ncla.net - Merrimack Valley-North Shore Legal Services (LSC) (Map)
35 John Street, Suite 302
Lowell, MA, 01852 US
Voice: (978) 458-1465
Fax: (978) 458-3481
www.mvlegal.org
Southeast Region:
- South Coastal Counties Legal Services (MLAC)
P.O. Box 2507
Fall River, MA, 02722-2507 US
Voice: (508) 676-5022
Fax: (508) 676-8657
www.sccls.org/ - New Center For Legal Advocacy (LSC) (Map)
257 Union Street
New Bedford, MA, 02740 US
Voice: (800) 244-9023
www.ncla.net
Project Impact and BenePLAN
Project Impact and BenePLAN offer benefits counseling, planning and outreach services to people with disabilities on Social Security. Project IMPACT is housed at the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission; BenePLAN is run by Resource Partnership, which is a program of UMass Medical School. Both programs are funded by the federal Social Security Administration through the Work Incentive Assistance Program (WIPA). The programs can counsel people with disabilities about work incentive programs (i.e. how to make use "set asides" to purchase AT), and about how to get employment without losing needed public benefits (such as health insurance).
Joseph Reale, Director Project IMPACT
(617) 204-3854 Voice
(617) 204-3834 TTY
Joseph.Reale@mrc.state.ma.us
Barbara Lee, supervisor BenePLAN
Phone: 508.856.2659
Fax: 508.856-6607
info@beneplan.org or
barbara.lee@umassmed.edu