Senior Legal Services

Description

Pierce County Human Services, Aging and Disability Resources (ADR) is seeking proposals from eligible and qualified legal services organizations to provide senior legal services. The selected provider will be expected to provide Legal Assistance services for the purpose of enabling Pierce County residents aged sixty (60) years of age and older, experiencing non-criminal legal problems, to access the justice system by offering representation, advocacy, counseling, training, education, and information. The selected provider will have demonstrated expertise in the provision of legal assistance in the following priority areas of law: Healthcare, including Medicare and Medicaid; Long-Term Care, including rights of individuals in long-term residential settings and access to home and community based services; Public entitlements/income maintenance, including Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and veteran’s benefits; Housing; Legal protective services/individual rights, including guardianship defense, elder abuse, exploitation, and neglect; and Consumer finance, including bankruptcy, credit access, contracts, and collections.Title III, Part B of the Older American’s Act (OAA), as reauthorized in 2020, requires Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) to contract for the provision of legal assistance to older individuals with the greatest social or economic need, with particular attention given to low-income minority persons and older individuals living in rural areas.  Pierce County has made available an estimated $135,000 annually of federal OAA funds for senior legal services.  Services will be reimbursed on an hourly unit rate.The intent is to contract with one (1) organization to administer all funds allocated for the delivery of senior legal services as described in Section 4 Scope of Work.