PLEASE NOTE BEFORE READING: The names of the individuals portrayed in the following series were altered to protect our client’s identities.

When Ms. Mable decided to move out of Mississippi, she was looking forward to a peaceful retirement in her hometown of St. Rose in St. Charles Parish. She suffered from severe medical problems and needed medical treatment for her worsening conditions. With less than $1,000 to her name and relying on her Social Security retirement benefits for income, Ms. Mable could not afford to pay the premiums, co-pays and other fees associated with her Medicare insurance.

Since her prior Medicaid insurance took care of these Medicare costs in Mississippi, she wasn’t worried about getting approved for the same benefits in Louisiana. Sadly, to her surprise her Louisiana Medicaid application was denied. Ms. Mable didn’t know what to do.

Without Medicaid, she could not afford to pay for her medical treatment or prescription medications. She decided to seek legal help from SLLS’ Harvey office.

Her SLLS attorney discovered that the Medicaid office failed to properly assess her Medicaid application. Thanks to our advocacy, Ms. Mable’s application was approved. Now she can rest assured that her medical care is covered and that she has access to the life-saving benefits she needs for a peaceful retirement.

Little Girl

In the wake of her adult daughter’s sudden death, Margaret* knew she had to be strong despite the heartbreak she felt over losing her child. Her 3 year old granddaughter Sophia, now orphaned with no other family to step in, needed her.

“Margaret” tried to enroll Sophia in Head Start, but could not because she did not have legal custody. Unable to afford childcare, Margaret had to quit her job to take care of Sophia.Then she came to SLLS for help.

SLLS provided Margaret free legal representation to help her quickly obtain legal custody. In addition, Margaret’s SLLS attorney advised her to apply for Kinship Care, a state program that helps some low-income families.

Thanks to supporters like you, Margaret could return to work and get the support she needs to provide her granddaughter a safe, stable, loving home. And Sophia is now in Head Start, getting the early education that kids need to be successful in school and for the rest of her life.

Join our 50 More Years Committee to ensure families like Sophia’s can access the legal aid they need by donating to SLLS this #GiveNOLADay at www.givenola.org/SLLS. Thanks to a generous donor and the folks at the Greater New Orleans Foundation, you’re donation will be more than doubled!

*Names and other information have been changed to protect the identity of our clients.