Intake Areas Covered

Direct Representation Considered for the Following Areas

Access to and Appropriateness of State Agency Services
DMH, DDS, DCF, and CBHI. Representation offered in very limited cases. Advice only in DMH and DDS eligibility appeals.

Domestic Relations (through the Clubhouse Family Legal Support Project)
Direct representation of parents with mental illness in family law cases, involving custody and/or visitation disputes, including divorces, paternity cases, contempts, modifications, and guardianship of a minor cases.

Education and Special Education
Matters involving youth (including transition age youth) with mental health/emotional issues; discipline of youth with mental health/emotional issues including expulsion & suspension for public and charter schools only; restraint. Representation offered in very limited cases.

Housing
Community Residency Tenancy Law cases only.

Brief Advice Only Considered for the Following Areas

Child Support Arrears
Only back-due support when obligor receives SSDI and child(ren) receives dependency benefit.

Employment Discrimination
Will either refer or advise individuals who have been subject to an adverse job action due to discrimination based on the person’s actual or perceived mental illness, as well as employer denials of reasonable accommodation requests or medical leave.

Short and Long-term Disability Insurance through Private Insurance Companies
Will either refer or advise individuals whose benefits have been terminated or denied because they are disabled by mental illness.

Guardianship
Defense of incapacitated adult persons.

Health Care/Managed Care
Will either refer or advise consumers with appeals to public and private insurers for non-coverage of services.

Mental Health Facilities
Treatment issues (both access to and right to refuse), restraint, and basic civil rights violations occurring at both public and private mental health facilities for both adults and youth.

Rights in the Community
Rights and services for people with mental health disabilities in the community, such as rights in community based residences and other settings (e.g. nursing and rehab facilities), rights in emergency rooms, course of treatment, restraint, transportation, and other service planning issues.

Pro Se and Informational pamphlets are available online. Go to our Resources tab for both publications as well as useful links. Click here to go directly to the Library page.