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The Michigan Poverty Law Program (MPLP) is a cooperative effort of Legal Services of South Central Michigan and the University of Michigan Law School. MPLP provides state support services to local legal aid programs and other poverty law advocates. Our office is located at 220 E. Huron Street, Suite 600a, Ann Arbor, 48104

Please consult our companion site, MichiganLegalAid.org, where we provide legal information and resources for low income Michigan residents.

Announcements

Visit the recently opened Michigan Poverty Law Community Brief Co-op! (password required)

DHS has created a search-able database of hearing decisions.

Recent Issue Alerts

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Jan 17, 2012 Residency requirements for Medicaid eligibility now state that a child's residency status is the same as his/her parents, even if the child is a citizen and the parent has a different status, ie - work visa. See BEM 220.
Jan 14, 2012 The Department of Human Services (DHS) has made changes to the FAP Asset Test.
Jan 05, 2012 In early 2011, a nationwide class was certified in a successful challenge to the Social Security Administration’s policy of suspending or denying Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits whenever someone had an outstanding warrant for an alleged violation of probation or parole. Clark v. Astrue, No. 06-cv-15521 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 18, 2011). The merits of the case had already been decided in plaintiffs’ favor a year ago by the U. S. Court of Appeals. Clark v. Astrue, 602 F.3d 140 (2nd Cir. 2010).
Oct 21, 2011 DHS has revised its policy on exemptions from Jobs Education Training (JET) requirements for persons with disabilities. The new policy eliminates exemptions for three groups of people which had been added in 2007. The new policy still requires caseworkers to identify people with disabilities and to identify reasonable accommodations .
Oct 17, 2011 The Department of Human Services (DHS) has added a complex Asset Test to the FAP program.
Oct 14, 2011 The Department of Human Services (DHS) has eliminated the $50 child support “participation paymepayment” or “pass-through” to families receiving Family Independence Program (FIP) cash assistance.
Oct 10, 2011 The Department of Human Services (DHS) has issued policy that eliminates CDC for travel time, lowers the cap on hours, lowers hourly rates to certain providers, and eliminates parent reporting requirements. Insufficient CDC payments may be good cause for noncompliance and a basis for deferral in FIP work participation programs.
Oct 10, 2011 New DHS Time Limit Policy Stops FIP to Families and Conflicts with State Law
Oct 10, 2011 The Department of Human Services has issued and rescinded policy that restricted SDA for the caretaker of a person with disabilities to persons who care for an adult (age 18+) disabled person.
Oct 10, 2011 DHS has issued new policies and procedures regarding penalties for non-compliance with Work Participation Program requirements
Sep 27, 2011 BEM 225 as well as federal civil rights law and policy controls and strictly limits the circumstances in which the Department of Human Services (DHS) may contact the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to report suspected lack of legal immigration status. Earlier this year, DHS staff were trained that BEM 225 would be changed effective October 1 to allow reporting based on oral answers and admissions. The policy has not been changed, but some DHS staff may now believe that they are newly empowered to make reports.
Aug 28, 2011 House bills 4409 and 4410, awaiting the signature of Governor Snyder, eliminate most exceptions to the 48-month lifetime cap on the length of time a person can collect cash welfare benefits, originally signed into law in 2007. The new law will also increase sanctions for violating certain welfare work or study requirements, no longer define 19 year old high school students as “children” eligible for welfare, require legal resident status be checked using the federal “e-verify” system in certain cases, require more frequent eligibility reviews, and more.
Aug 05, 2011 Unearned income from adoption subsidies and the Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP) will now be countable income for most types of public assistance, with the exception of Medicaid and, for the Adoption Subsidy, Food Assistance.
Jul 12, 2011 The ability of Medicaid applicants and recipients to submit medical evidence in hearings about eligibility for disability-based Medicaid has been severely restricted under new state policies.
Apr 18, 2011 Benefits under the Michigan Combined Application Project (MICAP) will increase beginning May 1, 2011
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