Legal Council Blog
Views expressed in this blog belong to the respective author unless otherwise specified.
For inquiries about guest writer opportunities, contact Dani Hunter at dhunter@legalcouncil.org
Getting Your HIV Meds: A Primer
Good morning, class….class!…Class! Sit turn, turn off your Gameboys and pay attention for five minutes! It’s time for a quick lesson we like to call, “How to Get Your HIV Medications. Since there are myriad government programs designed to help people of modest incomes get their medications (Medicaid, Medicare, Illinois Cares Rx, ADAP, Extra Help)…
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The Stimulus Package, Social Security and You
Here’s more good stuff in the stimulus package: everybody on Social Security is going to get a one-time payment of $250. If you’re on Social Security — SSI or SSDI — you should get your $250 by the end of May, 2009. It will be a separate payment, not added on to your regular monthly…
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The Stimulus Package, COBRA and You
Yes, yes, we know that COBRA is not a deadly snake. But hey, we had to do something to get your attention (especially since we couldn’t do better than the lame headline for this post). COBRA is, in fact, a federal law that lets people continue their work-based health insurance for at least 18 months…
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I Got Yer Stimulus Package Right Here…
If you can’t figure out what the heck is contained in the gazillion-dollar stimulus package galumphing its way toward President Obama’s desk, you’re not alone. So we’ve come to your rescue. Here are a few of the key elements of the bill that will directly affect many people with HIV: A one-time payment of $250…
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Ah, the Heartlessness of the ‘Public Servant’
Just when you thought you’d heard all there is to hear about unfeeling government workers… Our client Doug (not his real name) recently learned he has a Social Security overpayment of about $25,000. He did some part-time work for several years, and Social Security shouldn’t have been paying him benefits for about 24 months, so…
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Where To Go, What To Do?
Trying to figure out what to do for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness day? Well, who isn’t? But you better hurry up and decide, but it’s tomorrow. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. If you are looking for ideas, the AIDS.Gov blog has lots of good suggestions. Check it out here: http://blog.aids.gov/2009/02/national-black-hivaids-awareness-day-is-around-the-corner.html Don’t forget to send…
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Ann Fisher, Queen of the Advocates
I know what you think. You think that executive directors sit around all day in their corner offices eating bon-bons, getting pedicures and telling everyone else what to do. Clearly you haven’t spent much time with Ann Fisher, AIDS Legal Council’s executive director. Consider this story: Four and a half years ago Ann got a…
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People with HIV are Sex Offenders? Oh Fercryinoutloud
First the government insisted on getting the names of everyone with HIV. Now they’re about to turn every person with HIV into a potential sex offender. Illinois House Bill 230, introduced by downstate representative Chapin Rose, amends the Sex Offender Registration Act. If the bill passes — and Springfield insiders assure us it will —…
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We’re (Semi) Famous!
We here at AIDS Legal Council are well aware of the excess of brilliance among our staff. Now you can read some of it yourself, as we popped up twice in the news this month. Our executive director and fearless leader Ann Fisher was interviewed by POZ Magazine in an article discussing the ways the…
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