Our mission is to promote and protect the rights, health and economic well-being of people as they age by providing information, advocacy and legal advice.

Description:
Elder Law of Michigan, Inc., a private non-profit organization, functions as four distinct but intertwined programs: the Legal Hotline for Michigan Seniors (LHMS), the Michigan Pension Rights Project (MPRP), the Michigan Coordinated Access to Food for the Elderly (MiCAFE) and the Consumer Fraud Prevention Project (CFPP).

History:
The Legal Hotline helps people age 60 and older get the information they need fast, from friendly and caring attorneys, at no charge! Over 100,000 Michigan seniors or their caregivers have been provided advice over the phone on matters such as Social Security and Pensions, Medicare/Medicaid, Consumer Protection, Health Care, Wills and Probate, Divorce, Bankruptcy/Debtor Protection and any other issues of concern. Our experienced attorneys provide information and possible solutions in easy-to-understand language. Volunteers and interns help by doing additional research and sometimes writing letters. Our attorneys do not go to court; however, we try to refer those clients who need additional help to legal service providers in their local community.

The MPRP finds lost pensions, advises people about their retirement benefit rights, investigates individual pension claims, and works to secure retirement benefits for individual workers, their spouses, ex-spouses, and families. The MPRP helps individuals navigate the administrative appeals process. Because the MPRP does not litigate, staff refers clients to experienced pension attorneys and actuaries as needed. The MPRP generally resolves cases within 2-12 months after receiving all documents needed to begin a pension investigation.

MiCAFE trains and supervises volunteers in selected Michigan counties. These volunteers assist seniors in applying for food assistance online. Application sites are located at senior centers and churches.

The CONSUMER FRAUD PREVENTION PROJECT alerts and educates consumers to the financial and emotional devastation caused by the explosion of telemarketing scams, identity theft and fraud. Telephone calls are made by volunteers to vulnerable persons from our call center in Lansing.

Contact people:

Cindy Johnson, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email) Keith Morris, Director Of Legal Operations, (phone), (email) Brad Vauter, Community Liaison, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (517) 372-0792

Address:

3815 West St. Joseph, Ste C200 Lansing, MI 48917 (See a map)

Web Site: http://elderslaw.org