Access to Justice: Increasing representation in administrative proceedings
1-hour recording on LSC's YouTube page: bit.ly/lsc-acus-a2j-12-6-2022.
Clockwise from top left: Jeremy Graboyes, Acting Research Director, Administrative Conference of the United States; Nancy Griswold, Deputy Director, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, U.S. Department of Labor; Ashley Tabaddor, Chief Counsel, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; Richard A.J. Prebil, Veterans Advocacy Project Supervising Attorney, Legal Aid of Southeastern PA; and Deedee Peterson, Executive Director, Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc.
(Dec. 7, 2022)
Richard A.J. Prebil, LASP Veterans Advocacy Project Supervising Attorney, shared insights into access to justice during a one-hour forum on increasing representation to individuals in administrative proceedings. Legal Services Corporation and the Administrative Conference of the United States hosted the panel virtually Dec. 6, 2022.
To watch the recording, please see LSC's YouTube page: bit.ly/lsc-acus-a2j-12-6-2022.
Topics included barriers to individuals with low incomes, benefits of representation (as opposed to self-representation), the importance of attorneys working to build community partnerships as a way to increase access to legal services, and more.
“This year alone, our veterans program at Legal Aid (of Southeastern PA) has increased income for the veterans that we’ve gotten benefits for, from both the VA and Social Security, by almost $10 million. This year alone, we’ve gotten over $520,000 in retroactive benefits for our clients,... who are at risk of homelessness and have lower incomes.”
Prebil noted the impact of working with individuals at the front end of applications, such as helping them file their VA benefits application or Social Security. "We know that the appellate system within federal administrative agency adjudication takes a long time," he said. "So if we have the ability to help in that initial instance, we see that we have a higher likelihood of getting benefits quicker to individuals. Even when we do have to go through the appellate process having someone to represent an individual sees a profound increase in positive outcomes.
“This year alone, our veterans program at Legal Aid (of Southeastern PA) has increased income for the veterans that we've gotten benefits for, from both the VA and Social Security, by almost $10 million. This year alone, we've gotten over $520,000 in retroactive benefits for our clients,... who are at risk of homelessness and have lower incomes."
In addition to Prebil, other panelists included:
Nancy Griswold, Deputy Director, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs, U.S. Department of Labor
Deedee Peterson, Executive Director, Legal Action of Wisconsin, Inc.
Ashley Tabaddor, Chief Counsel, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Moderator:
Jeremy Graboyes, Acting Research Director, Administrative Conference of the United States
Opening remarks were provided by Ronald Flagg, LSC President, and Andrew Fois, Chair, ACUS. Flagg shared data from LSC’s 2022 Justice Gap Report.