2013 Advocate Training Registration

Legal Services Law Line and Vermont Legal Aid present:
The Guen Gifford Advocate Training

WHEN: May 31, 2013
WHERE: Vermont Law School, South Royalton, Vermont
COST: $40 (includes continental breakfast, lunch and materials)
REGISTRATION DEADLINE:  The deadline has been extended to May 21! - To register, print off the registration form (attached) and mail it to Legal Services Law Line by the deadline along with your payment.  

 Welcome our Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Beth Robinson, Justice, Vermont Supreme Court

TRAINING TOPICS

Housing 101- Fact v. Fiction: A simple, straightforward approach to eviction.

Introduction to Health Care Reform- Major changes to Vermont's health care system are coming this fall.  What will happen to people on VHAP and Catamount programs when those programs disappear?  How is Medicaid changing?  Is everyone required to have health insurance?  Are all employers required to offer insurance?  What are the impacts for elderly and disabled people? Advocates will learn the answers to these questions.  The course will cover basic components of health care reform and practical implications for Vermontsers starting in October 2013. 
 
LTC Overview-  This session will review the continuum of Long Term Care in Vermont and answer the following: Where can I receive long term care? What services will I get? How do I pay for it? What clinical and financial criteria must I meet to get care in each setting?  

EA/GA Changes, Updates- Come learn the rules and regulations around this program designed to provide temporary shelter to the most needy.  We'll explore the most common issues facing participants and how best to advocate for a client seeking temporary housing and how this problematic program is evolving in Vermont.  

Debt Collection - What Every Consumer Should Know - An overview of credit card collections, repossession, student loans, liens and more. 

Housing 201 - This training will discuss what tenants should do when faced with problems with the condition of a rented property.  Topics will include how to respond to a loss of heat or hot water, what to do when flaking lead paint is present, and how to deal with a landlord who fails to make minor repairs.  

Advanced Healt Care Reform Topics - including the shared responsibility payments, health care tax premium tax credit, IRS debt and more. 

Stump the Attorney! - A question and answer session with a panel of trainers and attorneys. Bring your legal questions and we'll do the best we can to answer them. 

Foreclosure - Advocates will learn about the judicial foreclosure process in VErmont from start to finish and examine foreclosure mediation, which gives homeowners an opportunity to meet with their lender to try to keep their homes through loan modification or exit their homes with better terms.  The training will also give tips for identifying cases that should be referred to Vermont Legal Aid for representation.  Finally, advocates will come away from the training with local and national resources to assist Vermont homeowners facing foreclosure. 

Individual Rights/POA/Decision making - An overview of the formal mechanisms for substitute decision-making, including: Powers of Attorney (POA), advance directives and guardianship.  We will also focus on recent discussions in Vermont around end-of-life surrogate decision-making when there is no formal mechanism in place for making decisions. 

Financial Triage for Domestic Violence Survivors: How to use consumer and other laws to make the most of income and fight debt - A survey of issues about budgeting around secured and unsecured debts, protections from collections, handling joint debt, responsibility regarding other's possessions, claiming income tax benefits, confidentiality, and identity theft.

The Rights of At-Risk Children and Youth: What to Know and Who to Call - Children and youth involved, or at risk of being involved, in the juvenile justice system face many challenges.  They need strong advocates who understand their rights to access education, mental and medical healthcare, and safe living situations.  This session will be an interactive discussion and training to help you understand the law, how to locate valuable resources, and how to help kids navigate the legal process. 

Overview of Benefits Overpayments - There Are Options! - Overpayments take money out of Vermonters' pockets.  Many vermonters receive overpayments in their foodstamps, Reach Up, Social Security, Veterans and Unemployment Benefits.  Come learn about these benefit programs, the appeal rights, and waiver conditions.  You will become proficient in identifiying overpayments and filing appeals to help your clients save money.  

Bankruptcy Basics- To File or not to file, that is the question- This session will take you through the basics of bankruptcy, when it is worth considering, and the consequences of filing.  What can bankruptcy do?  How does it affect credit?  Can clients keep their homes and other property after bankruptcy?  What's a Chapter 11, 7, or 13? This session will answer all these questions and more.

DIRECTIONS TO VERMONT Law School

From Burlington, Vt.

Take I-89 south to exit 3 (Bethel, Vt.). Exit I-89 in Bethel, go left at the stop sign, proceeding east on Route 107 one-half mile to a "T." Turn right onto Route 14 and proceed south five miles to the big, new, steel and granite bridge across the White River at the intersection with Route 110. Turn right here, cross the bridge, and Vermont Law School will be 300 feet on your right.

Go to www.vermontlaw.edu for a campus map and directions.