Health & Public Benefits

JALA advocates can assist clients with a number of health and benefits related issues.  Areas where JALA may be able to help include:

Medicare Part D
Are you having issues with services under Medicare Part D?  JALA may be able to assist you.

Medicaid Waiver Issues
If you are receiving Medicaid and are on the developmental disabilities waiver program and you are denied services and supplies from the waiver program, we encourage you to come to JALA and apply for services.

Public Benefits
If you have applied for food stamps or Medicaid/Medicare and have been denied, we encourage you to come to JALA and apply for services. These cases are considered on a case by case basis. Because food stamps and Medicaid/Medicare are income-based programs, case acceptance is based upon the income criteria used by Medicaid/Medicare and food stamps to assess eligibility, as well as on the merits of each individual case.

Mental Health Advocacy
The Mental Health Advocacy Project is a special program at JALA which was developed to meet the legal needs of the mentally ill. People with mental illness often have difficulty gaining access to treatment for their mental illness or obtaining the appropriate treatment for their illness. The Project especially focuses on the treatment needs of the mentally ill.

Medical Legal Collaboration
We have partnered with the University of Florida Pediatric Faculty at Shands and the Duval County Health Department to offer legal assistance to child patients and their families. Studies have shown that a child’s health problems can get worse when the family is experiencing other problems such as financial trouble or domestic violence. We represent the family in trying to solve the legal problems which are affecting the child, including family law and domestic violence, housing, or any other legal problem we have the capacity to handle.

North Florida Medical legal Partnership (NFMLP)
The NFMLP is part of a nationwide network of projects in which professionals from the medical and legal communities combine resources to produce outcomes for low-income and vulnerable patients (children and adults) that positively impact their health and ability to thrive.

Ryan White Unit (HIV/AIDS)
JALA maintains a special project that addresses the civil legal needs of those in our service area who are infected or directly affected by HIV/AIDS. We offer the full menu of services otherwise offered by JALA, but do so with a special sensitivity to the needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA’s).