Legal Aid of Arkansas Medicaid Intake Extravaganza

Interested on getting a jump on your pro bono hours? Looking to hone your client interview skills or expand your knowledge of Medicaid? Legal Aid of Arkansas needs your help!

THE PROJECT: Legal Aid of Arkansas is undertaking a project to systemically address chronic, three-to-four month delays in the state’s process for determining Medicaid eligibility. These delays affect huge numbers of people, are leaving people without access to needed medical treatments, and are in clear violation of established law. The first part of the strategy is an expanded intake “extravaganza” to get as many people as possible to come to Legal Aid for help. Legal Aid and partner organizations will be getting the word out to client networks.

Law student volunteers are needed to help staff the expanded intake to effectively handle the anticipated volume of calls. Law student volunteers, acting under lawyer supervision, will staff a Medicaid-only intake line by which they will perform form intakes and enter the information in our case management system. Volunteers will be giving callers standardized information about next steps and expected time frames, but they will not be providing any legal advice or performing any legal work. Law students need only bring their laptops.

We hope to have up to four law students on any given shift. Students will be trained in the case management software, basic Medicaid law relevant to the issue, and basic interviewing techniques.

Shifts run from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on 5/11 to 5/14 and 5/18 to 5/21. If we have enough volunteers, intake will be conducted in the law school clinic space.

Sign up for shifts on the PALS TWEN page or by e-mailing Shelby Patrick at smptrick@memphis.edu!