clip board and stethoscope in focus in the foreground, doctor holding a patient's hand out of focus in the background

Report: Preventing Wasteful and Inequitable Consultative Examinations in Social Security Disability Claims

Today, advocates from New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), the Urban Justice Center (UJC), and Community Legal Services of Philadelphia (CLS) released a new report about wasteful and harmful Social Security policies, which discriminate against adults and children with disabilities. The report focuses on issues arising in New York State and Pennsylvania, but this is…

No Child Should Live in Deep Poverty: Strengthen TANF for PA Families and for Racial Justice

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a federally-funded block grant that provides cash assistance to the poorest Pennsylvania families. Parents are required to actively look for work or participate in a job training program. TANF additionally provides support for children under 18 being cared for by grandparents or other relatives, and for survivors of…

Report: Racial Disparities in Access to Supplemental Security Income Benefits for Children

SSI for children is crucial support for families in need. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provides critical financial support to people with disabilities who experience economic hardship, including 1.1 million children. SSI income is crucial not only because it can boost families out of poverty, but also because in many states, SSI recipients are automatically eligible…

CLS Releases Recommendations for the Biden-Harris Administration

Community Legal Services of Philadelphia (CLS), one of the largest and most respected legal services programs in the nation, congratulates President-Elect Joseph Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris on their successful election. As President-Elect Biden said in a recent speech: “We must make the promise of the country real for everybody — no matter their…

Federal Court Issues Order Stopping USDA from Denying Emergency SNAP Benefits to the Poorest Pennsylvanians

Great news! CLS and Morgan Lewis settled with the USDA, bringing $712 million emergency SNAP (food stamp) benefits to approximately 650,000 of the neediest Pennsylvania households! Click here to find out more. A federal court issued a preliminary injunction today, ruling that more than 700,000 of the poorest Pennsylvanians may be entitled to receive additional…