The December 2010 edition of Senior Health News is available on the website of the Pennsylvania Health Law Project.

Articles appearing in this edition include:

• Important Medicare Changes Start January 1
• Changes to Medicare Costs in 2011
• Slight Increase to Asset Limits for LIS and MSP in 2011
• Will Doctors Stop Taking Medicare?
• Integrated Care Alert!

View Senior Health News - December 2010

More than 359,000 low-income elderly, disabled, and blind Pennsylvanians who are unable to work have filed suit sued against the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare in Commonwealth Court to restore their full disability and retirement benefits that were reduced earlier this year without legally required notice and reviews.

This class action lawsuit, Constance Naylor v. Department of Public Welfare, was filed by Community Legal Services, a legal aid law firm in Philadelphia, and Dechert LLP, providing pro bono counsel, and will be heard in Commonwealth Court.

The lawsuit, filed on November 30, alleges that Pennsylvania reduced the plaintiff's State Supplemental Payment without regard to required rulemaking procedures and with only 13 days notice to those affected by the cut.

Unemployed Pennsylvanians can now access resources and information about long-term unemployment at PennsylvaniaUnemployed.org, a new website developed by the Philadelphia Unemployment Project and Community Legal Services.

Philadelphia Unemployment Project (PUP) and Community Legal Services (CLS), two community based nonprofit organizations that advocate on behalf of low-income workers in Pennsylvania, created the website in response to the growing number of Pennsylvanians who have exhausted their unemployment benefits – more than 51,000 by September 1, 2010.

On Thursday, July 22, President Obama signed into law House Resolution 4213, which extends the emergency unemployment compensation, or EUC, program and full federal funding of state extended benefits through Nov. 27, 2010.

Because the law is retroactive, eligible claimants now may be paid for weeks of unemployment after the previous law expired on June 5. Claims will be processed immediately for those who continued to file EUC bi-weekly claim for weeks after June 5, and those claimants should receive payment within two weeks, according to Labor & Industry Secretary Sandi Vito.

Eligible individuals who did not file EUC claims after June 5 are encouraged to do so immediately online at www.uc.pa.gov. Claims also may be filed through the PA Teleclaims, or PAT, system at 1-888-255-4728. All eligible claims will be processed and paid as quickly as possible.

Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Inc. is proud to announce the recipients of its 2010 Excellence Awards.

The list includes a variety of civil legal aid professionals and friends of civil legal aid across Pennsylvania who are being recognized for their efforts in support of the clients served by the programs of the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network.

The Pennsylvania Health Law Project will be presenting a program entitled, Medicare 2010: More Changes Ahead at a number of locations in Southwestern and Southeastern Pennsylvania during November.

The PA Health Law Project has released the August 2009 edition of Senior Health News, a free bi-monthly newsletter from the Pennsylvania Health Law Project. The August edition is currently available on PALawHELP.org.

Governor Edward G. Rendell has announced the launch of the "Get Help Now PA!" volunteer initiative to provide financial and legal help to the many Pennsylvanians who still face difficult situations while the economic recovery takes hold. The program is part of a nationwide effort initiated by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, who have asked all governors and first ladies to join them in a service initiative designed to help fellow citizens in need.

The Legal Services Corporation is requesting $485.1 million from Congress for its fiscal year 2010 budget, an increase of $95.1 million over current funding levels.