Justice Center News
The Justice Center News blog features our advocacy on issues affecting low-income New Yorkers today and the latest CBJC happenings. For press releases, click here. For publications, click here.
End of Pandemic-Related SNAP Benefits Blunts Impact of October Increase in SNAP
by Lisa Pearlstein, Esq.October 13, 2021
Beginning in October 2021, recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, will see a modest increase in benefits. The Biden Administration revised the Thrifty Food Plan, which is used to set the SNAP benefit amounts that recipients receive monthly.
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Veterans Will Be Expected to Repay Over $116 Million in Excessive Payments Due to VA Delays
by Makedah Salmond, Esq.October 4, 2021
OIG estimated VBA made excessive payments on about 16,000 of 47,400 or 34% of claims. During the one-year review period, this resulted in about $116 million in ostensibly excessive payments to veterans and if these issues continue, the report estimates VBA will make $232 million in excessive payments to veterans over the next two years.
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Developments on the Horizon for Immigrant Trafficking Survivors
by the Immigrant Justice ProjectSeptember 28, 2021
In July 2021, the City Bar Justice Center’s Immigrant Justice Project and our co-counsel pro bono team at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP (Kramer Levin) won a hard-fought victory for Lucia*, a survivor of labor trafficking who had been living in the United States for over twenty years.
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Hurricane Ida, Now What? Answers to 5 Frequently Asked Questions for New York Renters
by Christin Damiano, Esq.September 22, 2021
Many New York apartments were damaged due to Hurricane Ida last month. Now that waterlogged belongings have been disposed of and the subways are rideable again, below are answers to 5 frequently asked questions on how tenants can get their apartments repaired.
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Insights Shared by NELP Volunteer Victor Metsch on Pro Bono Lessons Learned During the Pandemic
by The Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law ProjectSeptember 9, 2021
The Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project (NELP) provides free legal support to New Yorkers of limited economic means who seek to achieve financial stability through entrepreneurship. The following exchange with Victor includes unique insights from his time volunteering with NELP’s CV-19 Clinic and a message to lawyers about doing pro bono work.
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Pandemic Challenges Continue for NYC Small Businesses
by The Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law ProjectSeptember 2, 2021
As the COVID-19 pandemic plagued the world, the U.S. shut down and businesses were forced to close their doors. No one anticipated just how devastating the pandemic would be for our city’s 240,000 small businesses, which were hit harder than many larger establishments.
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