Services include: - Care Coordinator: Partners in decision-making with individuals who may be alone and who may need help with contracting repairs or services in the home, scheduling appointments, and making payments to providers - Guardianship or Conservatorship: Manages the health and care of incapacitated individuals in the least restrictive manner possible and advocates in their best interest. Guardians and Conservators are appointed by the court. If an individual has no family or friends to assume the responsibility, LSS may be appointed. LSS staff gather information from individuals, caregivers, and medical personnel to make medical and care decisions. - Personal Representative of the Estate: Following court appointment, LSS completes probate requirements and handles the disposition of assets according to the individual's wishes - Pooled Trust: Protects the public benefits of people with disabilities of any age while maintaining resources that will be available for their special or supplemental needs. The creation of a pooled trust moves assets from being countable for purposes of Medicaid and Social Security eligibility to being non-countable assets. - Power of Attorney: Through a legally executed power of attorney, LSS is authorized to assist individuals in managing income and assets. Services may include check writing, checkbook balancing, assistance with financial and medical forms, assistance with retrofitting, maintenance, preparation for sale, the sale or purchase of property.

Utilizes substitutive decision-making and, as necessary, decisions are made in the best interest of the protected person. Health care agents make medical decisions for individuals based on their health care directives when they become unable to communicate their wishes.

Legal services may include: legal advice, review court papers, assist in drafting paperwork, mediate, negotiate, litigate, and/or represent at an administrative law or district court hearing LSNM assists people with low incomes and issues critical to daily life. Cases including: - Consumer: threats or harassment by a creditor or debt collector, paycheck or bank account being garnished, and utilities shut off - Education: children with a disability and need an Individualized Education Program (IEP), wrongfully disciplined, suspended or expelled of a child - Employment: criminal history, denied unemployment benefits - Family: custody, divorce, parenting time rights, understanding court papers, etc. - Housing: contract for deed, denied of subsidized housing, evictions, foreclosures, housing discrimination and accommodation, locked out, and repair issues - Protective orders: from physically harming or threatening to harm an individual or child and harassment - Public assistance and disability benefits: food support, medical assistance or other public assistance, denied necessary medical care and unable to work because of a disability - Senior issues: health care directive, power of attorney, and simple will

The Senior Law Project provides legal advice or representation for people age 60 or older for issues including: - Social Security - Family law Including marriage dissolution, orders for protection, and third party custody where domestic abuse or child endangerment is alleged, or spousal maintenance is needed - Power of attorney and health care directives - Public benefits programs including denial or termination of eligibility/lack of payment by: Medicare Social Security SSI, Medical Assistance, food support, Minnesota Supplemental Aid, General Assistance, Emergency Assistance, fuel assistance, Veterans benefits - Medicare - Housing including: eviction, foreclosure, poor conditions, requests for reasonable accomodation - Consumer law including debt collection and garnishment - Nursing home problems including involuntary discharge - Citizenship including medical waivers The Senior Law Project DOES NOT handle: - Living trusts - Wills - Estate Planning - Real estate transactions Disability law efforts include: - Reducing abuse and neglect - Decreasing discrimination and increasing integration - Increasing access to appropriate services - Individual and system advocacy concerns

Legal services may include: legal advice, review court papers, assist in drafting paperwork, mediate, negotiate, litigate, and/or represent at an administrative law or district court hearing LSNM assists people with low incomes and issues critical to daily life. Cases including: - Consumer: threats or harassment by a creditor or debt collector, paycheck or bank account being garnished, and utilities shut off - Education: children with a disability and need an Individualized Education Program (IEP), wrongfully disciplined, suspended or expelled of a child - Employment: criminal history, denied unemployment benefits - Family: custody, divorce, parenting time rights, understanding court papers, etc. - Housing: contract for deed, denied of subsidized housing, evictions, foreclosures, housing discrimination and accommodation, locked out, and repair issues - Protective orders: from physically harming or threatening to harm an individual or child and harassment - Public assistance and disability benefits: food support, medical assistance or other public assistance, denied necessary medical care and unable to work because of a disability - Senior issues: health care directive, power of attorney, and simple will

Provides guardian and estate services to help individuals with their legal, medical, and financial affairs. Guardianship and Conservatorship: - Guardians are appointed to help individuals manage their living situation, health needs, and/or financial affairs. Guardians work with medical, social providers, and caregivers to ensure essential care for the individual. - Conservators are appointed to manage and preserve assets of the protected individual. Conservators secures assets, pays bills, and manages the individual's financial, real estate, and other assets. Health Care Agent: - Health care agents decide how to handle unanticipated medical situations if individuals are unable to communicate their needs. A health care directive may be completed by the health care agent to guide medical decisions on behalf of the individual. Personal Representative of the Estate: - A person or organization an individual chooses to settle their estate and carry out requests outlined in their will, wishes, and directives. Pooled Trust Services: - A financial investment tool used to preserve funds that enhance the quality of life for individuals living with a disability. Establishing a pooled trust can help protect eligibility for public benefits while still maintaining assets from other sources. Power of Attorney: - A written agreement that allows a person or organization an individual chooses to manage their legal and financial affairs. Services can be one-time specific such as handling the sale of a property, paying bills, balancing financial accounts, or preparing forms. Supported Decision Making: - A model of care for individuals with cognitive impairment that provides decision-making support to prevent unnecessary guardianship or to help support a restoration of rights for individuals already under guardianship. Decision-making support includes employment, finance, health care, legal matters, living arrangements, and relationships.

Provides free civil and criminal legal services to enrolled Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members. services available: - Answer questions - Go to court - Notary services - Provide legal services - Resolve cases on behalf of clients Program does not accept all cases and may deny services based on criteria of the case and the client. Cases accepted: - Child Protection (CHIPS) - Consumer law and debt collection - Criminal law - Domestic abuse - Elder law (health care directives, powers of attorney, estate planning, probate, guardianships, grandchild adoption/guardianship/custody, Indian trust land/accounts) - Estate planning - Family law (divorce and custody/visitation) - Housing - Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) - Juvenile delinquency - Probate - Public benefits (denial or termination of benefits such as Social Security) - Truancy cases Cannot accept cases such as: - 1st or 2nd degree drug possession - Bankruptcy - Commitments - Criminal or civil cases outside of the service area - Drug sales - Employment discrimination - Federal court cases - Personal injury - Suing other band members for money damages - Worker's compensation - Wrongful termination

Legal services may include: legal advice, review court papers, assist in drafting paperwork, mediate, negotiate, litigate, and/or represent at an administrative law or district court hearing LSNM assists people with low incomes and issues critical to daily life. Cases including: - Consumer: threats or harassment by a creditor or debt collector, paycheck or bank account being garnished, and utilities shut off - Education: children with a disability and need an Individualized Education Program (IEP), wrongfully disciplined, suspended or expelled of a child - Employment: criminal history, denied unemployment benefits - Family: custody, divorce, parenting time rights, understanding court papers, etc. - Housing: contract for deed, denied of subsidized housing, evictions, foreclosures, housing discrimination and accommodation, locked out, and repair issues - Protective orders: from physically harming or threatening to harm an individual or child and harassment - Public assistance and disability benefits: food support, medical assistance or other public assistance, denied necessary medical care and unable to work because of a disability - Senior issues: health care directive, power of attorney, and simple will

Provides free civil and criminal legal services to enrolled Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members. services available: - Answer questions - Go to court - Notary services - Provide legal services - Resolve cases on behalf of clients Program does not accept all cases and may deny services based on criteria of the case and the client. Cases accepted: - Child Protection (CHIPS) - Consumer law and debt collection - Criminal law - Domestic abuse - Elder law (health care directives, powers of attorney, estate planning, probate, guardianships, grandchild adoption/guardianship/custody, Indian trust land/accounts) - Estate planning - Family law (divorce and custody/visitation) - Housing - Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) - Juvenile delinquency - Probate - Public benefits (denial or termination of benefits such as Social Security) - Truancy cases Cannot accept cases such as: - 1st or 2nd degree drug possession - Bankruptcy - Commitments - Criminal or civil cases outside of the service area - Drug sales - Employment discrimination - Federal court cases - Personal injury - Suing other band members for money damages - Worker's compensation - Wrongful termination

LSS Guardianship Option services include: Guardianship or Conservatorship: Manages the health and care of incapacitated individuals in the least restrictive manner possible and advocates in their best interest. Guardians and Conservators are appointed by the court. If an individual has no family or friends to assume the responsibility, LSS my be appointed. LSS staff gather information from individuals, caregivers and medical personnel to make medical and care decisions. Personal Representative of the Estate: Following court appointment, LSS completes probate requirements and handles disposition of assets according to the individual's wishes. Power of Attorney: Through a legally executed power of attorney, LSS is authorized to assist individuals in managing income and assets. Services may include check writing, checkbook balancing, assistance with financial and medical forms, assistance with retrofitting, maintenance, preparation for sale, the sale or purchase of property. Pooled Trust: Protects the public benefits of people with disabilities of any age while maintaining resources that will be available for their special or supplemental needs. The creation of a pooled trust moves assets from being countable for purposes of Medicaid and Social Security eligibility to being non-countable assets. Care Coordinator: Partners in decision making with individuals who may be alone and who may need help with contracting of repairs or services in the home, scheduling of appointments and making payments to providers.

LSS serves as a personal representative for estates. - Serves as court-appointed Guardian or Conservator providing surrogate decision making for individuals who are not able to make or communicate the decisions necessary to see that their needs are met. - Guardians work with a team of community professionals to represent each client's best interest and advocate for meeting needs in the least restrictive manner possible. - Also may provide assistance in managing finances by serving as Power of Attorney when appropriate. - Serves as Personal Representative of Estates, handling disposition of assets according to the individual's wishes. - Also offers a Special Needs Pooled Trust allowing beneficiaries to set aside money for expenses that may not be covered under government programs.