Blog

What is Suitable Work and How Does That Affect Working Parents

Author: Hilary Allen

Post Date: Aug 07, 2020

Before COVID-19 entered into national prominence, “suitable work” in Michigan was determined by the Michigan Employment Security Act (MESA), an act created to address unemployment benefits in Michigan. The act, amongst many things, defined “unemployment” and “suitable work,” and established the Michigan Employment Security Commission (MESC). - Read more

Interest Area: Public Benefits

Continuing Punishments for Drug Convictions

Author: Francis O'Rourke

Post Date: Dec 06, 2019

Criminal justice does not end at the prison gates. Individuals with past convictions for drug possession can go the rest of their lives without access to public benefits that everyone is entitled to. Civil penalties continue to harm individuals even after they have served their sentences. These discriminatory penalties have far reaching effects on individuals and on the wider society. - Read more

Interest Area: Public Benefits

Securing Identifying Information of Protected Parties on Court Websites

Author: Mitchell LaCombe

Post Date: Jul 01, 2019

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) forbids courts to publish information pertaining to a personal protection order (PPO) online if that information will likely reveal the identity or location of the party protected by the PPO. The provision was enacted as an additional safety measure for victims of intimate partner violence and was intended to prevent abusers and others from gaining identifying information, including addresses, by scrolling online court records. - Read more

Interest Area: Family

Compromising Claims

Author: Matthew Pinos

Post Date: Jul 02, 2018

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (“MDHHS”) must attempt to recoup the overissuance of food assistance benefits whenever a recipient receives more benefits than she is entitled to receive. - Read more

Interest Area: Public Benefits