Cancer Legal Care

In 2022, clc's Legal Care program (lcp), our largest combined program, provided free Legal services to a total of 498 minnesotans who had a combined 629 different Legal matters. The biggest areas of needed Legal Care were in estate planning, social security disability insurance, and insurance coverage issues. As has been the trend for the last few years, a growing number of clients have stage iv Cancer. In 2015, 26% of our clients were stage iv. In 2022, 49% of our clients were living with stage iv Cancer. Each and every client who contacts clc meets with one of our staff attorneys. For 89% of our clients in 2022, a clc staff attorney handled their entire matter, whether it was one where information and advice was needed, or full representation in an estate planning or insurance appeals matter. The other 11% of our clients worked with both staff attorneys initially and then a one of our approximately 70+ volunteer attorneys throughout the state to provide the additional Legal Care needed. This decision is based on the geographic location and Legal need of the client.the lcp is designed to help our clients maintain financial security and family stability effectively and efficiently. The following is a breakdown of client Legal needs and areas of Legal Care provided: 19% --insurance coverage (health insurance, short/long term disability) 15% --housing and financial (eviction, foreclosure, creditor issues, bankruptcy) 10%--employment (ada/mhra discrimination/reasonable accommodation, fmla) 27%--legal planning (health Care directives, guardianship, wills, powers of attorney) 17% --public benefits (social security disability, medicaid) 12% --other (immigration, tax, family).the majority of our clients become impoverished because of their Cancer due to lengthy periods of unpaid time away from work and high insurance premiums, deductibles and out of pocket costs, they do not have the financial ability to pay for an attorney's assistance in creating the various Legal documents they need to ensure the wishes for their Care and that of their family are carried out, or where to turn for unbiased, professional advice regarding the many decisions they are facing and questions they have. In serving the whole state, clc is especially driven to use Legal services to help address the many health disparities that exist across the state for bipoc minnesotans. A growing number of studies and statistics highlight the racial disparities of Cancer (stage at diagnosis, mortality rates), but none specifically reveal what our clc staff learns every day from our bipoc clients. A few examples from 2022 client population: with regard to income: statewide: 75% of bipoc clients with Cancer are at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines (fpg) compared to 37% of white clients with cancer.with regard to housing security:renters vs. Homeowners: statewide: 38% of bipoc clients with Cancer are renters compared to 23% of white clients with cancer.living with relatives: statewide: 17% of bipoc clients with Cancer are living with relatives as a result of their Cancer diagnosis/treatment compared to 6% of white clients with cancer.housing or debt issues: statewide: 20% of bipoc clients with Cancer had a housing or debt issue compared to 11% of white clients with cancer.overall, clc's bipoc clients with Cancer clients are poorer, less housing secure, and facing more dire financial/housing issues as their disease progresses than their white counterparts.client story: how Legal Care brings peace of mindjim is a 67-year-old man living in hennepin county and recently diagnosed with stage iv lung Cancer. His sole income is from ssdi and is under 200% fpg. From this he rents his apartment and has to pay all of his living expenses. He has a health Care directive but contacted Cancer Legal Care for help in preparing a financial power of attorney. He is unable to pay his current medical bills based on his low income and is considering bankruptcy. His only assets are "what's in this room with me" he told our attorney as they discussed his various options for achieving his goals for having his son take charge of his checking account on jim's behalf when needed to help Care for jim and pass on to jim after jim passes away. Jim had several other questions which were able to be answered about debt and medical assistance. Jim told us, "i appreciate what you guys do. I just wasn't sure where to start and what i need to do. I plan to be around for a while, but i feel better getting everything in order now. "a significant expansion of our work took place in 2020 with the creation of our icare program under the umbrella of our Legal Care program offerings. Icare (insurance claim advocacy and resolution) addresses the growing number of health insurance coverage denials due to many factors including shrinking networks and ever-changing pre-authorization requirements. To date, $3,367,793.47 of previously denied Cancer related insurance claims were successfully appealed on behalf of 49 individual clients. As one might imagine, these cases are often very complex. In 2022, the icare team worked on 43 icare cases; 34 new matters that originated in 2022 and nine that carried over from 2021, all on behalf of clients who were not only were facing a Cancer diagnosis, but also the nightmare of an insurance denial related to either their Cancer treatment or their disability coverage. For 19 of these clients, their cases closed, with the icare team securing insurance coverage resulting in $1,121,325 of previously denied Cancer treatment or disability insurance claims. These claims ranged from $547 for one client to $360,000 in chemotherapy treatments for another.all of the icare work is done at no charge and without any income eligibility limitations.why?1. Very few families could afford an attorney's help in light of Cancer's growing financial toxicity.2. Any barrier to reaching out or getting help more often than not becomes a non-starter for people who are at their physical, emotional, and financial breaking point. We know that insurance issues are at the top of the most stressful things our clients face.client story: how icare helpsit is often a friend or family member who reaches out to Cancer Legal Care for help when their loved one is unable to advocate for themselves. This was the case for daisy, whose sister reached out to Cancer Legal Care for help when daisy's long-term disability (ltd) coverage- a benefit she had through her former employer- was denied. Daisy is a 54-year-old woman living in hennepin county with stage 3 brain Cancer. As a result of her diagnosis and her associated disorientation she was unable to advocate for herself with the ltd company. The ltd company acknowledged that while daisy was disabled and eligible for benefits, they were unable to determine the actual date of disability and therefore refused to approve the claim. This left daisy without any source of income for over six months, relying solely on a gofundme page supported by donations from her friends and family. A Cancer Legal Care attorney sent a letter and spoke at length many times to the ltd company, requesting a determination and benefit payment to the client. A little over 3 weeks after contacting Cancer Legal Care, daisy received nearly $27,000 in backpay and is receiving a consistent income stream of $5,000/month until she can return to work. Daisy's sister said of the experience "you have no idea how much relief i feel knowing that you've helped her."

Community educational outreachby getting information prospectively, people are more likely to reach out for help at the outset of their Legal issue and from a more proactive stance. Over the years, clc has made a total of 205 presentations attended by 7,171 Cancer patients, caregivers, and healthcare and Legal professionals. In 2022, Cancer Legal Care conducted and/or participated in 17 virtual or in person presentations attended by 525 Cancer patients, survivors, their loved ones, health Care providers, and community members.