Lonnie is a 56-year-old grandmother from Roseburg. When COVID-19 hit, she was furloughed and needed unemployment benefits to keep food on the table and a roof over her head. Lonnie’s situation was confusing, however, and she spent hours on hold with an overwhelmed employment department. When she got through, she was relieved to hear she …
Dean, a veteran, was working hard to turn his life around. An important step was to have his driver’s license reinstated, which would help him to obtain a job, housing, and the ability to contribute to his community. He came to Medford’s Center for NonProfit Legal Services looking for help in locating and negotiating with …
Tracy is a Bend grandmother whose driver’s license had been suspended for many years due to unpaid traffic fines. By the time she got in touch with legal aid, the fines and interest owing to several different Oregon courts totaled more than $15,000. The Oregon Law Center (OLC) helped Tracy work out agreements for payment …
Jeremy is a 38-year-oldveteran of the Air Force who was discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Jeremy doesn’t have much family support, and after his discharge he was angry and adrift. He enrolled in school but, struggling with anxiety and depression, he dropped out and was homeless for a while. He got several speeding tickets …
Debbie has a permanent lifetime disability from cancer surgery that requires constant care and unique medical supplies. Contractors working for Medicare routinely denied coverage of Debbie’s supplies, despite the fact that her disability is life threatening and the supplies are medically necessary. Debbie attempted to navigate the Medicare appeals system alone, but faced such stress …
Ilena was in over her head with debts that she could not pay. She set up payment plans with some creditors, but the amounts she could pay would never settle the bills. Bill collectors were often mean and relentless in their efforts to collect, even though she explained that she was disabled and supporting both …
Noelle’s daughter Poppy was born with Apert’s Syndrome, a rare and complex condition that caused her fingers to be fused together. For Poppy to have full use of her hands, she needed very specialized reconstructive surgery. Noelle connected with a surgeon in Boston who specializes in this type of surgery and who was confident that …
Allen and his wife Penny are both 63, with four grown daughters. After working for a large company for almost 20 years, Allen was suddenly “downsized.” He received unemployment benefits while he looked for a job, but after more than a year of searching, it became clear that they would soon be living off of …
Julie and Kevin are hardworking parents of four. Their youngest, twin boys, were both born with serious heart problems. Even with two working parents, the family lives on the edge of poverty because of medical costs. Fortunately, they receive help from the Oregon Health Plan (OHP). Things started to unravel when the hospital billed Julie, …
Nine-year-old Celine was dropped off for a weekend with her grandmother, Victoria. On Sunday, Celine’s mom did not return for her. As the weeks stretched into months, Victoria realized that Celine’s mom wasn’t coming back. Celine had no legal guardian to sign important papers, including consent to medical care. When Victoria went to enroll Celine …