From Innovation for Justice

Innovation for Justice's Medical Debt Legal Advocacy training is a self-paced, asynchronous course that requires approximately 65-80 hours to complete. During the training, advocates will receive training in the following areas:

• Trauma-Informed Advocacy
• Scope of Service and Ethics
• Medical Insuranc Coverage
• Medicaid Coverage and Benefits
• Medical Billing
• Negotiating Payment Plans
• Financial Assistance Programs and Debt Management
• Fees & Interest
• Debt Collection Legal Procedure
• Defending Medical Debt
• Court Procedures, Rules, and Preparation
• Negotiation and Settlement
• Garnishment
• Bankruptcy Eligibility

Individuals interested in becoming a Medical Debt Community Justice Advocate must satisfy the following criteria:

• Employment at an Eligible Community-Based Organization
  The potential advocate must be employed by a community-based organization that interfaces with individuals experiencing medical debt. 
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  Note: While CJAU is the Sandbox entity, organizations CJAU oversees must independently meet the Sandbox eligibility requirements. For this reason, the organization employing the potential advocate can’t be subject to disqualification from submitting their own application to the Sandbox due to disbarment or criminal history at the ownership or managerial oversight levels.
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• Approval from the Community-Based Organization
  The potential advocate must have approval from the organization that employs them to participate in the training and to provide legal services once training is complete.
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• Provide Services at No Cost
  The potential advocate and their organization must agree to not charge clients for legal services provided.
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• Comply with Regulatory and Reporting Requirements
  The potential advocate must be able to attend any mandatory ongoing training and meetings with CJAU, and must maintain and report data as required by CJAU.

Yes! Organizations are able to have multiple CJAs. Each CJA must complete the required training and report data. We must have a signed contract from every CJA.

i4J's programs are legal skill-building education programs. Employees who become Medical Debt CJAs continue in their social service role, and MDLA training becomes an additional tool in their service toolbox for holistically meeting the needs of Utahns. We believe in an approach to legal services delivery that blends legal services with social and other services to provide more comprehensive care.
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There is no requirement that Medical Debt CJAs provide only legal services, or that they provide legal services to every client. These skills are to be used when appropriate. However, if organizations want to have a position dedicated entirely to community justice work, that is allowed and welcome.

No, Medical Debt CJAs that also interface with people experiencing housing instability may also cross-train and obtain Housing Stability Legal Advocate training through i4J. Although concurrent enrollment is available, i4J and CJAU strongly recommend completion of one Community Legal Education course at a time.

Medical Debt CJAs will need time to 1) provide legal services, 2) report data to CJAU, and 3) attend training sessions. Additionally, it may be necessary for CJAU to meet with the CJA or their organization to address questions or concerns.

• Legal Services
  Providing legal services often takes more time than providing other services more commonly offered by community-based organizations. Organizations should be prepared to allocate additional staff time to legal services. It is impossible to provide an exact number, as each organization and client is totally unique. Simple cases may take 45 minutes, where more complex cases may take 6 hours.
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• Data Reporting
  We have intentionally created a data reporting framework that is as minimally time-consuming as possible, while still being able to comply with regulatory requirements and to collect meaningful data about the programs. We have tried to mirror information already collected for common grants and other funders to decrease the need to collect additional information from clients.
  
  For each client who receives legal services, advocates must report basic demographic and case information after an intake is completed, and information on services completed and outcomes when the case is closed. It is anticipated that advocates will need approximately 20 minutes per client to complete required reporting.
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• Training Sessions
  From time to time, CJAU will hold ongoing training sessions and informal roundtable discussions. It is anticipated that these meetings will last approximately 1-2 hours, and will be held no more often than monthly.
  

Innovation for Justice provides training at no cost to the advocate or their organization.

CJAU has a funder who is covering all costs for at least the first year of services, and we believe that we can continue to receive funding for at least the first two to three years. This funding includes all costs associated with overseeing advocates. In the future there may be a reasonable fee to use our services to cover the costs of oversight, including things such as staff time and malpractice insurance.