Legal Services

The vendor is required to provide legal services will enhance the ability of older adults to remain independent in their homes and communities, with optimized choice and individual autonomy, for as long as possible.
- Legal helpline
•    The organization’s intake system and access to services outlined in the american bar associations standards for the provision of civil legal aid - august 2021.
•    Maintain a legal helpline with accessibility and response standards, including at a minimum:
o    Ability to receive calls 24/7/365;
o    Being staffed by a paralegal or attorney Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., local time, except state holidays and administrative closings;
o    ability to record calls from prospective clients when the helpline is not staffed by a Paralegal or attorney; and
o    Ability to provide callback by a paralegal or attorney by the end of the next business day to helpline callers who have left messages.
•    Develop and implement a standard legal helpline intake process that will ascertain information from prospective clients in compliance with the current state performance report (SPR). 
•    Refer legal helpline calls to a paralegal or attorney to conduct and document an intake interview.
•    Maintain a continuous and current record of all legal helpline calls received, including at a minimum:
o    Date and time the call was received;
o    Nature of call (legal assistance, medicare part d services, etc.);
o    Date and time of callback;
o    Date the intake interview was performed;
o    Date services were initiated; and
o    Total number of calls received.
o    Provide legal helpline data to the department upon request.
- Legal assistance
•    Providing legal assistance, comply with: 
o    The legal services corporation performance criteria that incorporate the standards for the provision of civil legal aid – august 2021; and
o    The act, federal regulations implementing act.
•    Ensure all attorneys providing legal assistance, under the contract resulting from this RFP, are:
o    Current members in good standing of the state board of overseers of the bar and consistent with 45 cfr 1321.93(d)(1);
o    Have expertise in specific areas of law affecting older adults in greatest economic and social need, including the priority areas identified in the act. 
•    Provide certificates of good standing issued by the state board of overseers of the bar for each attorney prior to that attorney providing legal services to older adults. 
o    Certificates of good standing must be dated within the previous six (6) months of the attorney beginning to provide legal services to older adults.
•    Develop and utilize a standard intake interview process to be used to confirm a prospective client’s eligibility and need for legal assistance.
o    The intake interview shall be conducted by a paralegal or attorney.
o    The paralegal shall refer the client to an attorney for appropriate legal assistance for older adults. 
•    Ensure eligible clients receive a callback to conduct and document an intake interview from a paralegal or attorney within appropriate timeframes, including at a minimum:
o    When immediate assistance is required – within two (2) business days.
o    When immediate assistance is not required – within five (5) business days.
o    Efforts shall be made to return calls in the order in which they are received.
•    Provide legal assistance to eligible older adults by:
o    Abuse and neglect;
o    Income;
o    Health care;
o    Long-term care;
o    Housing;
o    Defense of guardianship or protective services;
o    Age discrimination;
o    Nutrition;
o    Utilities; and
o    Other and miscellaneous.
•    Providing statewide legal education and outreach via the awarded bidder’s hosted website.
•    Ensure legal assistance is available statewide to eligible clients by providing:
o    in-person legal assistance at a local area agency on aging and other locations as needed; and
o    Remote legal assistance by means of electronic media such as telephone or interactive on-line meeting platforms. 
•    Refer clients to a local attorney or other legal resource on a pro bono basis when the client has an income below one hundred twenty-five percent (125%) of the federal poverty level (FPL).
•    Establish and maintain a roster of panel attorneys who have agreed to accept referrals at reduced fees when counseling a client having an income between one hundred twenty-five percent (125%) and two hundred percent (200%) of the FPL in effect at the time of the referral. the roster shall:
o    Include attorneys who practice in substantive areas of law not handled by the awarded bidder, including, but not limited to: 
1.    Probate matters;
2.    State care planning; and
3.    Estate planning. 
•    Provide clients with contact information to local attorneys when those clients have an income greater than two hundred percent (200%) of the FPL.
•    Provide legal assistance data and the roster of referral panel attorneys to the department upon request.
•    Maintain all legal case management records.
o    The record management process and system shall ensure all client records are secure and available to the department upon request.

- Contract Period/Term: 2 years
- Intent to Bid Due Date: September 17, 2025
- Informational Meeting Date: September 2, 2025
- Questions/Inquires Deadline: September 5, 2025