The PABSS Program at Legal Services of Central New York, Inc.

Legal Services of Central New York, under contract with the New York Sate Commission on Quality of Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities (CQCAPD), offers free legal services through the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) program to individuals eligible to receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, individuals receiving continuing Medicare benefits, or individuals receiving continuing Medicaid benefits (commonly called 1619(b) benefits), and who are seeking to return to work or continue to work.

The Legal Services of Central New York PABSS program provides services to individuals residing in Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Otsego, Schuyler, Tioga, and Tompkins counties. If you do not live in one of these counties and believe you are eligible for services under the PABSS program, you can view the full list of New York State PABSS offices, or contact CQC at 1-800-624-4143.

Legal Assistance to Individuals Available Under the PABSS Program

The PABSS program assists and provides information to eligible recipients with legal issues such as:

• Disputes involving Employment Networks under the Social Security Ticket to Work program.
• Employment Discrimination based on disability such as an employer's refusal to hire because of a disability, failure to provide a reasonable accommodation to a disability, termination of employment because of a disability, or illegal inquiry by an employer into a disability.
• Problems with training or educational servicessuch as disputes with the New York State Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individual with Disabilities (VESID), or over the failure of a college, university, or adult education program to provide services for discriminatory reasons such as because of a disability.
• Problems accessing public transportation because of a disability when the transportation is needed to get to work.
• Problems obtaining durable medical equipment, assistive technology, medication , or other disability related services if necessary to enable an individual to maintain or gain employment.
• Consumer debt problems related to obtaining employment or receiving wages from employment such as possible wage garnishments because of a money judgment or credit card debt.
• Overpayment of Social Security Administration benefits if the overpayment is over $1,500 and due to the individual's earnings.
• Problems with wages and work conditions if impeding the ability of the individual to maintain employment.

Depending on the nature and merits of the case, the PABSS program may provide counsel and advice, assist an individual with filing a complaint with an administrative agency such as the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or represent an individual in New York State or Federal court. The ability of the PABSS program to represent an individual in a case is also dependent on commitment to current clients and the availability of program resources.

In some cases, the PABSS program may refer or provide information to an individual about another agency. The PABSS program can also answer basic questions about Social Security work incentive programs and make referrals to the Social Security Benefits Planning, Assistance, and Outreach (BPAO) program