Triage financial eligibility for LSC-funded legal assistance
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- Enter the household size, income sources and assets the applicant states into the program's eligibility worksheet. Do not decide eligibility.
- What the lawyer must review
- A recipient may provide legal assistance supported with LSC funds only to individuals it has determined to be financially eligible (45 CFR § 1611.4(a)). Assistance wholly supported by non-LSC funds may be given without regard to income and assets if it is otherwise permissible. Every recipient's policies must set annual income ceilings that may not exceed 125 percent of the current Federal Poverty Guidelines. The Corporation publishes that figure in the Federal Register as Appendix A (45 CFR § 1611.3(c)). Policies must also set reasonable asset ceilings. A principal residence, vehicles used for transportation, assets used in producing income, and assets exempt from attachment may be excluded. An asset-ceiling waiver requires unusual circumstances, approval by the executive director or designee, and a record of the reasons. For an applicant who is a victim of domestic violence, count only the applicant's income and assets and those of household members other than the alleged perpetrator, and do not count assets held by the perpetrator or held jointly with the perpetrator (45 CFR § 1611.3(e)). You apply the program's adopted policy. A generated percentage is not the Federal Poverty Guidelines amount.
- Written for / version
- United States versionUS
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | Do not begin AI assistance until the responsible lawyer has defined and confirmed its permitted scope. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Trace every relied-on figure to its source, confirm dates and assumptions, and independently recalculate totals or derived amounts.
- Confirm instructions and personal circumstances through appropriate direct engagement. Have the responsible lawyer assess safety, capacity or vulnerability concerns and escalation.
- Obtain and inspect the relevant current official register or search result. Confirm identities, interests and the date and scope of the search.
- Verify the applicable jurisdiction and the version of each relevant law, rule or instrument in force at the material time.
- Confirm the output against the client’s instructions and the complete relevant source material, including omissions or contradictions.
- Resolve exceptions and record the responsible lawyer’s approval of the exact output and intended use.