---
title: "Triage financial eligibility for LSC-funded legal assistance"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/legal-aid-and-community-legal-practice/triage-a-legal-aid-eligibility-and-means-test-application/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A54-B5-21-US"
practice_area: "Legal Aid & Community Legal Practice"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Triage financial eligibility for LSC-funded legal assistance

> Enter the household size, income sources and assets the applicant states into the program's eligibility worksheet. Do not decide eligibility.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/legal-aid-and-community-legal-practice/triage-a-legal-aid-eligibility-and-means-test-application/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Legal Aid & Community Legal Practice](https://ailawframework.com/practice/legal-aid-and-community-legal-practice.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| 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 | United States |
| Applies to | [Triage a legal aid eligibility and means-test application](https://ailawframework.com/practice/legal-aid-and-community-legal-practice/triage-a-legal-aid-eligibility-and-means-test-application.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: Enter the household size, income sources and assets the applicant states into the program's eligibility worksheet. Do not decide eligibility.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- Authorised exceptions above the income ceiling are in 45 CFR § 1611.5, which was not opened. Do not create an exception in the worksheet.
- Appendix A dollar figures change when the Corporation publishes a new Federal Register notice. Open the current appendix before using a dollar ceiling.
- State and local funders may impose a different test. This check covers LSC funds only.

## Sources

- [45 CFR § 1611.3, financial eligibility policies](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/45/1611.3) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [45 CFR § 1611.4, financial eligibility for legal assistance](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/45/1611.4) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Merit and means assessment table for a grant of legal aid (NSW)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/legal-aid-and-community-legal-practice/merit-means-assessment-table.md) | Checklist | Yellow | Working table for a Legal Aid NSW grant: the published Merit Test, the Means Test, contributions under the Legal Aid Commission Act, and what is still missing before a recommendation. |
| [Client consent and authority to obtain information from a third party (Centrelink, a bank, a landlord or an agency)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/legal-aid-and-community-legal-practice/client-authority-to-obtain-information.md) | Form | Yellow | Signed authority letting a legal service request and receive a client's information from a named organisation for a stated purpose and period, with withdrawal rights and safety instructions, plus… |
| [Appeal to the Legal Aid Review Panel against a refusal or termination of legal aid (NSW)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/legal-aid-and-community-legal-practice/legal-aid-refusal-appeal-letter-nsw.md) | Letter | Yellow | Appeal letter and checklist for challenging a Legal Aid NSW decision to refuse or terminate aid, or a condition of a grant: the 21-day time limit, the grounds and supporting documents, internal… |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*