Parole-In-Place Workshops

UPDATE: Change of Venue-Rota (see below in red)

REMINDER: We've already held the parole-in-place workshop for IRs of FAS citizens. Those who didn't attend can pick up the folder with forms at our office.

We're having a parole-in-place workshop for IRs of US citizens on Saipan on 10/16 (Sunday) at 1 PM at American Memorial Park. We're also holding similar workshops in Rota and Tinian. (October 13--Rota at Rota Mayor's Office at noon; October 14--Tinian at TES at 3 PM).

Then we'll have a final parole-in-place workshop for CNMI permanent residents and those born between 1974 and 1978 on October 23 at 1 PM at American Memorial Park.

There is no charge for these workshops. However, space is limited and when the auditorium is full, the doors will be closed. Please do not bring minor children to the workshops. Please do not leave minor children unattended in the Park, museum or giftshop.

Tinian Schedule

MLSC will be on Tinian for client contact and new intake on October 5th, 14th, and 286th. Please call the Saipan Marianas Office, 234-6243, for an appointment or stop by the office in Tinian if you need assistance.

Tinian Schedule

MLSC will be on Tinian for client contact and new intake on September 14th, 21st, and 28th. Please call the Saipan Marianas Office, 234-6243, for an appointment or stop by the office in Tinian if you need assistance.

Upcoming Visits to Rota and Tinian

MLSC Staff will be in Rota and Tinian this month.

ROTA:
Monday, April 11
Thursday, April 28


TINIAN:
Wednesday, April 6
Friday, April 15
Wednesday, April 27

Anyone wishing to make an appointment in advance may telephone the Marianas Office in Saipan at (670) 234-6243.

New Schedules-ROTA and TINIAN

ROTA
Micronesian Legal Services Corporation (MLSC) has opened a new office in Rota, located at Room #D-107 of the Hotel Valentino, Songsong Village. A representative from MLSC will be available to meet clients and take applicant intake from 11am to 4pm on the upcoming dates:

Thursday, January 6
Thursday, January 13
Thursday, January 20

Anyone wishing to schedule an appointment can call MLSC’s main number at 234-6243/7729 or, on the dates when an MLSC representative is on Rota, please call 285-6102.

TINIAN
Visits at the MLSC office in the PM Buildling are scheduled for the following dates:

Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011

New Schedule for Rota and Tinian Visits

Dimitri Varmazis will be on Rota on

Thursday, November 18, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010 and
Thursday, December 23, 2010.

Linda Wingenbach will be at the MLSC office at the PM Building in Tinian on

Friday, November 19, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010 and
Friday, December 17, 2010.

Those living in Rota and Tinian who want MLSC help may call our Saipan office (670-234-6243) for an appointment or walk-in and be served on a first-come/first-served basis on the dates of our visits.

Rota and Tinian Outreach Project

The Marianas Office of Micronesian Legal Services has started a one-year project of increased service to Rota and Tinian. “We’re happy to announce that we will be visiting Rota and Tinian much more frequently,” said Jane Mack, Directing Attorney. MLSC provides free legal services in civil cases to low-income people in the CNMI. The outreach project was made possible by federal earmark funding obtained for MLSC by Congressman Gregorio (Kilili) Sablan.


New office space in Tinian: photo by Janet King

“We have always provided service to Rota and Tinian,” Mack said. “We take telephone intakes and exchange documents by fax and e-mail, but our on-island visits have been limited to once a month.” With the new federal earmark, MLSC will increase visits to 3 or 4 times each month during the one-year project term.

It was a long process to get this special funding for MLSC. “The work to obtain this funding began in April 2009 when I submitted a proposal on behalf of Micronesian Legal Services Corporation to the Approriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies,” Congressman Sablan said in a letter to MLSC. “There are literally tens of thousands of these requests from the 441 members of the House of Representatives, so it was a very competitive process.”

The Marianas Office receives most of its funding from the federal government through the Legal Services Corporation, and it has also received some local government support. “We’ve been fortunate that the local CNMI government has helped us,” Mack said. “Even in the years when the CNMI local government has not been able to provide us direct funding, it has allowed us the use of office space convenient to the people in our community.” When this one year project ends, the Marianas Office will continue to provide legal representation to the residents of Rota and Tinian in the usual way with its LSC funding and local support.

Under the outreach project, MLSC attorney Dimitri Varmazis will provide service to Rota, while attorney Linda Wingenbach visits Tinian. Paralegal Polly Anne Sablan will visit both islands to work on US citizenship and immigration status issues.

Mr. Varmazis has scheduled visits to Rota at the Courthouse for Friday October 22; Friday, November 5 (with Polly Anne); Tuesday, November 9; and Thursday, November 18. “We’ll be looking for office space in Rota to make our services conveniently available to everyone,” Varmazis said.

The Marianas Office has already obtained office space in Tinian at the first floor of the PM Building (about halfway between JC Café and the courthouse). Ms. Wingenbach has scheduled visits to Tinian for Wednesday, October 20 (with Polly Anne); Thursday, October 28; Wednesday, November 3; Wednesday, November 10; and Friday, November 19, 2010. “It’s fantastic that the people of Tinian can now have increased access to justice,” said Wingenbach.


Linda Wingenbach at her desk in Tinian: photo by Janet King.

Clients and applicants can set appointments for Rota or Tinian by calling the Marianas Office in Saipan. Walk-in clients and applicants are also permitted, although people may have to wait if they don’t have an appointment.

Tinian Schedule

Thanks to the federal earmarked funds we received through our US Congressman's efforts, we will be traveling to Tinian and Rota more frequently to provide legal help in these under-served areas.

Our Tinian calendar right now looks like this:

Friday, October 15
Wednesday, October 20 (with Polly Anne)
Thursday, October 28
Wednesday, November 3
Wednesday, November 10
Friday, November 19


Attorney Linda Wingenbach will be there and available to meet new applicants and talk with clients at our new office space at the first floor of the PM Building (about halfway between JC Café and the courthouse). Appointments can be made by calling our Saipan office. People may also walk-in, but may have to wait.

Food Stamps in the CNMI (part 2 of 2)

The previous post provided a brief history and current status of food stamps in the CNMI.

This post will cover your basic food stamp rights.


Basic Food Stamp Rights

If you are eligible for food stamps, you are entitled to receive them. This means you have several rights that you may exercise when dealing with the Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP), the CNMI agency that implements the food stamps program. Some of these rights are explained below (click one of the questions):

1. What if the NAP tells me that I cannot apply for food stamps?

2. Do I have to be a U.S. citizen to get food stamps?

3. What are the financial eligibility rules?

4. The Grievance Procedure. What if I’m denied food stamps, or my food stamps are cut or stopped?

5. What if I forget to tell the NAP about changes to my household, income or property?

6. What if an NAP caseworker treats me unfairly?




1. What if the NAP tells me that I cannot apply for food stamps?

You have the right to submit an application for food stamps. NAP cannot stop you from applying. See #6 below (What if an NAP caseworker treats me unfairly?).     back to top

2. Do I have to be a U.S. citizen to get food stamps?

Yes, but certain aliens may also qualify. Aliens who can qualify generally fall under U.S. immigration categories, such as those admitted for permanent residence (i.e., green card holders), refugees, and those granted asylum. If you cannot get food stamps, your family household members who are U.S. citizens or qualifying aliens may still be eligible to get them.     back to top

3. What are the financial eligibility rules?

Food stamps are a government benefit based on need. There are limits to an eligible household’s income and assets.

a. Income.

i. Can I get food stamps if I'm working?

Yes, you may be eligible to receive food stamp benefits if you earn below the income eligibility limit. Income limits vary depending on the number of persons in your household and their ages. Check with the NAP for the current limits.

ii. Can I get food stamps if I’m not working?

Yes, but you will most likely be required to participate in a work or training program. In the CNMI, this means registering with the Division of Employment Services (Dept. of Labor and Immigration). There are some instances where you do not have to comply with the work registration requirement, such as if you are younger than 18, 55 or older, are a full-time student, have a disability, or are at least six-months pregnant.

b. Assets.

Households may have $2,000 in readily accessible resources, like a bank account. Households may have $3,000 if at least one person is age 55 or older.     back to top

4. THE GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE. What if I’m denied food stamps, or my food stamps are cut or stopped?

You have the right to a written notice if the NAP has decided to deny, terminate or lower the amount of your food stamps. The NAP notice must explain its decision. You have the right to challenge the decision by using the NAP’s grievance procedure.

a. For the grievance procedure, you have the right to request either an informal conference or fair hearing within 60 days of the food stamps denial, termination or decrease. Your request may be either oral or written. When you make your request, the NAP must provide you the grievance rules and procedure.

b. Notice of the conference or hearing is required and should explain what your grievance is about.

c. You may review your NAP file at a reasonable time before the hearing. The file must contain all the information that the NAP used in making its decision to deny, terminate or cut your food stamps.

d. A written order is required to issue within 5 business days of the hearing. The head of the NAP has 5 days after the hearing to review the order and make any changes. If this doesn’t happen, the order will become final. The order must be given to you within 5 days after it becomes final.

e. You have the right to continue to receive your food stamps during the grievance procedure.

f. The entire grievance procedure (from requesting a conference or hearing to receiving the NAP written decision) should take no longer than 60 days.

g. If you believe the final order is unfair, you can appeal it by filing a court action.     back to top

5. What if I forget to tell the NAP about changes to my household, income or property?

You are responsible to report changes with the household's income, property, household members, or location of residence. If you don’t report these changes, the NAP may determine that you had been given too many food stamps in the past. If you owe a debt because of overissuance of food stamps, the NAP may try to collect payments from you, most likely by deducting a certain amount from your future monthly food stamp payments. If the NAP believes you were committing fraud by not reporting these changes, you may be disqualified from receiving food stamps for up to two years and be criminally liable.     back to top

6. What if an NAP caseworker treats me unfairly?

You have the right to ask for a hearing if your caseworker threatens you, does not follow the rules or tells you to do things that do not follow the rules, violates your privacy or does not treat you with dignity and respect. If this happens, you can file a grievance with the NAP to challenge the case worker’s improper or coercive behavior. back to top