
INCOME, WORK & HEALTH
PROVIDING COMPREHENSIVE BENEFITS AND EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE
Our team helps low-income clients overcome a wide range of barriers to obtaining or retaining employment; serves veterans who have served our country in obtaining the benefits they have earned, works with individuals with disabilities to plan transitions to employment, and assists eligible families obtain medical and benefits coverage to stabilize income.
Income, Work & Health Programs
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Clearing Legal Hurdles
Clearing Legal Hurdles to Employment (CLH) is a unique Legal Aid program that assists job seekers and entry level employees overcome a wide variety of barriers to employment. It promotes job readiness, employment retention, and the combination of earned income with public benefits and work supports so individuals and families can raise themselves out of poverty.
Job training and placement agencies report that 40% of participants experience barriers to employment that Legal Aid can resolve. We also advocate for policies that help low-income workers get work support benefits such as child support, child care, and transportation. Access to these benefits makes it more likely that low-wage earners will reach income levels that result in self-sufficiency. We established CLH in 1996 in partnership with Cincinnati Works and now partner with over 30 job placement agencies. No other program like it exists in Southwest Ohio.
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Covering Kids and Families
Legal Aid works to conduct effective outreach campaigns backed by skilled advocacy to make sure that every eligible family obtains coverage. We have taken the lead in training and providing backup assistance to the Affordable Care Act certified enrollment specialists throughout Southwest Ohio – especially those working through the federally-qualified health centers. Legal Aid also extended its services to support Medicaid enrollment and eligibility training assistance as well as advocacy. We continue to share best practices in outreach and enrollment, and develop strategies to overcome systemic enrollment issues.
SUCCESS STORIES

Veteran receives long awaited disability compensation
Mr. D., an Army veteran, was struggling with mental health disabilities originating from his 1972-1974 service that led to his current diagnosis of PTSD. The Legal Aid attorney gathered medical and military evidence, supplemented with client affidavit that led to the VA determining that Mr. D. disabilities were 100% service connected. As a result of Legal Aid’s efforts, Mr. D. was awarded a 100% service-connected disability compensation rating from the VA. He received a $48,000 back-award which he used to purchase a car and make some repairs on his home. He will receive $2,906/month so long as he is 100% disabled.
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