WILSHIRE : Lawyers Aid Children Affected by AIDS

Very often, those most vulnerable to the impact of HIV and AIDS are children who have the illness or whose parents are infected.

Orphaned or at risk of losing one or both parents, and sometimes suffering discrimination because of their own medical condition, these children are often in critical need of legal assistance. To help meet this need, two organizations dealing with children affected by HIV/AIDS launched a project last week to help them with their sometimes overwhelming legal problems.

The project is the Los Angeles Pediatric AIDS Network, a collaborative venture of the Wilshire-based Alliance for Children’s Rights and the Los Angeles Pediatric AIDS Network.

Called L.A. PALS, the project consists of a network of more than 400 volunteer attorneys from the Los Angeles area who will assist low-income juvenile clients with issues such as legal guardianship and adoption, health care problems, access to Social Security benefits and services, civil rights, foster care, special education and blocked trusts, all at no cost.

General income limits for eligibility are: $18,265 for a family of one (such as a child who has been orphaned but was left a trust account or life insurance); $20,887 for a family of two; $23,475 for a family of three, and $26,100 for a family of four.

Families with income levels surpassing the general limits are also welcome, project manager Brenda O’Neill said.

“We want to ensure that all kids have legal representation,” she said. “We’ll make referrals for families who can afford legal assistance, and take on families who can’t.”

One key problem faced by the children of AIDS patients is the need for legal guardianship if their parent or parents are overcome or die of the disease, O’Neal said.

Children who are infected can also face the denial of medical and social services, as well as civil rights violations such as being denied access to a day-care center based on the child’s medical diagnosis.

Because many children affected by HIV/AIDS live beneath the poverty level without access to legal representation, many end up going without the social, medical and educational services they are entitled to, O’Neal said.

The idea is that the volunteer attorneys will act as advocates for low-income families whose lives have been affected by the virus, ensuring these children’s needs are met.

Legal services will be offered Spanish as well as English, and many of the volunteer attorneys are willing to travel to meet their clients at home, O’Neal said.

The Alliance for Children’s Rights is the only free legal services organization in Los Angeles County that is devoted entirely to children.

Since its inception three years ago, the alliance has provided legal assistance to over 2,300 children.

The Los Angeles Pediatric AIDS Network is the principal provider of medical and social services to children affected by HIV/AIDS in the city.

Information: (213) 368-6010.