Justice for Seniors & Dependent Adults

Bet Tzedek helps seniors access justice in the face of abuse. We work with social service and law enforcement agencies to prevent and address exploitation, particularly in impoverished and rural communities.

Since our founding in 1974, Bet Tzedek has honored the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust by serving those who survived. Our staff and pro bono attorneys partner with Jewish social service providers across the country to bring free legal assistance to Holocaust survivors. We help survivors secure Holocaust reparations and wrap-around legal services here in Los Angeles, and train pro bono volunteers across the U.S seeking to assist survivors through our Holocaust Survivors Justice Network (HSJN).

Bet Tzedek supports individuals and families with creating advanced healthcare directives, powers-of-attorney, and wills. These legal documents allow individuals to share end-of-life medical wishes with loved ones when they can no longer speak for themselves and to securely pass on their assets to the next generation.

Bet Tzedek provides extensive legal information for certain conservatorship matters through our Self-Help Conservatorship Clinic. As opposed to providing legal advice or representing individuals and families in court, these tools empower communities to take action on their own behalf. This can be useful when individuals are requesting decision-making authority over another adult who is unable to take care of themselves and/or manage their finances.

Bet Tzedek helps families and community members choose the best option for loved ones who lack the capacity to make their own legal, financial, or medical decisions. In limited situations, we offer legal representation in conservatorship matters to have a judge appoint a conservator to oversee the daily care and/or the financial affairs of another adult.

Bet Tzedek helps seniors and dependent adults access crucial healthcare and other public benefits. We assist with social security overpayment notices, denials, and appeals and access to healthcare coverage, In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) caregiver benefits, and Section 8 rental vouchers.

When parents aren’t able to care for their children, family members can step in to serve as caregivers. Bet Tzedek provides support for older adults caring for their grandchildren—or other minors—by helping them find resources and navigate the systems that ensure their family’s well-being. This includes: guardianship, adoption, foster care benefits, and educational benefits.

Older adults who are being treated in any way that abused in any of way that causes physical harm, pain, or mental suffering (physical or emotional abuse, neglect, financial abuse, abandonment or isolation) or are feeling afraid or controlled by a family member, a spouse/partner or former spouse/partner, or a caregiver can ask for legal protection by filing for a restraining order against their abuser. As a self-help service, the EARO Clinic talks with callers, provides information and assembles restraining order petitions for callers to file at their local courthouse.

Launched in 2023, the Leaving the Legacy Program provides a broad range of estate planning tools to eligible residents of Los Angeles County. The project aims to empower individuals today with important estate planning tools and create a better tomorrow for their families by preserving assets and creating an opportunity for intergenerational wealth.