Overview
The below self-help materials were created by attorneys, law school students and legal interns at the WilmerHaleLegal Services Center of Harvard Law School.
Disclaimer: These materials are neither a solicitation nor an offer to represent you concerning any legal problem. This guide does not constitute legal advice and provides general information only. The information conveyed in this guide is not intended to and does not create an attorney-client relationship with you and Legal Services Center (LSC) or any attorney at LSC. Please be aware that unsolicited letters, facsimiles or emails do not create an attorney-client relationship. We will not have an attorney-client relationship with you until and unless you and LSC enter into a formal agreement of engagement.
MyFriendBen in Massachusetts
What is MyFriendBen?
MyFriendBen is a free, anonymous online tool designed to help users quickly discover if they are eligible for government benefits, tax credits, and nonprofit programs
MyFriendBen empowers individuals and organizations to quickly and easily understand and access government benefits, tax credits and nonprofit programs. Users answer a set of basic demographic questions about their household and receive a personalized report showing the relevant federal, state and local programs available to them. Julie McCormack, Director of the Safety Net Project (SNP) at the LSC, along with clinical students Cara Sierks ’25 and Jasmine Park ‘25, collaborated with Boston Children’s Hospital Department of Accountable Care and Clinical Integration (DACCI) and the Innovation and Digital Health Accelerator team (among others) to tailor the MyFriendBen application for Massachusetts-specific content. This partnership allowed Massachusetts residents to be some of the first to benefit from MyFriendBen’s capabilities, currently available in only 4 other states.
The goal is to increase participation rates (and thus financial and other markers of wellbeing) by making key information – like eligibility, dollar value and time to apply – more transparent, accessible and accurate.
“These programs provide for urgent human needs such as food, income, and health care”, McCormack points out. “With MyFriendBen, people can quickly learn about and use them.”
McCormack is excited that MyFriendBen is continuing to seek out the on-the-ground partnerships in every state that will ensure eventual access for everyone nationwide – “this kind of up-to-date, targeted and easy-to-use tool has been a dream of mine for decades. I am thrilled that I and my students helped make it a reality here.”
How it Works
MyFriendBen is a first-of-its-kind screener that helps anyone identify state, local, and federal benefits. Free, private, and mobile-friendly.
(1) Answer a Few Questions: Income, family size, housing, and other basic factors
(2) Get a Personalized Report: Programs you qualify for, estimated value of each
(3) Apply Clear Next Steps: How to apply for each program you matched
Questions and More Information?
For questions and more information related to MyFriendBen in Massachusetts and beyond please contact MyFriendBen at https://www.myfriendben.org/ or [email protected].
A Self-Help Guide for Accessing VA Healthcare
Why do I need this guide?
Access to health care is critically important for the mental and physical well-being of veterans. Many people who served in the military are eligible for care from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). There are multiple ways to apply for VA healthcare and many ways that anyone who served may be eligible, even if they received an other than honorable, bad conduct, or other “less-than-honorable discharge.
A Guide for Criminal Record Sealing (CORI)
Why do I need this guide?
For the one in three adults that have a criminal record, ordinary essentials such as finding a well-paying job, renting safe and affordable housing, getting a student loan, or purchasing a decent car can be all but impossible to obtain.
Through LSC’s CORI Initiative, clients can receive free assistance in sealing their criminal records. In addition, there is information available here about starting the process yourself, and about additional resources and partnerships in our upcoming Community Fairs for Returning Citizens.
How to Get Assistance with Sealing/Expunging Your Record
Your Options: Call the Safety Net Project intake line at 617-390-2524 or email [email protected]. After speaking with you, we can provide the forms you will need in order to go through the record-sealing process and determine if we can provide you with representation.
If you would like to start the process of sealing your record yourself, below is a list of documents and information that can help.
- Request to seal your criminal record – Mass.gov guidance
- Personal CORI request
- Petition to seal adult record
- Affidavit of indigency to get fee waived
- MassLegalHelp Information on record sealing
Why do I need this guide?
The LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic at Harvard Law School developed this guide to support attorneys and advocates fighting the criminalization and incarceration of transgender and gender expansive people.
In response to escalating attacks on the rights of incarcerated transgender people, Clinical Instructor and Lecturer on Law, Deborah Lolai—together with Harvard Law School clinical students, research assistants, and interns—created a comprehensive, practice‑oriented resource focused on criminal defense and post‑conviction advocacy to support the decarceration of transgender people. While grounded in federal law and procedure, the strategies, tools, and templates in this guide are designed to be adaptable to state and local jurisdictions across the country.
The guide includes:
- Practice tips to prevent the incarceration of, and seek the release of, transgender people facing jail or prison
- Interviewing templates tailored to transgender clients
- Mitigation report frameworks and examples tailored to transgender clients
- Legal arguments and strategies to support the decarceration of transgender clients
- An affidavit from Dr. Rachel Lynn Golden to support attorneys and advocates in criminal and post-conviction matters
Our goal is to equip criminal defense and post‑conviction practitioners with concrete tools to advance the safety, dignity, and freedom of transgender people in the criminal legal system.
Why do I need this calculator?
Veterans and their dependents can visit the online benefit calculator, answer simple questions, and receive an immediate estimate of their potential eligibility for Chapter 115 benefits. If they are eligible, users can download a form with their answers to the tool’s screening questions and connect with their local VSO. In partnership with the state, the VSO will assist the veteran or dependent with their official application for Chapter 115 benefits and manage the process of accessing benefits should the applicant meet eligibility requirements.
The Massachusetts Veterans Benefit Calculator is fast and easy to use.
- Visit MassVetBen.org/calculator
- Answer a series of questions to find out if you might be eligible
- Get a list of the documents you need to apply for benefits, and the location of the local Veterans Service Officer who can assist with your application
Why do I need this guide?
Financial assistance is available for eligible Massachusetts residents who have served in the military and their dependents. Under Chapter 115 of the Massachusetts General Laws, the Commonwealth, along with town and city governments, provides financial assistance for qualifying low-income veterans for food, shelter, clothing, housing supplies, and medical care. Benefits may be one-time or ongoing, based on need.
Our Chapter 115 Self-Help Guide provides detailed information about program benefits and rules. In addition, the Self-Help Guide contains lots of information about the rights of applicants and recipients, including numerous tips for filing appeals when benefits are wrongfully denied, terminated, or reduced.
Why do I need this library?
Keep track of recent rulings and appeal decisions regarding Chapter 115 Benefits for Massachusetts Veterans