10/05/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/06/2025 08:59
Michelle Spadafore, Senior Supervising Attorney and Director of NYLAG's Disability Advocacy Project, told The Washington Post that federal changes to eligibility for Social Security disability payments would cut off older, disabled New Yorkers from their income at a time when it may be harder for those folks to return to work:
Michelle Spadafore, a senior attorney at New York Legal Assistance Group, said she frequently finds older disabled clients are not able to go back to work if they are denied benefits because they struggle to keep up with the technical and physical skills required of modern work. In addition, employers may be less inclined to hire workers nearing retirement age over younger hires.
"You wouldn't stop working because you reach a certain age and you think disability benefits are the next logical step," Spadafore said. "Nobody does that because disability benefits are almost always less money than full-time wages."
Read the full story, originally published in The Washington Post, on Oct. 5, 2025.
Under a new $2M program, hundreds of income-eligible survivors of domestic violence will get free legal assistance for divorce proceedings through NYLAG and other groups.
Tres meses de detención han pasado factura a Dylan López Contreras, el estudiante de la ciudad de Nueva York arrestado por agentes federales de inmigración en mayo.Pero las cartas de sus compañeros de clase han sido un bálsamo, dijo en una entrevista con Chalkbeat, la primera que da desde su arresto.
On Sept. 15, 2025, Abby Biberman, Associate Director of NYLAG's Public Benefits Unit, testified before the New York City Council on the impact of federal budget cuts and importance of bolstering CityFHEPS.
In his first interview since he was detained by ICE in May during a routine immigration court appearance, our client Dylan told Chalkbeat that while three months in detention have taken a toll on him, the letters of support he's received from his friends, classmates and others have given him the strength to keep going.
NYLAG immigration attorneys Allison Cutler and Benjamin Remy spoke with Law 360 about the violent, extrajudicial arrests they've witnessed in growing numbers over the course of the last several months.
In late July 2025, the federal administration issued an executive order criminalizing street homelessness. NYLAG's Deborah Berkman explains how this failed approach only further compounds harm and endangers public health and safety.