Tariq's Story: Securing Transition Services to Prepare for Adulthood | |
Graduation season is filled with excitement and pride for many families. But for students who are not prepared to graduate, it can be a deeply stressful time. Tariq*, an 18-year-old from Norfolk County, was set to graduate in June 2026. His mother, Rasha*, had been trying for two years to delay his graduation date.
Tariq was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) when he was three years old and had received special education services throughout his school years. In high school, Tariq did well in his classes, taking a particular interest in math. Since he was hitting his academic markers, his school determined that he was on track to graduate with his peers. But Rasha knew that her son was missing key skills that he needs for life after high school. He struggled with independent living skills and multi-step tasks such as taking public transportation, managing money, and preparing meals. Rasha would bring Tariq along on her errands in town to build these skills, but she knew he needed additional transition services in school.
This past spring, as Tariq’s graduation date loomed closer, Rasha grew increasingly anxious about him finishing school.
“I had been asking the school to move his graduation for two years with no progress,” Rasha explained, “I felt like it was the end of the road and I couldn’t handle it on my own anymore.”
Rasha reached out to a community organization who referred her to Health Law Advocates’ Mental Health Advocacy Program (MHAP) for Kids. She was introduced to MHAP for Kids Staff Attorney Tailayah Macklin. With only one month remaining until Tariq was set to graduate, Tailayah launched into action. Tailayah immediately advised Rasha to invoke Tariq's "stay-put" rights and reject the proposed June 2026 graduation date. Tailayah accompanied Rasha at a school meeting and advocated for the school to delay graduating Tariq before he was ready. She helped Rasha partially reject his IEP and introduce new goals to grow his independent living skills. Tailayah also ensured Tariq could walk at the graduation ceremony with his peers, but without receiving his official diploma.
“Tailayah took away so much of my stress,” Rasha said, “There are no words that can describe truly how amazing she was.”
Over the summer, Tariq held an internship with his school’s Extended School Year (ESY) program to help him build independent living and transition skills. Despite initial anxiety about starting a new program, he ended up loving the internship. Tariq also received speech and language services, which Rasha had been requesting for years.
Additionally, Tariq's high school offered opportunities for Tariq and Rasha to tour collaborative schools that could better support his transition needs. Tariq’s school proposed a one-year extension for his special education eligibility. After Tailayah explained the potential benefits and drawbacks of agreeing to an extension limited to one year, Rasha decided to reject the proposal. Tailayah informed the school of her rejection and the school agreed to drop the one-year extension and continue the discussion of Tariq’s eligibility. Tariq and Rasha shadowed a few collaborative programs and decided to move forward with a program that will suit his needs and allow him to continue developing his independent skills.
“As a parent, my biggest concern is making sure Tariq has the skills to live independently as an adult,” Rasha emphasized.
Tariq's story is a reminder that there is no "one size fits all" education plan that prepares a student for adulthood. With help from MHAP for Kids, Rasha advocated for her son's future and ensured he received the supports and time he needed to build life skills. MHAP for Kids continues to fight for students to receive the education and support services they deserve to prepare them for a healthy and independent life.
*Names changed for privacy.
| | Katherine's Story: Navigating a Systemic MassHealth Coverage Error | | |
In October of 2025, Katherine, a 36-year-old from Plymouth County, started unexpectedly receiving bills in the mail totaling more than $900. Katherine had no idea what these bills were for and how she would pay them. When she became sick in the spring, Katherine avoided going to the hospital out of fear of getting billed again and acquiring more debt.
Katherine reached out to Pinnacle Partnerships, a community partner of HLA’s Medical Debt Initiative. Pinnacle Partnerships assumed the bills were for medical services and referred Katherine to HLA. Supervising Attorney Mindi Greenberg connected with Katherine and quickly realized that the bills were not for medical services, but they were for the premium for her ConnectorCare Type 1 plan through the Health Connector.
In January, the Health Connector effectively terminated ConnectorCare Type 1 plans due to the the 2025 federal law that included $1 trillion in health care cuts, including federal funding for ConnectorCare Type 1. As a result, consumers enrolled in ConnectorCare Type 1, like Katherine, suddenly received a large premium bill to maintain coverage. It stated that if they didn't pay by late January, their coverage would be cancelled.
Upon further investigation, Mindi discovered a glaring error. Katherine was not supposed to be on a ConnectorCare Type 1 plan in the first place.
Katherine came to Massachusetts from Haiti and applied for asylum. Therefore, she is part of a group that is considered qualified lawfully present and eligible for comprehensive coverage through MassHealth. This group includes Cuban and Haitian entrants, asylum seekers, Ukrainian immigrants, and Compact of Free Association (COFA) migrants. When Katherine originally submitted documentation to MassHealth to determine her eligibility, their system didn’t read the special code on her documentation indicating that she is part of this group, and instead automatically enrolled her in a ConnectorCare Type 1 plan.
After Mindi realized what had happened, she contacted MassHealth to correct the error and ensure that Katherine was enrolled and her coverage was backdated to when her ConnectorCare coverage ended. Katherine is now enrolled in MassHealth CarePlus, has no gaps in her coverage, and does not need to pay the premiums she was billed for.
Mindi looked through her caseload and pending cases at HLA and found several other HLA clients who were part of this group and had experienced the same error. Mindi not only advocated with MassHealth to fix the error for those clients, but she also brought this issue to a Medicaid Advocates coalition meeting. Greater Boston Legal Services and other legal aid organizations in the coalition shared that they also encountered clients with the same issue. The coalition began tracking these cases and advocating with MassHealth to correct this error on a systemic level. They have also encouraged MassHealth to search for more individuals in this circumstance so they can be enrolled in the coverage they are eligible for.
“We have fixed all of these cases that we’ve found, but there may be more people out there who incorrectly lost coverage,” Mindi explained, “That’s why it’s important that we’re not just attacking the issue individually, but also addressing the root of the systemic issue by advocating with MassHealth.”
*Name changed for privacy.
Learn more about our Immigrant Health Care Access Initiative here.
| | Recognizing our Pro Bono Paralegals | | Massachusetts Covers Gender-Affirming Care for Youth Despite Federal Attacks | | |
Preparing for the New School Year
With Families and Community Partners
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Families enjoying a sunny day and learning about local services including MHAP for Kids
at the Salem Family Resource Center's end-of-summer cookout.
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Back-to-school season has been busy at HLA as we focus on preparing our partner agencies and families for the school year ahead. A new school year always brings new challenges for families and service providers. But this year, those challenges are layered with additional barriers as they grapple with changes to public health care coverage in Massachusetts impacting hundreds of thousands of families. Our team has been working hard to ensure that when families hit bumps in the road, they know we are here to help.
HLA’s Mental Health Advocacy Program (MHAP) for Kids partners with Family Resource Centers (FRCs) across Massachusetts to help families with kids struggling with unmet mental health needs. The partnership enables MHAP for Kids attorneys to more effectively reach families in the communities they serve and build the FRCs’ capacity to assist families. This summer, MHAP for Kids staff attended back-to-school events and facilitated trainings at their FRCs.
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At the Salem FRC, MHAP for Kids Director Lisa Morrow and Staff Attorney Lucy Ellis attended an end-of-summer cookout. Families from the community could swing by to pick up a new backpack, play games, and learn about what services local providers offer, including MHAP for Kids. Lisa and Lucy spoke with families about the legal services MHAP for Kids provides.
“Back-to-school events are a good opportunity for families to learn about MHAP for Kids before they are in a moment of crisis,” Lucy explained, “so if their child starts to struggle with their mental health during the school year, they know that we are here for them and they can reach out before hitting a crisis point.”
Speaking with families at in-person FRC events also allows MHAP for Kids attorneys to strengthen their connections to the community in an informal setting.
| | Staff Attorney Lucy Ellis (left) and Director of MHAP for Kids Lisa Morrow (right) tabling at the Salem FRC's end-of-summer cookout. | | |
“Sometimes being connected with an attorney can seem scary or like a major escalation,” Lucy described, “But when they can chat with us in a casual, fun environment, it’s less intimidating.”
In addition to community events, MHAP for Kids attorneys have held trainings for FRC staff and families on the basics of special education, school discipline, statewide systems involving children’s mental health, and MHAP for Kids’ services. These trainings equip FRC staff and families with tools and resources to support their children with mental health challenges during the school year.
When Lisa traveled the state to FRCs to visit MHAP for Kids attorneys over the summer, she received a lot of questions from FRC staff about upcoming changes to MassHealth. Lisa turned to HLA’s in-house MassHealth experts on our Access to Care and Coverage (ACC) team to organize a training for FRC staff about these changes.
On September 3, Andrew Cohen, the Director and Lead Attorney of the ACC practice, led a virtual training on changes to MassHealth and other public health coverage programs for more than 45 FRC staff members from across Massachusetts. Andrew explained the cuts to Medicaid and who is likely to lose coverage, the introduction of work requirements for many MassHealth members, and the increase in MassHealth eligility redeterminations for some consumers. Andrew tailored the training to the experiences and needs of the FRCs, with examples of specific issues families may face and potential solutions. The training provided FRC staff with the basics they need to inform and assist their clients who have questions or run into issues with MassHealth.
Over the next several months, HLA will be increasing our work with FRCs navigating changes to MassHealth and other health care coverage matters. We are excited to expand on our strong partnership with the FRCs and continue working to ensure that families and their service providers in Massachusetts are well-equipped to tackle any barriers to health care they encounter throughout the school year.
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Join us at the 31st Annual Benefit Breakfast on November 20 to hear inspiring remarks from featured speaker Tayari Jones!
Friday, November 20, 2026
Sheraton Boston Hotel
39 Dalton Street
Boston, MA 02199
Coffee Hour 7:00 a.m.
Main Event: 8:00 a.m.
We hope to see you there!
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Vanessa Charles
Paralegal
Vanessa joined HLA in August 2026 as a Paralegal with the Mental Health Advocacy Program for Kids. Prior to HLA, she was a manager for a neurobiology research lab and spent three years teaching middle school science in Title I public schools, an experience she deeply valued and one that exposed her to the legal and systemic barriers affecting students and underserved communities. She earned her B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and is currently a J.D. candidate at Suffolk University Law School, with interests at the intersection of law, health and education. Outside of work and school, Vanessa enjoys spending time with her two cats, reading, and exploring new restaurants and cuisines.
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Candace Stewart
Legal Fellow and Legal Network Liaison
Candace Stewart joined HLA as a Legal Fellow and Legal Network Liaison in 2026 after serving as a Contract Medical Debt Advocate and a summer Law Clerk with HLA's Access to Care and Coverage team in 2025. Her work focuses on helping clients address medical debt, coverage barriers, and other obstacles that affect access to timely and affordable care. Candace earned her Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law and her Master of Public Health from Stony Brook University.
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Marissa Amen
Legal Fellow
Marissa is a Legal Fellow with the Mental Health Advocacy Program (MHAP) for Kids. She serves families in Middlesex County and is based at the Eliot Family Resource Center in Everett. During her legal training, she gained experience in school discipline, administrative law, and the intersection of education law and juvenile justice. Marissa earned her J.D. at Northeastern University School of Law and a B.A. in Applied Psychology and Human Development at Boston College. She recently passed the Massachusetts Bar Exam.
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Alexis Serra
School Discipline Advocacy Program Fellow
Alexis holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Boston College and a Juris Doctor from Western New England University School of Law. Having recently passed the Massachusetts Bar Exam, she brings a strong foundation in legal research, analytical writing, and advocacy to HLA. In her new role as the School Discipline Advocacy Program (SDAP) Legal Fellow, Alexis is excited to contribute to the team’s mission in safeguarding students' civil rights, ensuring every child receives equal access to safe, supportive learning environments.
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Thank you to our fantastic Summer 2026 Law Clerks!
Autumn Barnes
Eli Chen
Aina Maeda
Gloribel Rivas-Soldz
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Call to join HLA's Pro Bono Legal Network!
Our staff attorneys work hard to represent every client who needs our help, but the demand for our services is high. Help us reduce the waitlist and ensure anyone who comes to HLA for help has access to an attorney. For free.
Learn more about becoming a member of the Pro Bono Legal Network.
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