Business Manager Mike Prohaska, Secretary-Treasurer George Zecca, and President Kenneth Brancaccio—the Trustees of Local 79’s Legal Services Plan—recently announced a change, effective immediately, that expands eligibility for Local 79’s Legal Services Plan. Members will now be eligible for a full year of legal services—January 1-December 31—if they have worked a minimum of 700 hours during the eligibility period (defined as November 1 through October 31 of the preceding year.) Another change announced allows members who have open matters through the Legal Services Plan but have lost their eligibility for the Plan to continue to have coverage for the open matter for twelve months, whereas previously this coverage had been limited to six months.
The Plan, a summary of which is available here, offers members a variety of free legal services, including many real estate transactions, domestic and housing issues, wills, consultations, and immigration-related matters. Plan Director Mike Prohaska said he was” happy to provide this expanded benefit to members. Eligibility for a year of legal services now matches the criteria for eligibility for healthcare, which is the right thing for our members.”
