Peter Travitsky

2014-2015

Peter N. Travitsky graduated from Brooklyn Law School (BLS) in May 2014. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the New York University School of Social Work in May 2005 and May 2006. Peter attended law school to become a more dynamic advocate following a career as a professional community social worker with senior citizens, and following six years of service as a personal care aide to an engaging and intelligent man declining from dementia.

At BLS, Peter served the needs of older adults and people with disabilities, specifically dedicating time to: the BLS Elder Rights Clinic, a collaboration between Legal Services NYC, Brooklyn Branch, and the Weinberg Center for Elder Abuse Prevention; the New York State Mental Hygiene Legal Service, 1st Department, Guardianship Team; the Office of the Inspector General for the New York State Unified Court System, under the Managing Inspector General for Fiduciary Appointments; the BLS New York City Civil Court Consumer Law Clinic; and the Evelyn Frank Legal Resources Program. He worked with the Brooklyn Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project to help families secure guardianships of loved ones. Peter also worked as a BLS Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Law Fellow and summer law clerk in Washington, D.C., for AARP Foundation Litigation’s Housing, Low Income Benefits, and Consumer Law Teams. Additionally, as a Health Law and Policy Fellow at BLS, Peter researched the common interests of managed care stakeholders and advocates of supported decision-making, in order to further the dialogue on alternatives to guardianship.

As a 2014-2015 Borchard Fellow, Peter returns to the Evelyn Frank Legal Resources Program in its new home at New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG). NYLAG is a multi-practice 501(c)(3) public interest law firm that offers free civil legal assistance to low income New Yorkers, including dual-eligible Medicare/Medicaid beneficiaries. “Dual-eligibles” often suffer from chronic medical conditions and live at or below poverty. At NYLAG Peter will provide direct legal services and education to low-income caregivers of dual-eligibles and their advocates, as New York transitions administration of health and long term care for dual-eligibles to managed care. His project will emphasize legal services to caregivers working on behalf of beneficiaries with cognitive impairment. He will also compile data on favorable and unfavorable appeal outcomes for various services offered by managed care plans, and produce tools to promote informed plan selection for consumers, best practices for advocates appealing service denials, and sound policy recommendations for aging in place.

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