Eligibility & Case Acceptance Guidelines

Note: Some ILS projects, which recieve spealized funding, use different eligibility guidelines dictated by their funders. These projects may have less restrictive income and assest guidelines. 

In general, an applicant is financially eligible for legal assistance from Indiana Legal Services if that person's income is within 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. The chart below shows the 125% income level. (For general information about the Federal Poverty Guidelines, see Frequently Asked Questions). These guidelines were approved by the ILS Board of Directors.

In certain circumstances, an applicant can be financially eligible for assistance from Indiana Legal Services if the applicant is within 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. The Income Guideline PDF also lists these numbers. Eligibility under the 200% income guidelines depends on the applicant's expenses. There are other eligibility requirements in addition to income requirements. Some of these rules are:

• To be eligible, an applicant must not have $8,000 or more in countable assests (excluding a primary residence, vehicle, and some other items).

• Generally, ILS will not handle fee-generating cases unless no private attorneys will take the case.

• ILS may represent only citizens, persons with established legal immigration status, or persons without legal status who are victims of crime or trafficking. 

• ILS does not handle criminal cases or cases involving juvenile delinquency.

• ILS may provide legal assistance to a group, corporation, association or other organization if the group is composed primarily of eligible persons and the group cannot afford to hire private counsel. The group's activities must fall within LSC regulations and ILS priorities.