Senior Issues
Our Legal Resources page is for people who are handling their legal problems without a lawyer. This website does not give legal advice and it is not a substitute for having a lawyer.
Contact usAge Discrimination in Employment
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces Federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. These laws protect you against employment discrimination when it involves:
• Unfair treatment because of your race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
• Harassment by managers, co-workers, or others in your workplace, because of your race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
• Denial of a reasonable workplace accommodation that you need because of your religious beliefs or disability.
• Retaliation because you complained about job discrimination, or assisted with a job discrimination investigation or lawsuit.
Follow this link for additional information on employment discrimination: https://www.eeoc.gov/employees/index.cfm
Follow this link for information on age discrimination in the workplace: https://www.msbar.org/for-the-public/consumer-information/age-discrimination-in-the-workplace/
Follow this link for instructions on how to file an employment discrimination complaint: https://www.eeoc.gov/employees/howtofile.cfm
Mississippi Vulnerable Adult Protections
The Vulnerable Adult Unit investigates and prosecutes persons who abuse, neglect, or exploit a vulnerable adult residing in a private home. A vulnerable adult as a person, whether a minor or adult whose ability to perform the normal activities of daily living is impaired due to a mental, emotional, physical or developmental disability or dysfunction, or brain damage or the infirmities of aging. For more information and to contact the Vulnerable Adult Unit, click here: http://www.ago.state.ms.us/divisions/vulnerable-adult-unit/
Social Security
Social Security is a government insurance program funded by employee and employer contributions. People receive benefits when they retire, become disabled, or are the surviving dependents of a person who contributed to Social Security. For more general information about Social Security, read this article by The Mississippi Bar: https://www.msbar.org/for-the-public/consumer-information/social-security/
This article explains who may be eligible to receive Social Security benefits: https://www.msbar.org/for-the-public/consumer-information/social-security-whos-eligible/
The Social Security Administration is tasked with administering social security benefits. For more information about Social Security, click here: https://www.ssa.gov/
Click here for more information about Social Security retirement benefits, including how to apply: https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/
Medicare/Medicaid
The Mississippi Bar provides information about Medicare and Medicaid here: https://www.msbar.org/for-the-public/consumer-information/medicare-and-medicaid/
For questions about Medicare, go to https://www.medicare.gov/
To file a complaint or claim with Medicare, go to https://www.medicare.gov/claims-appeals
Complaints of abuse or neglect of patients living in health care facilities, such as nursing homes or personal care homes, should be reported to the Medicaid Fraud Unit of the Attorney General’s Office at (601) 359-4220 or toll free 800-852-8341.
Age Discrimination with Housing Issues
The Fair Housing Act is a Federal Law that prevents housing discrimination if you are in a protected class of people. This article explains the Fair Housing Act: https://www.msbar.org/for-the-public/consumer-information/discrimination-in-housing/
For more information about Fair Housing Rights and Obligations and Violations: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/fair_housing_rights_and_obligations
File a Housing Discrimination Complaint
If you feel like you have been discriminated against in renting or buying a home, getting a mortgage, seeking housing assistance or engaging in other housing-related activities, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp
