In the News

.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright on Thursday said many seniors can’t afford legal assistance or don’t know where to look for help, especially people with low incomes.

“Our seniors are highly vulnerable,” said Cartwright, D-Moosic. “Unfortunately, this means they are also disproportionately targeted by scammers.”

In honor of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, Cartwright reintroduced the Senior Legal Hotline Act — bipartisan, bicameral legislation that he said will boost federal funding for senior legal hotlines that help protect older Americans from scams and offer services for an assortment of other legal issues.

An identical version of this legislation was also introduced on Thursday in the Senate by U.S. Senators Bob Casey, D-Scranton, Thom Tillis, R-NC, and Patrick Leahy, D-VT.

“This bipartisan legislation will protect older Americans in Northeastern Pennsylvania and nationwide from getting scammed out of their hard-earned savings while expanding their access to vital legal services,” Cartwright said.

According to information provided by Cartwright’s office, senior legal hotlines provide older adults access to free legal information, advice and referrals on a host of topics, including health care questions, finances, housing issues and landlord disputes, income maintenance and disability.

However, due to lack of resources, Cartwright said many hotlines are no longer operational or have scaled back their hours.

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