LEGAL SERVICES TRUST FUND PROGRAM

Definition of "INDIGENT PERSON"

January 23, 2008



Business and Professions Code Section 6213(d) defines "indigent person" for the purpose of the Legal Services Trust Fund Program as

"a person whose income is (1) 125 percent or less of the current poverty threshold established by the United States Office of Management and Budget, or (2) who is eligible for Supplemental Security Income or free services under the Older Americans Act or Developmentally Disabled Assistance Act. With regard to a project which provides free services of attorneys in private practice without compensation, "indigent person" also means a person whose income is 75 percent or less of the maximum levels of income for lower income households as defined in Section 50079.5 of the Health and Safety Code. For the purpose of this subdivision, the income of a person who is disabled shall be determined after deducting the costs of medical and other disability-related special expenses."

The federal government's poverty threshold is now established by the Department of Health and Human Services, which in 1982 took over the responsibility from the Office of Management and Budget. The current figures equivalent to 125% of the poverty threshold established by the Department of Health and Human Services follow:

Size of Family Unit Annual Income

1 $13,000.00
2 17,500.00
3 22,000.00
4 26,500.00
5 31,000.00
6 35,500.00
7 40,000.00
8 44,500.00

For families with more than eight persons, add $4,500 for each additional person.