Health Care

Overview

The Mental Health Project provides free legal services to low-income New Yorkers with mental health concerns who have questions about or problems with their Medicaid.

The Mental Health Project focuses its health care advocacy work on Medicaid Health and Recovery Plans (HARPs), a special Medicaid plan available only to people with serious behavioral health needs, including mental health concerns and substance use disorders. HARPs offer extra services to help people achieve recovery in the community – such as care management, pre-vocational services, educational supports, and non-medical transportation – to those who qualify. HARP services are free and won’t affect your other benefits, such as SNAP or SSI.

For more information about how to access services through HARP, click here.

MHP is a network agency of ICAN (Independent Consumer Advocacy Network), the State-funded ombudsprogram created to educate and advocate for consumers enrolled in Medicaid Managed Care and receiving behavioral health services or long term care services.

How can we help?

We can answer your questions about HARP.

We can help you figure out whether you are already enrolled in a HARP. Many people are already enrolled in HARP, but aren’t aware of it.

We can help you decide whether a HARP is right for you.

We can help you access the extra services available with HARP.

We can help you access behavioral health care services and benefits.

We can help you solve problems with your Medicaid. For example, if your Medicaid plan denies a service, we can help you appeal that denial.

We can conduct educational presentations in the community about HARPs, including a brief overview of Medicaid Managed Care and some of the behavioral health services available with a HARP.

We can help you with health care proxies, power of attorney forms, and living wills.