Pro Bono Work: Founder of the non-profit law firm HELPS. HELPS is the only national law firm that represents seniors nationally to protect them from unwanted contact with collectors. Eric Olsen, Esq.: Yes, well, that`s the theory behind HELPS, and it works. We are growing exponentially and are the only not-for-profit law firm in the country that does what we do. And we don`t turn anyone away. There are many seniors who need this help. Jeff Hoyt: Hi, I`m Jeff Hoyt, editor of SeniorLiving.org. Today, I`m talking to lawyer Eric Olsen about an important topic: why seniors don`t have to worry about certain types of debt. Eric is an expert in the field, as he is the founder of the non-profit law firm HELPS, which serves seniors and people with disabilities struggling with debt.

What you learn could save you from a world of worries. Since Eric is in Salem, Oregon, and I`m in Los Angeles, we`ll be conducting the interview online via Zoom. HELPS is a nonprofit law firm and 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We deal with seniors and people with disabilities who are struggling with debt. HELPS is a not-for-profit law firm that provides ongoing legal representation for the purpose of communicating with debt collection agencies. I turned around to help 24.08.18 Credit a Last 4 of account 9068 / Today 27.05.2020 received hand-delivered at 5pm District Court Clark County wa. of LVNV Funnding LLC. balance due $Payam 1,728.31 Parsadmore WSBA #52484 File #508474450 Jeff Hoyt: All right. But some seniors may worry about hiring a lawyer to represent them. They said some of them could not afford to declare bankruptcy. Is it expensive to hire your company to help you? Seniors have seized 15 percent of their Social Security income for decades-old debts owed to federal agencies.

Eric Olsen, executive director of HELPS, a national nonprofit law firm that supports low-income seniors, explains, “We have recently seen a significant increase in the number of seniors contacting HELPS who have been devastated by a federal agency seizure.” The Debt Collection Improvement Act, passed in 1996, tells federal agencies such as the Small Business Administration, the Farm Home Administration and the Veterans Administration how to collect debts for bad debts. Federal agencies may refer a request to the Social Security Administration to seize or offset 15% of Social Security. In 2014, Congress eliminated the statute of limitations that governs how long a federal agency can initiate a 15% Social Security garnishment for the outstanding debt. Seniors have other options. The Federal Fair Collection Practices Act provides that a consumer may request in writing to a third collection agency to cease contact by telephone or mail. This request is commonly referred to as a “declaration of cessation and abstention”. The law applies to debt collectors, not original creditors. But even initial creditors usually break off phone contact when they receive this letter. The warnings can be found on the Internet. HELPS, a non-profit law firm, has www.helpsishere.org a cease and desist letter for free download from its website. Well, this nonprofit law firm helps seniors and I`ve heard a lot of good things about it, so I asked Eric Olsen to write the article below and explain what they do. Oregon Salem Attorneys & Law Firms Senior Lawyers And it`s there.

There is also a law that states that a debt collector cannot call you if you are represented by a lawyer. You need to communicate. Or to communicate with you, they must contact the lawyer. And that`s where the nonprofit law firm I founded was born because HELPS represents low-income or poor seniors. And we send cease and desist letters to the people, the creditors, that they do not want to hear. And so they don`t need to hear from them anymore. And the calls and letters of formal notice stop. They dry out, stop completely. But no, there are ways to stop the harassment of collectors. And this is called a declaration of cessation and abstention. Jeff Hoyt: Another option is to ask your company to represent them.

And basically, once they are represented by a lawyer like you, it is forbidden for debt collectors to contact them directly. It`s true? Eric Olsen, Esq.: We`re all over the Internet. www.helpsishere.org. HELPS stands for Help Elimination Legal Problems for Seniors: HELPS. And we have a toll-free number, (855) HELPS-US. One thing you need to do is add an S to HELP. HELPS-US is our toll-free number, and they can call us anytime and we discuss their people`s situation. And if they need our help, we just sign people up by phone. It only takes a few minutes, and we press a button. When they receive the emails, we keep them on the phone and they receive an email confirming that they are members of our program. And if a believer calls them in the next few minutes, they can give them our phone number, and they will start leaving them alone. Our help is therefore immediately available for seniors.

I`m the CEO of HELPS, a nonprofit law firm that supports seniors who have debts they can`t afford. Many leave without the basics to deal with their old debts. Others stop paying and are ruthlessly harassed by collectors. Then there are others who seek the Wild West of debt settlement companies on the Internet. When they sign up with one of these companies, they are never told, “By the way, all your income is protected and does not need to be used to pay off your old debts.” Instead, many, like the widow I spoke to, are burdened with payments that put them in total poverty. Even if they know it, many seniors are simply unable to take care of their creditors themselves. Federal law also provides that if a person is represented by a lawyer, tax collectors can no longer contact that person, but only communicate with the lawyer. That`s what HELPS does. HELPS is a national, 501c not-for-profit law firm that represents seniors and persons with disabilities in receiving collector`s communications. HELPS sends letters to debt collectors asking them to stop contacting the senior and contact HELPS instead. HELPS represents seniors permanently, years into the future, so they never have to deal with collectors again. HELPS never turns away elderly or disabled people who need this help.

For more information, appelez-www.helpsishere.org or call toll-free 855-435-7787. If you`re a senior with outstanding debts and you`re worried about paying them off, or if debt collectors are following you, you just know you have options. In reality, you may not have to worry about most of your old debts. In this video, our editor-in-chief Jeff Hoyt interviews Eric Olsen, the founder of a nonprofit called HELPS, which helps seniors with their finances and debt. If you`re worried about your debt, watch the video above or read the interview transcript below. HELPS Nonprofit Law Firm is a national, not-for-profit law firm. HELPS represents seniors and persons with disabilities by telephone as an attorney to obtain contact with the collector under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. HELPS also trains seniors and people with disabilities on how to maintain their financial independence.

We do not represent anyone in court. In the rare cases where the HELPS client must appear in court, HELPS to find a pro bono lawyer to assist our clients. Community Service: I have served on several not-for-profit boards. Currently a board member of Project Able and Salem Oregon YMCA Jeff Hoyt (via Zoom): Hi, this is Jeff Hoyt, Editor-in-Chief of SeniorLiving.org. Today, I`m talking to Eric Olsen. Eric is a lawyer and runs the nonprofit law firm HELPS, which helps seniors and their finances. Eric, let`s start with a simple question. Why don`t seniors have to worry about debt like younger people? Eric Olsen has been a lawyer for 40 years. He was the founder of one of America`s largest bankruptcy companies.

He founded HELPS in 2012 to help seniors who could not afford to declare bankruptcy protect them from unwanted contact with debt collectors. Olsen remains committed to his approach. He makes an advertorial to market HELPS in other states Olsen said he has not received a salary from HELPS, although his pending application for nonprofit tax status estimates his income will be $100,000 per year. He also says collectors are more likely to opt out completely if they know a lawyer is involved. Debt collectors often simply cancel the debt as soon as it appears that the senior does not have assets to get their hands on. The same applies to pensions and pension funds. In `74, a law called ERISA was passed. What it does is it protects pensions and pension funds. There are federal laws to protect the benefits of VA. There are state laws that protect IRA benefits and independent retirement accounts. Thus, seniors` income is protected by various laws, and if they do not pay their debts or are unable to pay their debts, even if they are sued, it cannot be seized or taken away from them.

This is probably one of the most important things that HELPS Nonprofit Law Firm wants seniors to know: that their income is protected by federal law.