2014-05-14T10:00:29-05:00 2013-12-31 271895149 Heveron & Company CPAs 260 Plymouth Avenue South Rochester NY 14608 990 2013-01-01 161487925 Empire Justice Center EMPI 5854544060 1 West Main Street No 200 Rochester NY 14614 Karen Kinter CFO 5854544060 2014-05-12 1 Stephanie Annunziata P00195472 5852322956 2014-05-12 2013 2015-11-30 17:44:51Z Karen Kinter 1 West Main Street No 200 Rochester NY 14614 6689529 0 X www.empirejustice.org X 1995 NY Empire Justice is a statewide organization working to improve civil justice in NY (See Sch.O)The Empire Justice Center is a statewide multi-issue, multi-strategy organization focused on changing the systems within which poor and low income families live. Empire Justice provides legal assistance to those in need, offers training and support to community-based organizations, and works to improve programs and services for those in need. 12 12 80 495 0 0 752378 762885 4452606 5920834 1095 5810 0 0 5206079 6689529 0 0 0 0 3539159 4379136 0 0 0 1452050 2061108 4991209 6440244 214870 249285 2724756 2791601 1441161 1263156 1283595 1528445 X To protect and strengthen the legal rights of people in New York State who are poor, disabled or disenfranchised through: systems change advocacy, training and suppport to other advocates and organizations, and high quality direct civil legal representation. 0 0 685069 685069 Disability Benefits: Empire Justice contracts with New York State to provide legal assistance to individuals in Western New York who have been inappropriately denied or terminated from federal disability and supplemental security income programs. In 2013, Empire Justice administered a sub-contract with LAW-NY to provide these regional services. In 2013, 333 cases were closed in the region, generating approximately $534,053 in interim assistance to clients and an additional $1.62 million in retroactive benefits. In 2013, the Western New York DAP won 77% of cases. Continued on Schedule OEmpire Justice also contracts with the state under this Disability Advocacy Program to provide training, support and technical assistance to local grantees throughout the state. 2081658 2008970 Foreclosure Prevention: In 2013, Empire Justice continued its role as Anchor Partner as designated by the NYS Attorney General in efforts to combat foreclosures in New York. In this role, Empire Justice oversees 46 legal services and housing counseling contracts, oversees data collection and provides statewide training, support and technical assistance to grantees. Empire Justice also provided direct representation to homeowners at risk of foreclosure in the Greater Rochester area. In 2013 assistance was provided to 177 homeowners who were victims of predatory lending and/or who were at risk of foreclosure during 2013. Continued on Schedule OThe foreclosure prevention work of Empire Justice Center achieved restructuring and refinancing of predatory loans for 37 families, saving each of them tens of thousands of dollars over the life of their loans, generating more than $2.1 million in loan modifications and refinancing, an average of $100,471 per loan. 662745 657745 Health: Empire Justice provides statewide training and technical assistance to legal services, other community-based organizations and local health center staff on public health programs to help them in determining eligibility for and access to affordable health coverage. As a contractor to provide assistance under health care reform, Empire Justice is part of the Community Health Advocates (CHA) network. In 2013, our staff provided 23 trainings to 1,064 community based health advocates presenting topics such as "Mandatory Managed Long Term Care," "Medicaid Eligibility in 2014 - the Non-Magi Groups," and "Prescription Drugs in Medicaid: Navigating Managed Care Requirements." Continued on Schedule OOur attorneys and paralegals also provided substantive technical assistance to 16 CHA member agencies assisting them with complicated legal issues and cases. The New York State Office for the Aging contracts with Empire Justice to provide training and assistance on issues involving Medicare Part D. 1829113 2569050 Other/General: These funds were used to fulfill the core mission of Empire Justice Center and to provide services in such area as Domestic Violence, public benefits and immigration; to provide services on Long Island through the Public Advocacy Center; and to support the Hanna S. Cohn Equal Justice Fellowship. In providing these programs and services, in calendar year 2013, the organization offered 146 training events, issuing 895 Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits and reaching over 4,929 participants. Training topics included: Public Benefits Institute: The Work Rules Process from Beginning to End, Domestic Violence and Housing Insecurity: Federal and Local Protections and the Rising Issue of Nuisance Ordinances, Maintaining Health Coverage: New Rules for HIV Clients Under the ACA, Naturalization & Citizenship, Accessing HIV Services Under Medicaid Redesign, Introduction to Effective Representation of Children: Effect of DV on Children, Protecting the Rights of People with Disabilities in Monroe County: The New ADA Policy at DHS, Social Security Disability - What Doctors Need to Know, Representing Victims of Domestic Violence in Family Court and An Update on Immigrant Access to Health Care. The Empire Justice website, with a vast array of legal resources, saw 4.96 million "hits" during 2013, an average of 13,585 per day; the web had 123,755 unique visitors who viewed 4,249,566 pages of material, or an average of 11,642 per day. Empire Justice staff closed 1,713 cases impacting 3,932 people. This work resulted in over $25.7 million in client benefits. 1829113 2569050 5258585 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 16 0 1 80 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 12 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 NY X X The Organization 5854544060 1 West Main Street No 200 Rochester NY 14614 Joseph Casion Chair 0.20 X X 0 0 0 Tom Maligno Member 0.20 X 0 0 0 Christine Rutigliano Vice Chair 0.20 X X 0 0 0 Candice Lucas Secretary 0.20 X X 0 0 0 Lyn Kelly Treasurer 0.20 X X 0 0 0 Latonia Early-Hubelbank Member 0.20 X 0 0 0 Michael T Harren Member 0.20 X 0 0 0 Hon John J LaFalce Member 0.20 X 0 0 0 David A Munro Member 0.20 X 0 0 0 Edward F Premo II Member 0.20 X 0 0 0 JoAnn Smith Member 0.20 X 0 0 0 Melanie Wolk Member 0.20 X 0 0 0 Anne Erickson President and CEO 35.00 X 126841 0 9190 Karen Kinter CFO (10/13-12/13) 35.00 X 13637 0 3063 Darlene Roloson Director of Finance & HR (1/13-4/13) 35.00 X 42209 0 7571 Bryan Hetherington Chief Counsel 35.00 X 120178 0 0 302865 0 19824 2 0 0 0 NeighborWorks America 1325 G Street NW Suite 800 Washington DC 20005 Housing Counseling Training 554370 Legal Assistance of Western New York One West Main Street Suite 400 Rochester NY 14614 Legal Services 203257 2 185115 109465 468305 22955 762885 Foreclosure Prevention 541100 2006470 2006470 Disability Benefits DA 541100 685069 685069 Health HIV/AIDS 541100 597745 597745 Attorney Fees 541100 552666 552666 Immigrant Assistance 541100 371084 371084 1707800 1707800 5920834 5810 5810 6689529 5920834 0 5810 X 202511 68016 134495 3243638 2579886 663752 685070 561172 123898 247917 183458 64459 10269 10269 1236995 1224278 12717 288384 234890 53494 69618 53786 15832 255994 197777 58217 106574 100667 5907 10897 8419 2478 33753 26077 7676 Litigation Costs 4552 4552 44072 15607 28465 6440244 5258585 1181659 0 1554836 15000 21935 986487 419657 906277 903750 182863 187729 359022 333040 28012 25982 249204 30833 3792 2724756 2791601 709585 671530 700710 587801 30866 3825 1441161 1263156 X 1001835 1227879 281760 300566 1283595 1528445 2724756 2791601 249285 -4435 0 X 0 1 X 1 0 X 579444 895893 652744 752378 762885 3643344 579444 895893 652744 752378 762885 3643344 631895 3011449 1436 1130 1211 1095 5810 10682 3654026 23737251 0.82410 0.80290 X RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED RESTRICTED 5667 78152 83819 6356425 6440244 472012 118003 0 0 400327 424903 404012 472012 1701254 2551881 63464 94203 67772 83819 309258 100082 106226 101003 118003 425314 637971 8885 14474 1355 5667 30381 0 1 X 32211 13060 19151 282666 275835 6831 44145 44145 0 25982 X 6701903 -4435 16809 12374 6689529 0 6689529 6457053 16809 16809 6440244 0 6440244 Part IV, Line 2b: Client escrow funds are held in a separate, interest-bearing checking account. Part X, Line 2: Accounting standards require entities to disclose in their financial statements the nature of any uncertain tax positions. Tax years including December 31, 2010 and later are subject to examination by tax authorities. Areas that IRS and state tax authorities consider when examining tax returns of a charity include, but may not be limited to, tax-exempt status and the existence and amount of unrelated business income. The Organization does not believe that it has any uncertain tax positions with respect to these or other matters, and has not recorded any unrecognized tax benefits or liability for penalties or interest. The Organization is not aware of any circumstances or events that make it reasonably possible that tax benefits may increase or decrease within 12 months of the date of these financial statements. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 11 The Form 990 shall be reviewed by the Executive Director and Treasurer and then presented to all Board members either electronically or by paper copy prior to its signing and subsequent filing with the IRS. At the next Board meeting, the Treasurer and tax preparer, if appropriate, will review the Form 990 with the Board. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 12c On an annual basis, the CEO or her designee maintains conflict of interest declarations for all members of the board. Form 990, Part VI, Section B, line 15 The Board of Directors acting as a whole will have the responsibility to set CEO compensation and conduct an annual review of CEO performance. It will set compensation in a manner consistent with the requirements of section 4953 of the Internal Revenue Code: including: an independent compensation setting process; which is based on reliable information; with contemporaneous documentation; and that seeks to provide compensation that is reasonable compared to the compensation provided to CEO's providing like services, in similar organizations, under similiar circumstances. In setting CEO compensation the Board will periodically (no less than every three years) obtain and review information on compensation in comparable organizations. In the intervening years the board may rely on the last previous data collection and trend it forward to the current year. The process for determining compensation of the organization's officers or key employees includes the use of comparability data as well. Form 990, Part VI, Section C, line 19 The Form 1023 application which was forwarded to the IRS and Form 990 for the previous three years shall be available for inspection by the public during normal office hours. The names and addresses of contributors on Schedule B shall be redacted in the Form 990's that are made available to the public. If someone from the public requests a copy of a Form 990, they shall be referred to www.guidestar.com where the Treasurer has confirmed it to be widely distributed. Otherwise, copies will be provided for a fee of $1.00 per page plus postage, if any. Other corporate documents, such as bylaws, minutes, financials and policies and procedures shall be maintained as internal documents and shall not be made available to the general public, unless for a business reason as determined by the Chief Executive Officer and approved by the Board of Directors. Form 990, Part IX, line 11g Subcontracted Legal Services: Program service expenses 493,959. Management and general expenses 0. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 493,959. Payroll Processing: Program service expenses 0. Management and general expenses 5,655. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 5,655. Other: Program service expenses 60,449. Management and general expenses 7,062. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 67,511. Healthcare Policy Education: Program service expenses 115,500. Management and general expenses 0. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 115,500. Housing Counseling Training: Program service expenses 554,370. Management and general expenses 0. Fundraising expenses 0. Total expenses 554,370.