MEJI was established in 2011 with a single staff attorney to focus on the legal needs of some of the most vulnerable older adults and adults with disabilities in Michigan and to ensure Michigan has a voice in national advocacy efforts on behalf of these populations. Since its inception, MEJI's staff and programs have grown significantly to fill gaps in advocacy for older adults and adults with disabilities, push successfully for systemic reforms, become a trusted source of information on issues that affect vulnerable adults, and collaborate with and educate clients, advocates, providers, and policymakers.
MEJI now serves as the home of the statewide Michigan Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, along with the MI Community, Home, and Health Ombudsman (formerly known as the MI Health Link Ombudsman (MHLO) and the MI Choice, Community Transition Services, and PACE Ombudsman Program (MICPOP) programs).
MEJI helped to establish and works in close collaboration with the Crime Victims Legal Assistance Project-Elder Justice (CVLAP), a statewide program that represents victims of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. MEJI also established the Michigan Guardianship Diversion Pilot Project in four county probate courts and the statewide Michigan Nursing Home Transparency and Accountability Project.
With additional staff, MEJI has expanded its ability to serve on state and national boards, task forces, and coalitions and to share its successful advocacy strategies in presentations and publications.
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Alison (she/her) is the Program Director and Managing Attorney of the Michigan Elder Justice Initiative and the elder law attorney at the Michigan Poverty Law Program. Previously, Alison worked at Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service (now Disability Rights Michigan) and Community Legal Services in Philadelphia. She served on the adjunct faculty of both the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan Law Schools and as a law clerk to the Hon. Joseph S. Lord III in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She is the immediate Past President of the Governing Board of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long Term Care and was a Commissioner of the American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging. Alison received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from Yale Law School.