Older Americans Enrich America Award Goes to
Senior Legal Hotline Volunteer, Joseph A. Montoya

By Kathleen Harris Kelly and David L. Mandel

The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging honored Joseph Arthur Montoya with an Older Americans Enrich America Award in April at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The event coincided with National Volunteer Week, April 23-29, a 33-year tradition that recognizes the vital contributions volunteers make to society. Joseph Montoya received a Team Spirit award that recognizes older volunteers who assist other older adults. The MetLife Foundation sponsors the award.

Joe Montoya joined the Senior Legal Hotline (SLH) in 1995 as a volunteer attorney after retiring as Chief Counsel of the California Department of Transportation. He was among the first group of four attorneys at SLH, a then fledgling special program administered by Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC). With a still-small staff and dozens of volunteers, SLH has grown to the largest program of its kind in the country. It provides legal assistance by phone, fax, mail and e-mail to Californians over 60 from all over the state. SLH handled 10,003 cases in 2005.

Like LSNC, SLH is a nonprofit program dedicated to helping society's neediest individuals with their legal problems. Unlike traditional legal aid offices, its practice is wide ranging, touching on all legal subjects and focusing on matters that affect seniors. These subjects commonly include basic estate issues and planning for future disability, elder abuse physical and financial, consumer scams, debt problems specific to the reduced incomes and increased expenses of aging, reverse mortgages, age discrimination, public and private pensions, Medicare and Medi-Cal, conservatorships and grandparent rights.

SLH emphasizes serving non-English speakers by retaining advocates fluent in Spanish and volunteer interpreters proficient in many other languages. A phone mediation program is SLH's latest innovation. To help SLH continue its mission, volunteers with a wide range of backgrounds are especially valuable as they broaden the base of in-house expertise. SLH volunteers like the fact that they are exposed to new areas of law, can help a number of clients and close most cases the same day. Staff members assist with follow-up, if necessary.

Joe Montoya is not only SLH's longest serving volunteer but is also a recruiter and mentor to newer colleagues. When addressing prospective volunteers, Joe Montoya shares why he finds the work rewarding. Even though many callers' problems seem small to the volunteer, he explains, they usually loom much larger for the seniors. He swells with pride when seniors say “thank you,” realizing that he has helped fulfill the organization's mission.

Joe's wife, Jan, and his two daughters surprised him in Washington last April by joining him to celebrate not only the Older Americans Enrich America Award but to commemorate his 80th birthday!

Many volunteers maintain active State Bar membership through the 'Emeritus' program and are excused from paying dues by performing solely pro bono work. Visit www.senior-legalhotline.org.