Attorney M. Katherine Sullivan sees people every day who are
denied the benefits they're entitled to by government agencies and
private insurers. As a partner at the Boston firm of Rosenfeld
Rafik & Sullivan PC, Sullivan seeks to help "chronically ill
and disabled people access the health care insurance system."
Sullivan has secured private disability benefits for clients
through successful litigation, and she also represents clients in
Social Security disability matters and denials of health care
claims. A volunteer with both the Volunteer Lawyers Project Pro
Bono Panel and the Health Law Advocates Pro Bono Panel, Sullivan
says one case that stands out in her memory is the case of "Miss
W." -- a homeless woman who had spent several years in-and-out of
shelters and correctional facilities.
Miss W.'s difficulties stemmed from mental health issues, which
she had developed as a direct result of child abuse. Having applied
for disability benefits, Miss W. spent years waiting for a hearing
with an administrative law judge. Unfortunately, the judge
dismissed her hearing because Miss W. had communication
difficulties with her representative.
After meeting Miss W., it was clear to Sullivan that her
difficulties in front of the judge were due to severe anxiety and
post-traumatic stress disorder. It was also clear these symptoms
were misunderstood.
Applying her disability law experience, Sullivan filed an appeal
to allow Miss W. to move forward with her hearing. She also
gathered Miss W.'s missing medical information to give the judge an
accurate picture of her ongoing mental health struggles. Miss W.
was eventually granted the disability benefits she was entitled
to.
"These benefits will allow her to live in a small apartment
while she continues to try to put the pieces of her life together
and manage her debilitating symptoms," says Sullivan, who credits
her firm for its strong commitment to pro bono work. "What struck
me most about being able to help someone like Miss W. was the fact
that sometimes it does only take one person in our lives to make a
difference," she says.
It's the ability to make a difference in a deserving life that
keeps attorney Sullivan coming back for more. And in the case of
Miss W., "That difference meant the difference between being
homeless, and on the street, and feeling hopeful in an apartment,"
says Sullivan.