Article 30: Legal Aid and Civil Legal Services Programs · Last amended 1997 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceThis section defines three terms — eligible low-income person, service area, and service provider — that anchor Nebraska’s original legal aid grant program in sections 25-3001 to 25-3004, tying eligibility to income, county residence, and a case within Commission on Public Advocacy guidelines.
(1) Eligible low-income person means any person (a) whose income is less than one hundred twenty-five percent of the federal poverty level, (b) who is financially eligible under the service provider's eligibility guidelines, (c) who resides in one of the counties in the service provider's area, and (d) who has a civil legal problem that falls within the guidelines established by the Commission on Public Advocacy;
(2) Service area means the counties in Nebraska defined by the commission as the area to be served by a service provider; and
(3) Service provider means a nonprofit entity that is engaged in or desires to become engaged in the provision of free civil legal services to eligible low-income persons.
Source
Laws 1997, LB 729, § 4.
Plain-English Summary
Section 25-3001 supplies the vocabulary for Nebraska’s original legal aid grant program, spelled out in sections 25-3001 to 25-3004. It defines three terms that decide who gets help and who can offer it. An “eligible low-income person” must earn less than 125 percent of the federal poverty level, meet the service provider’s own financial-eligibility guidelines, live in one of the counties the provider serves, and have a civil legal problem that fits within guidelines the Commission on Public Advocacy has set. All four conditions have to be met — income alone does not qualify someone for free legal help under this program.
“Service area” means the counties in Nebraska that the commission has assigned to a particular provider, and “service provider” means a nonprofit that offers, or wants to offer, free civil legal services to eligible low-income persons within that area. Together, the three definitions set the boundaries for everything that follows in sections 25-3002 through 25-3004: which nonprofits can be certified, which counties they cover, and which residents can turn to them for help without paying a fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who counts as an “eligible low-income person” under section 25-3001?
Someone whose income is below 125 percent of the federal poverty level, who meets the provider’s own eligibility guidelines, who lives in the provider’s service area, and whose legal problem falls within guidelines the Commission on Public Advocacy has set. All four conditions apply together.
What is a “service area”?
The counties in Nebraska that the Commission on Public Advocacy has assigned to a particular service provider for delivering free civil legal services.
What makes an organization a “service provider” under this section?
A nonprofit entity that is engaged in, or wants to become engaged in, providing free civil legal services to eligible low-income persons.
Does income alone qualify someone for free legal help?
No. Section 25-3001 requires income under the poverty threshold, provider eligibility guidelines, residence in the service area, and a legal problem within the commission’s guidelines — all four together.
Do these definitions apply to every legal aid program in article 30?
Only to sections 25-3001 through 25-3004. Section 25-3006 separately carries these same definitions over to the later Civil Legal Services Program in sections 25-3005 to 25-3010.
Who sets the guidelines that decide which legal problems qualify?
The Commission on Public Advocacy, which also certifies service providers and distributes grant money under sections 25-3003 and 25-3004.
Source & verification. Section text and the amendment-history citation are
reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Legislature, Revisor of Statutes, enacted by the
Nebraska Legislature. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
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