Health Law Advocates Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
043298116
IRS 990 coverage
2009–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Boston, MA, USA
Phone
6173385241
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Family Services

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,138,628
Expenses
$5,179,817
Assets
$5,708,646
Liabilities
$2,120,884

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

18 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • MATT SELIG (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
  • JOSHUA GREENBERG (PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • AMY ROSENTHAL (DIRECTOR): $263,095 total reported compensation
  • MATT SELIG (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $212,702 total reported compensation
  • MARISOL GARCIA (DEPUTY DIRECTOR): $196,433 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Health law advocates (hla) provides free legal representation to eligible ma consumers facing barriers to health care. Hla fights for health care justice by representing consumers and through education and outreach throughout the state.

What it reported doing in 2024

Health law advocates (hla) fights to achieve health care justice for society's most vulnerable members. Hla offers free legal assistance to income-eligible individuals or families who live or work in ma and are having difficulty obtaining health care. Hla also provides legal representation in matters that affect access to health care for groups of consumers and communities in ma.hla adopts strategic initiatives to address systemic health care access barriers that harm segments of the population. Hla's current focus areas include reducing barriers to mental health care for children, improving access to health care for immigrants, challenging obstacles to gender-affirming care for transgender people, combatting discrimination in health insurance against those with mental illness, protecting consumers from unlawful medical debt collection practices, helping individuals receive in-home health services, and preserving consumer protections in the state's medicaid program and the affordable care act. Hla is the only nonprofit law firm in the state dedicated exclusively to health care access.hla also conducts dozens of community outreach programs annually to learn about emerging health care access issues and educate the public about consumers' health care rights. With its parent organization, health care for all, hla combines legal expertise with grassroots organizing and policy reform to advance the statewide movement for universal health care access.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 65% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 88
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 31
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91.4%; rating input score 91
  • Program expense ratio: 90.6%; rating input score 91
  • Fundraising efficiency: $25.85 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -0.8%; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.1; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.37; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 19.7%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.5% per year; rating input score 100; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 12.7% per year; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.2% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 91.4% of revenue deployed · 90.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $4.7M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $263K · 18 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $145K reported
  • Consistency: 37 of 37 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2009 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 30/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 40/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 12/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 29/100.