Let's Talk About Us for a Moment ;)

⇲ Our Mission

To help special needs families in Southern California obtain all the appropriate services, benefits, and assistance their child or family member is entitled to through individualized, affordable and quality advocacy. Additionally, we want to bring awareness and expert guidance to the multitude of government-funded programs that exist for eligible, qualified children.

⇲ Our Vision

A world where our services aren't needed because common sense, general decency and competence is the health care norm. Until that becomes a reality, we hope to inspire future self-advocacy so that families can maintain an enjoyable quality of life utilizing the services and programs available for their children.

⇲ How We Achieve Our Mission

  • Free Consultation — We hold an in-depth client intake meeting to review all medical records, history, and current situation with the family.
  • Create a Plan of Action — We create personalized individual plans pertianing to IHSS for each family that aim to serve as a custom "roadmap" to achieve the goals set up during consultation.
  • Documentation and Forms — Utilizing our client-only digital library you can easily access most required forms needed for your child's individualized IHSS process.
  • Apply for IHSS Coverage or Submit Appeal — We can handle some of the most frustrating aspects of applying for benefits or appealing a denial of benefits: from pulling medical records to filling out applications to general research.
  • Full-Service Guidance — We will work side-by-side with your family 100% of the way. We will attend all necessary hearings and interviews, as well as present you with the best options to move forward until each issue is resolved.
“No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States . . . shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
— Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
 

Our Services

California Advocacy Group, LLC handles an array of services with a focus on In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) for minors.

 
 

Before reaching out, we invite you to look around our site to see if the answer you're looking for already exists in our How To or Glossary sections. Just the same, we're more than happy to jump on a call with you to briefly talk about your child to see if we can offer an easy solution to your issue.

While our primary focus is centered around IHSS benefits, here is a list of some of the other services we offer:

  • The first step to every process is a diagnosis. We can guide you to obtaining this very important documentation for your child.

  • Bring awareness to California's wide array of support and services for disabled minors including Medi-Cal, IHSS, CCS, and Regional Center programs including Early Start

  • Serve as an Independent Facilitator for those enrolled in Self-Determination through the Regional Center

  • Navigate the complicated IHSS process on your behalf and present your child's disability in the strongest manner to achieve the maximum benefits allowed, including Protective Supervision

  • Guide families to collect retroactive IHSS benefits when appropriate

  • Pull appropriate school, hospital, and therapy records

  • Provide all necessary forms and documents for any required submissions

  • Aid and accompany families through the IHSS application process

  • Accompaniment to administrative hearings, informal meetings, & mediation conferences for IHSS

It would be our privilege to help you get all the benefits your medically impaired or disabled child deserves. 

 

 
 

The Founders

Judith Kogan and Eric Weingrad founded California Advocacy Group, LLC to share their vast knowledge of the world of IHSS, Medi-Cal, CCS, and Regional Centers and, more importantly, to help parents navigate the complicated world of special services and get results that will make a difference in their family's lives forever. Both special needs parents, Judith and Eric have not only personally been in the trenches fighting for their respective children's rights, they continue to advocate on their children's behalf today. 

 
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Judith Kogan

Judith Kogan is passionate about helping people. Growing up in Los Angeles, from an early age Judith enjoyed participating in community social action events such as volunteering at soup kitchens and visiting hospitals and nursing homes. After graduating from the University of California at San Diego, she worked at a non-profit, charitable foundation in Santa Monica where she focused on improving teacher quality in public education. Her commitment to helping others continued after she graduated from Loyola Law School in 2005 and began her career working as a litigator protecting and defending civil rights.

On her wedding day, Judith and her husband vowed together, among other things, to "leave this earth a little better" than they found it. At that time, Judith thought that she was already doing her part while working as a civil rights attorney. Little did she know that years later advocating for the needs of her disabled son would inspire her to advocate for all children with developmental disabilities throughout California. 

When she isn't advocating for others, you can usually find Judith with her husband and three children. In their free time, the Kogan family loves going on cruises and taking road trips up and down the California coast. (Yes, you can do this with a special needs child!) Judith enjoys singing nursery rhymes while driving carpool, playing board games, and picking up Legos so that she can avoid stepping on them. 

Eric Weingrad

When not advocating for special needs parents in Southern California, Eric Weingrad fills his time with his wife, two children, a chihuahua named The Colonel and close friends.

Eric also co-founded Holton's Heroes nonprofit along with his wife Angela, exactly one year after their son suffered a traumatic and anoxic brain injury. Holton's Heroes' mission is to provide assistance for families dealing with pediatric post-birth brain injuries by helping them acquire in-home therapy equipment often denied by insurance and government programs. The foundation is thriving today and, to date, has helped over 30 children and their loved ones around the country.

Beyond Eric's philanthropy—and before becoming a full-time advocate after his son was hurt—he's produced and directed hundreds of hours of nationally broadcasted entertainment for a multitude of channels like Discovery, History, MTV, CBS, NBC, and many more. He even spent over two years overseeing the Howard Stern Show's editorial team for all associated digital media. 

While Eric's passion to work in entertainment originally brought him to Los Angeles almost 20 years ago, it was the heart-wrenching day he almost lost his son forever that put him on the path to his true calling: Advocacy. 

It is his honor and privilege to serve the families and children that hold such a close and personal space in his heart, whether through his work or his charity.

 

“Why should I use an advocate?”
— Everyone we meet

When faced with the insurmountable task of navigating the world of special needs care for your children, having every advantage is paramount. As experienced family advocates, California Advocacy Group offers parents and caregivers some much needed peace of mind. We believe that advocates should not only answer questions that a family asks, but provide answers to questions families often don't know to ask.

here are some of the best reasons to use an California Advocacy Group

 

1. Knowledge

We teach families how to access appropriate support and services for their child.

2. UNDERSTANDING

We help families understand every step of the process with clear and open communication.  

3. Speed

Our expertise can speed families through each process by knowing how the system works, and how to get a favorable outcome based on a child's needs. 

4. INTERACTION

We assist families with initiating benefits and services, completing and submitting forms, and interacting with state and county agencies on their behalf.

5. STATUS UPDATE

We inform families about the status of their services through regular calls and emails. 

6. PARTNERSHIP

We partner with families to secure necessary services and an appropriate educational placement so that a child can appropriately thrive at home, school, and in the community.

7. LEVERAGE

We leverage our resources to help families get all of the benefits their child and family are entitled to receive. 

8. STRESS RELIEF

Ultimately, we take on the mental and physical load involved in obtaining social services so that families can focus on the day to day needs of their children.

For more information on our company and our services email us at support@caadvocacygroup.com.