# Tip Source Audit — Phase 4 of 6

**Category:** Legal Rights  
**Rows reviewed:** 23 of 23  
**Verification date:** August 2, 2026  
**Source standard:** Current official statutes, agency guidance, court resources, and regulator/program pages.

## Result summary

- **Verified current:** 10
- **Verified with corrections:** 12
- **Verified with a material caution:** 1
- **Removed as false or inactive:** 0

## Material public-card corrections

- **Medical-debt collection:** clarified that the wage-garnishment and primary-home-lien prohibition applies to hospitals and covered health-care professionals. Bank levies and debts moved to ordinary credit products or other creditors can be treated differently.
- **Frozen bank accounts:** added the official 2026 EIPA figures—$4,080 protected in each individual account in NYC, Long Island and Westchester, and $3,840 elsewhere—plus the protection for 90% of recent wages.
- **Foreclosure help:** changed “get a free lawyer” to the more supportable “get free foreclosure help.” HOPP provides free counseling/legal resources, while covered residential cases generally receive a court settlement conference.
- **Wage theft:** removed the implication that every successful claim automatically doubles. Liquidated damages, interest and penalties depend on the facts and enforcement route.
- **Utility shutoff:** added the concrete 30-day medical-emergency continuation rule after proper certification.
- **Security deposits:** corrected the card to state that the strict 14-day return/itemization rule described by the Attorney General applies to **non-rent-regulated** units.
- **Good Cause Eviction:** added the covered-rent threshold—the lower of 10% or 5% plus CPI—and made clear that geography and exemptions matter.
- **Rent overcharges:** changed guaranteed triple recovery to **possible** treble damages when HCR finds a willful overcharge.
- **External health appeals:** added the generally applicable four-month consumer filing deadline.
- **DCWP complaints:** removed the promise that the city will pursue or obtain a refund; DCWP may mediate or enforce, but restitution is not guaranteed.
- **Auto insurance:** separated no-fault arbitration from general auto-insurance complaints.
- **Usury:** added the major exceptions for banks, credit cards, larger loans and many business transactions.

## Row-by-row audit

| # | Program | Status | Audit finding | Official sources |
|---:|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York hospital financial assistance law | verified current | Current DOH page (revised May 2026) confirms uniform application and eligibility through 400% FPL for qualifying patients; individual hospitals may be more generous. | [1](https://www.health.ny.gov/facilities/hospital/financial_assist/)<br>[2](https://www.health.ny.gov/facilities/hospital/financial_assist/patient_info/) |
| 2 | Medical-debt wage and home protections | verified with correction | Narrowed the public summary: hospitals and covered providers cannot garnish wages or lien a primary residence, but bank levies and debts converted to ordinary credit products or held by other creditors can be treated differently. | [1](https://ag.ny.gov/resources/individuals/health-care-insurance/Reporting-medical-debt) |
| 3 | Medical debt credit-reporting ban | verified with caution | The enacted state prohibition remains on the books and OAG directs consumers to dispute medical tradelines; a 2025 Department of State alert notes litigation-related uncertainty, so the caution label remains. | [1](https://ag.ny.gov/resources/individuals/health-care-insurance/Reporting-medical-debt)<br>[2](https://dos.ny.gov/news/consumer-alert-new-yorkers-opt-medical-credit-cards-and-third-party-loans-pay-medical-debt-0) |
| 4 | EIPA bank-account and wage protections | verified with correction | Added the official 2026 EIPA figures: $4,080 automatically protected per individual account in NYC, Long Island and Westchester; $3,840 elsewhere. New York also protects 90% of wages earned in the prior 60 days. | [1](https://ag.ny.gov/resources/individuals/credit-debt-lending/funds-protected-debt-collection) |
| 5 | Surprise-billing protections | verified current | DFS confirms covered surprise bills and hospital emergency bills are limited to in-network cost sharing; scope depends on plan type and circumstances. | [1](https://www.dfs.ny.gov/consumers/health_insurance/surprise_medical_bills) |
| 6 | NYC Right to Counsel | verified current | NYC confirms free legal advice or representation for tenants facing eviction in Housing Court or NYCHA proceedings, in every ZIP code and regardless of immigration status. | [1](https://www.nyc.gov/site/hra/help/legal-services-for-tenants.page)<br>[2](https://www.nyc.gov/site/mayorspeu/resources/right-to-counsel.page) |
| 7 | NYC foreclosure conference and HOPP | verified with correction | Softened the card from a guaranteed free lawyer to free foreclosure help. HOPP counseling/legal resources are free, and covered owner-occupied residential cases generally receive a mandatory settlement conference. | [1](https://www.nycourts.gov/problem-solving-justice-division/foreclosure-information-homeowners)<br>[2](https://hcr.ny.gov/foreclosure-prevention-0) |
| 8 | Wage-theft recovery | verified with correction | Softened the guaranteed equal-penalty headline. Unpaid wages may be accompanied by liquidated damages, interest and civil penalties, but the remedy depends on the enforcement route and facts. | [1](https://dol.ny.gov/minimum-wage-information-employers)<br>[2](https://dol.ny.gov/unpaidwithheld-wages-and-wage-supplements) |
| 9 | HEFPA utility shutoff protections | verified with correction | Added the concrete medical-emergency rule: after proper notice/certification, a regulated utility must continue service for 30 days; renewal and inability-to-pay rules apply. | [1](https://dps.ny.gov/node/5396) |
| 10 | 14-day security-deposit rule | verified with correction | Corrected an important scope issue: the strict 14-day return/itemization rule described by OAG applies to non-rent-regulated units. Rent-regulated deposits follow different timing rules. | [1](https://ag.ny.gov/publications/residential-tenants-rights-guide) |
| 11 | Public-benefit fair hearings | verified current | OTDA confirms aid continuing generally requires a hearing request before the notice effective date; if notice was late, requesting within 10 days of postmark can preserve benefits. Repayment may be required if the appellant loses. | [1](https://otda.ny.gov/hearings/request/)<br>[2](https://otda.ny.gov/programs/applications/4148A-DD.html) |
| 12 | Good Cause Eviction | verified with correction | Added coverage and threshold details: mandatory in NYC and opt-in elsewhere; for covered units, increases above the lower of 10% or 5% plus CPI are presumptively unreasonable. Major exemptions apply. | [1](https://ag.ny.gov/publications/new-york-state-good-cause-eviction-law)<br>[2](https://hcr.ny.gov/node/61781) |
| 13 | Consumer Credit Fairness Act / time-barred debt | verified current | Confirmed CPLR 214-i: actions arising from covered consumer credit transactions generally must begin within three years, and later payment or acknowledgment does not revive an expired limitations period. | [1](https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CVP/214-I)<br>[2](https://www.nycourts.gov/consumer-credit-reform) |
| 14 | Debt-collection validation and harassment protections | verified current | Confirmed federal and New York harassment/deception restrictions. Kept the validation concept but avoided implying that every collector must produce every document before any payment under all circumstances. | [1](https://ag.ny.gov/resources/individuals/credit-debt-lending/debt-settlement)<br>[2](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/debt-collection/) |
| 15 | NYC rent-overcharge complaint | verified with correction | Changed the public hook from guaranteed recovery to possible recovery. HCR may order refund/rent reduction, and a willful overcharge may lead to treble damages. | [1](https://hcr.ny.gov/rent-increases-and-rent-overcharge) |
| 16 | New York used-car lemon law | verified current | OAG confirms the used-car law covers qualifying dealer sales/leases and can lead to no-cost repairs, arbitration and possibly a refund; mileage, price, use and covered-part rules are substantial. | [1](https://ag.ny.gov/resources/individuals/car-auto/used-car-lemon-law-fact-sheet) |
| 17 | Health-plan external appeal rights | verified with correction | Added the critical four-month deadline from the first final adverse determination or waiver. External appeal applies only to qualifying denial grounds. | [1](https://www.dfs.ny.gov/complaints/file_external_appeal) |
| 18 | NYC DCWP consumer complaint | verified with correction | Removed the implication that DCWP will pursue or obtain every refund. Complaints are reviewed and may be mediated; enforcement or restitution is not guaranteed. | [1](https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/file-complaint.page)<br>[2](https://www.nyc.gov/site/dca/consumers/resolve-complaint.page) |
| 19 | Tenant heat and utility rights | verified current | Confirmed that 311 complaints can trigger HPD inspection/enforcement. The card now describes an official record rather than promising a particular landlord response. | [1](https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/services-and-information/heat-and-hot-water-information.page) |
| 20 | NYS Attorney General Health Care Bureau | verified current | OAG confirms the helpline assigns advocates or refers complaints and can contact plans/providers; no individual outcome is guaranteed. | [1](https://ag.ny.gov/resources/individuals/health-care-insurance/health-care-helpline) |
| 21 | NYC burial assistance | verified current | Current HRA page confirms up to $1,700, a $3,400 funeral-bill limit calculation, and a 120-day application deadline. | [1](https://www.nyc.gov/site/hra/help/burial-assistance.page) |
| 22 | Auto-insurance complaint and arbitration | verified with correction | Clarified that eligible no-fault denials/nonresponses can go to AAA arbitration, DFS complaint or court. Other auto-claim disputes do not automatically qualify for no-fault arbitration. | [1](https://www.dfs.ny.gov/complaints/file_no_fault_arbitration)<br>[2](https://www.dfs.ny.gov/complaint) |
| 23 | New York usury protections | verified with correction | Narrowed the statement because usury law has major exceptions. Unlicensed nonbank personal loans can be subject to 16% civil and 25% criminal limits, while banks, credit cards, larger loans and many business transactions differ. | [1](https://ag.ny.gov/publications/payday-loans)<br>[2](https://www.dfs.ny.gov/legal/interpret/lo060613.htm) |

## Publication rule

These entries are educational summaries, not legal advice. Users should act quickly when a notice or deadline is involved and seek a lawyer or the listed agency when the outcome could affect housing, income, health care, property, or court rights.

Phase 5 will audit all 27 Income, Training and Employment tips, with special attention to current openings, wage notices, competitive admissions and placement claims.