A government agency's attempt to reduce the shelter allowance of a disabled woman has prompted the state Court of Appeals to take up what advocates for low-income New Yorkers say is an important access-to-justice issue for individuals before state government.

In Matter of Solla v. Berlin, 24, the court is being asked whether the state's Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) requires that people whose legal actions result in state agencies voluntarily granting them relief are entitled to reasonable attorney fees, even though they have no final, favorable judgment as proof of their success.

The court is being urged to give a liberal interpretation to the EAJA by the New York City Bar Association, the Legal Aid Society of New York City, the New York Civil Liberties Union and by state Assemblyman Robin Schimminger, a Kenmore Democrat who sponsored the legislation establishing the EAJA in 1989.