Misc

The other day, I had the honor of helping a TIERS client complete the application packet that she was sent by TAA.

 

Has everyone seen these applications?  It's confusing, hard to read, several SEVERAL pages long (and people used to gripe about our current 1010's).....so I take the application from her and first I went through and highlighted the questions that applied to her in regards to Food Stamps.  She was so confused- older, couldn't see the small type very well.......we did it the best we could and sent it off to Midland.  Wonder how long it will take her to get her benefits.....

 

On the flip side, has anyone seen the packet of information that the client gets before an appointment?  Evidently, client applies and submits application to TAA - IF TAA can FIND the application and sets an appointment (phone interview, even if client has no phone!)- they send out a packet of information "pre-verification" if you will.  This one guys comes in- he's a no income, no expenses homeless man.  He gets a packet of every form imaginable- wanting verification of Railroad Retirement, Mineral and Oil Rights, etc.  He brought the packet into the office as he was very confused about what to do with the information- he was SCARED to turn it in blank, but none of it applied to him.  I'd say the man had approx 15 pieces of paper in his packet.  All irrelevent.  How is this useful?  How does ANYONE know what to pend for BEFORE talking to the client?  What kind of delay is it if say I interview a client who has turned in all that stuff, and yet I need more?  I, the interviewing worker, knows exactly what the client will need to complete his/her case.  I mean, come on- TAA operators are telling clients that they have 45 BUSINESS days to complete a Food Stamp case. 

 

Another thing that happened in another office was a client came in to request an Employment Form to get her Medicaid case completed.  She mentioned to the worker at the front that TAA told her that she had to have proof FROM HER EMPLOYER that they did NOT offer Health Insurance to her BEFORE they would certify her Medicaid case.  This is not and never has been a requirement for Medicaid.  Had we not stopped her, she'd have gone and used her gas and time to go get that unnecessary information.

 

Clients are also being told for a Food Stamp case that they must verify that their children live with them.  I've heard of clients pulling their kids OUT of school to take them to the local office so local office staff can view the children and verify that they were with the client.

 

This is client service?

 

I've also had a client who, after becoming thoroughly disgusted with 2-1-1, said that once her benefits expired, she was not reapplying- it was far too hard now to get help.

 

Is this where the savings are coming from?

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