Friday, January 19, 2007

Comment left by client......comments?

i have read several of your blogs, and would like to contribute some thoughts from the other side of the coin. being a single mother of two children, one of which is handicapped, i would beg that you and your co-workers, the good ones, the ones who really truly care about the people who come to them for help, will respond, and let me know how we change this system. i have no doubt what-so-ever that when the federal assistant programs were started by the FDR administration, today's end result is NOT what was intended at all. i work. have worked up to 3 jobs at a time. because my son's disability is very expensive, i have no choice but to make sure he stays eligible for his medicaid. its not a fact im proud of, quite the contrary actually. but its a fact all the same. which means SSI dictates how much money i can make and still allow my son to be eligible for the benifits that are necessary for his life...yet, i only qualified for $107 per month worth of food stamps. my childrens father , who owes over $35,000 in child support and REFUSES to work, and has 4 other children he refuses to support, lives with 2 of his children and his common law wife, and they get SSI, social security disability, and nearly $600 a month in food stamps. have money for beer. they eat steak all the time. my kids are lucky to have hamburger helper. someone please tell me how this is fair? now, because i refuse to lie, i dont qualify at all. nothing. still cant make more money, or loose my son's medicaid. so how do i feed my children? why does the system force us to lie? why does the system reward laziness, yet punishes those of us who WANT to work? i dont understand. and honestly, it pisses me off. not at you workers. i get that you follow rules. i get that you are frustrated with the system. but i dont get why we cant work together to change it...to make it right. to make it fair. im glad i stumbled across this blog. it makes me happy to know there are some HHSC workers who give a damn. tell me who to write..who to call....how do we change what obviously does not work? i have a friend who works for HHSC..i know he is so frustrated with the way things are. he gets angry with me because i wont lie. i wont just do what he tells me to do in order to get benifits. i just cant do it that way. i know he is one of the good guys. and i know he cant be alone out there. thanks for letting me vent. maybe some day this system will return to what it was meant to be. a helping hand. not a hand out. not a free ride. help those of us who desperately need assistance, and make those who refuse to work, refuse to even try, fend for themselves. i know that sounds harsh. but im sick of paying medicaid taxes out of every check i make for some lazy jerk who wants nothing more than a few more kids so the benifits go up for doing nothing. ITS WRONG. plain and simple. you all have the power to make those in charge understand...its time


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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just came across this blog myself today. As a single parent with children, I understand your frustration. You mentioned in your blog that as an HHSC employee, we have the power to make those in charge understand. You also have the power to change federal policy in regards to Medicaid and Food Stamps requirements. As an employee who has been against the new eligibility system, I have made a step to contact my state representative and U.S. Congressman. So, please make contact with your state representatives. Unfortunately, as a worker we must adhere to federal and state policy when testing to see how much benefits are issued to a customer. This is based on specific (based on the program you are applying for) gross income guidelines. I have seen many honest hard working people come into my office for help but become frustrated when they only receive small amount of Food Stamps when other customers with less income and more children receive larger Food Stamp allotments. So, as an HHSC employee, I am in your court but to change policy requires not only input from HHSC staff but from everyone. The main reason why we are in this mess is that only a small number of employees and customers took up the fight to slow down intergrated eligiblity. Let's hope everyone, joins to stop the madness.

Anonymous said...

What the previous poster stated is correct. The best you can do for others is to speak up within the political channels available. Be brave, not a lot of people want to hear anything from "welfare recipients". They think they should just shut up and appreciate what they do get. You - and others in your situation - and we, HHSC staff (who see that the majority of benefits go to the truly needy) must continue to push for change no matter how frustrated we become.

But most importantly, CONTINUE to report your situation accurately. Your friend may mean well, but think about what your integrity is saying to your children. More than our words, our actions testify to our children. The high-road means you will not get as many benefits as those who cheat. It means you have to fight even harder to get by. But please remember that what you do, day in and day out, will speak volumes to your children and to the world.

Best wishes in your fight.

Anonymous said...

I'd like to add that any client that feels their case was done incorrectly or is not right- has the right to appeal.

It's imperative to do this if you disagree with the case action.

I'd also like to point out that yes, sometimes someone else is seeming to "get over"- there will ALWAYS be someone who is over the income limit, or not eligible for "enough"- without knowing your specific situation, it's hard to know if the case was worked correctly.

And, as with anyone else- if you feel like someone else is getting something they are not entitled to due to fraud, you have every right to report that. Anonymously if you feel the need to do that.