Rich - I need help!

[Qteruby]

My daughter was diagnosed last year. She is unemployed, has no income and no health insurance. Her doctor recommended applying for medicaid and SSI/Disability. She has been denied 3 times, and every time she gets a denial it says she might qualify for medicaid. We call medicaid and go through the process, only to be denied because supposedly they have to honor the decision SSA made. So we start all over again, with the same results.

It has been a nightmare. Getting through to speak with anyone is very frustrating, as you have to call a thousand times because it's always busy. Once the automated system picks up, you have to be on hold for over an hour, only to have the call terminated before speaking with anyone. And after all this, they deny you.

In the meantime, while we play the game, my daughter suffers. Her quality of life deteriorates. And I suffer seeing her go through this.

People should not have to go through these aggravations. Having MS should be enough! Is there any suggestion you can give us?

Thank you.

[JILLSHYE]

Hi, I had a similiar thing happen with my son who is three. He needed Medicaid (he has severe Lung Issues), and DHS told us the same thing. I had to appeal Medicaid's decision to deny my son and ask for a medical review MRT decision.

Some states use the same agency/people to make disability decisions, some don't. You can request a Medicaid hearing and have medical testimony on the person's disability, along with testimony.

You can get Medicaid Disability WITHOUT SSI disability determination. You can access legal Aid for legal support (recommended) but not necessary. The judge makes a decison, and you can also appeal this as well.

You will be asked to pursue SSI benefits while securing/maintaining Medicaid benefits, and reviews occur more frequently than SSA. There is nothing in DHS policy that states in order to get Medicaid you must be declared disabled by SSA, don't let them tell you otherwise. It just makes the process a little easier.

Ask your worker for a Medical Disability Review and Determination, and decision by MRT team. They have 90 days to determine, and you can appeal this.


** Moderator's note - Post broken into paragraphs for easier reading. Many people with MS have visual difficulties that prevent them from reading large blocks of print. **

[Rich Feingold]

Hi, Qteruby. I do recommend that your daughter hire an attorney to represent her in her Medicaid claim, e.g, a legal aid attorney, and an attorney for the Social Security disability claim. Although I do appreciate that Jillshye wants to be helpful, I suggest that you get answers regarding Medicaid questions from the attorney with whom you will meet, rather than an MSWorld member.

Rich