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Care at Home Leads to Peace of Mind and Stability
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Leo's life changed dramatically when he lost both of his lower legs to severe diabetes. He needed help with daily activities like bathing and cooking. His wife of many years dropped everything to care for him, but they knew
Leo needed professional care to be comfortable and healthy. They were also struggling financially without Leo's wife's income. Leo applied for Medicaid home and community based services so he could receive critical care at home, which would also allow his wife to go back to work. Although he went through all the right steps to apply for services, Leo's application was denied because his doctor did not complete his certification form correctly.
CLS attorney and Borchard Fellow Jenny Kye represented Leo in his appeal. She advocated with his doctor to obtain a new form that explained Leo's need for long-term care. Jenny then worked with the independent enrollment broker for Medicaid services to have to this crucial form re-submitted along with Leo's original application to avoid the application process starting over from scratch, delaying services even more. Thanks to Jenny's effective representation, Leo's application was approved quickly.
Now that Leo is receiving care at home, his wife is eager to return to work and support her family, with the peace of mind that her husband is in good hands.
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New from CLS: Mending the Safety Net
Why Pennsylvania Must Restore Its TANF Program to Protect Its Neediest Families
Twenty years ago, "welfare reform" overhauled the nation's cash assistance program for needy families with children. In changing the funding structure for cash assistance through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, Congress created very strong incentives for states to reduce their caseloads. The number of TANF recipients dropped dramatically, but not because people were escaping poverty; it was because benefits became too difficult to get, and were far too meager to support families. No longer can struggling families count on safety net programs to ensure that their children have diapers, heat, and shelter. Pennsylvania's most destitute families need the TANF program to protect them from homelessness and instability, and to help them get good jobs to escape poverty. To be truly effective, the program must change.
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The Dangers of Rent-to-Own Agreements
CLS has created a video to educate homebuyers on the dangers of rent-to-own agreements. Rent-to-own transactions present a seemingly viable option for people who have been shut out of this traditional lending market: those with low income or poor credit, or who simply can't save up the necessary funds to go to closing. In many cases, unscrupulous lenders take advantage of these homebuyers. Our video, which features CLS attorney Jennifer Schultz and her client, Wilmarie, tells the story of one rent-to-own agreement gone wrong, and educates people on the dangers of rent-to-own agreements. Community education is an important component in the fight against poverty, and we are hopeful that this video will equip homebuyers with the facts they need to navigate this process securely.
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New Social Security Policy Benefits Youth Leaving Foster Care
A new policy from the Social Security Administration (SSA) went into effect on August 1st to allow foster youth of all ages with disabilities to apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits six months before they leave care. CLS, Juvenile Law Center (JLC), and Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) advocated for this policy change, which will provide vital income to vulnerable youth as they transition out of foster care and attempt to establish stability at home or elsewhere. This new policy can also help reunifying families by providing them with an immediate source of additional financial support that they may need, thus reducing financial stresses. Click here to read more about the new policy.
CLS, JLC, and HAP created a special toolkit to help youth and the advocates who represent them take immediate advantage of this new policy and get the urgent support they need to make successful transitions. The toolkit is available at www.jlc.org/SSI or www.clsphila.org/FosterCareSSI.
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This month, PennLive published a series of articles called "Failing the Frail," which examined oversight failures and the deaths of nursing home residents. CLS has been advocating for stronger nursing home enforcement in Pennsylvania for years and released a report last summer on how the Department of Health had failed to protect nursing home residents. Since the release of our report, the Department of Health has begun to make changes to improve the quality of nursing home care, but, as this series of articles showed, there is still much work to be done. CLS attorney Sam Brooks, who authored the report, was quoted in two of the PennLive articles, one that focused on avoidable deaths being overlooked and one that examined the decline in nursing home oversight. As we work to strengthen protections for nursing home residents and monitor the progress that is being made, CLS will remain diligent and persistent in holding nursing homes and enforcement agencies accountable for patient safety.
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