Medicaid Appeal Hearing

I guess the court hearing was good as can be expected. Went in, met the judge and everything, let the state party do their thing to state their case and determination, and then went on to offer my statements and information as to why I was appealing. Only to find out from the woman representing the state, when I mentioned my reason for doing it was mainly because I needed help and what they put me on in place of Medicaid was not adequate for my needs.... she seemed puzzled, and then says "It doesn't seem like you are perhaps aware of this, but the State dropped funding for Medicaid. So the program you applied for actually doesn't exist anymore."

Of course, this came as an absolute shock to me. No one ever told me that, and you would think maybe it would have been mentioned when I raised hell to the idiot handling my case when it was seeming like she dropped the ball repeatedly in the process of me sending information to the New Orleans office, so they could send it to Baton Rouge office. I also found out it didn't seem like the Baton Rouge office had actually received all the documents I submitted with my application that were relevant for the case, including documents showing proof of my handicap hang tags and paperwork for Ember being a service dog. Because both the judge and the woman representing the state seemed very confused and admitted none of that information had been there... yet I had mentioned it clearly on my application, that is NOT something I would neglect to bring up. I made sure to point all of this out and point out even in the copy of the medical paperwork the state did get, there were clear mentions on several key points things that should have easily determined disability, including mentions of reoccurring injury, workplace adjustments, and reduction of hours able to attempt work and physical therapy I went through with my back problems.

So the left hand didn't know what the right hand was doing, and I made it very clear my displeasure on the way the whole situation had been handled from the start and clearly a lack of communication in the fact that I didn't even know I was basically fighting a losing cause to begin with!  It's like... okay, why are we even having a court appeal hearing about this then? At this point even if the judge determines based on everything I gave her that they should have approved me, the program no longer exists.  The state woman did apologize, and gave the impression she planned to have that looked in to and addressed as to why I was never informed, and why they were missing crucial paperwork I submitted in my original application.

So it was a moot case because the program no longer exists, but it did make the state rep aware of potential issues between their office and the New Orleans office.She also promised to send me a packet of paperwork with info on the disability app process and see if she could get me info about at least getting prescription assistance while I waited ( which was something else the NO case worker was supposed to send me and never did ). The judge was really nice and seemed open minded and receptive to what I had to say, and the state rep was real pleasant too and apologized that I had been run through a loop hole in the whole process.

It'll take several weeks for the judge to review everything and make a determination, which is expected. It is a lot to read through.

So, basically right back to square one. No medical coverage, no nothing. For those of you who helped by offering statements, thank you thank you thank you from the bottom of my heart for trying to help in time for this case. Eric, Ash, Caine, Ashley, you all went out of your way to help and it is greatly appreciated.

Anyone else who still wanted to write statements, by all means please do. Or if any of you who already did wanted to write more to elaborate please feel free.

I will still be needing these statements and others for the disability hearing once that ball is fully rolling and I go to the local social security disability office with all the mountain of paperwork I am acquiring.

So while it isn't exactly good news we were all hoping for, and the sheer aggravation toward the defects of the system make me want to break someone's face, in a way it has just fueled my fire for this and now I am more determined to move mountains than ever before.