More bureaucratic red tape

It's driving me mad; making me crazy!

I'm grabbing at my head about to pull my hair out and am close to losing my freaking mind over crap.

No, let me just call a spade a spade; it's not crap, it's BULLSHIT! I'm up to my lower lip in it.

I'm being clothes-lined by bureaucratic red tape. It's strangling me!

Am I PISSED OFF? Sure I am and I think rightfully so! Read on...

I'm dealing with Medicare and am not sure if I have coverage; but I have been paying into it for a year to the tune of approximately $96.00 a month automatically deducted from my monthly Social Security Disability payment. That's $1152.00 and I might not be covered. Or am I? Gary found out that the State of Ohio is also paying my monthly payment of $96.00 - a surprise to him and me and to Rita, our caseworker at Job and Family Services in Steubenville.

So let's do the math - a TOTAL OF $2304.00 is being paid into Medicare FOR ME and BY ME!

So there is some sort of double-dipping here and I can't go to a doctor and get the medical care I require due to all the uncertainty. I haven't been to a regular medical doctor, a rheumatologist, or pulmonary doctor for one year.

Before my Social Security Disability was approved I was receiving Medicaid which paid for everything medical that I needed - doctors, physical therapy, procedures (MRI, mammograms, colonoscopy, ER, hospitalizations, pulmonary care, sleep studies, etc. and prescriptions). You name it, it was paid for and there were no co-pays, no spend-downs, no deductibles - no worries!

MEDICAID IS UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE reserved for the poor and primarily for those who have no or very little monthly income and, in my case, waiting for Social Security Disability. Medicaid wasn't easy for me to get. Caseworkers are unwilling to divulge that it and many other benefits are available - that's just too much paperwork.

Many of the homeless who are waiting for their disability benefits are not aware they are eligible for disability cash assistance ($115.00 per month in Ohio), food stamps ($162.00 maximum benefit per person per month in Ohio) and Medicaid insurance. Many homeless do not have proper identification to get the benefits they deserve.

Many are misinformed by their caseworkers, as I was, but I fought - it was the third caseworker (in Cleveland) who put forth the effort in getting me my benefits. She got me back benefits too! By listening to me and putting forth an effort she found my original appointment information in the system. That appointment was from before I became homeless. I was unable to get back because the location where I applied was in a different part of town - I was without money for bus fare. End result was back payments totaling close to $700.00.

One thing this caseworker told me was that there are plenty of benefits available for the poor and homeless but, unless the applicant requests help from a specific program, caseworkers are not permitted to divulge information to the client.

The smokescreen in trying to get benefits is thick. Many of the poor and homeless accept "no you are not eligible" and give up; don't put up a fight. Many are sick and getting sicker; no energy to fight the system while health is failing.

Homelessness affects one's health - it ages a person cutting years off a person's life. I see how badly I look every time I look in the mirror - I look awful and I feel worse every day. The stress is killing me!

NEWSFLASH: 11:30 a. m. Monday - Rita from the Steubenville office of Jefferson County Department of Job and Family Services just called. She took the time to delve further into my file and found out that the State of Ohio is not paying my Medicare premium as previously reported. Oh, what should I believe anymore?

I do appreciate Rita though; she is kind and wishes she could do more to help but her hands are tied too. Benefits are determined by income and she has to go by the guidelines imposed by government.

I just opened my mail from Job and Family Services. Now it's in writing that I was denied for State of Ohio paid "QUALIFIED MEDICARE BENEFICIARY (QMB)" Reason: INCOME REPORTED EXCEEDS THE PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY STANDARDS. We based this action on OHIO ADMINISTRATIVE CODE, Rule 07431."

Okay, it's in writing and HELL I KNEW THIS SO WHY ALL THE CONFUSION?

Poverty is by design; it's control over the masses, the gigantic thumb pushing forcefully down on the poor holding them there, making people sick-keeping them sick. It's a vicious cycle; the dog chases its tail and will never get hold of it.

In May, Social Security Disability and SSI recipients will get a one time payment of $250.00 in addition to the monthly benefit check. Food stamp recipients will receive an additional 13% in allotment per month (which boils down to an additional box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in the shopping cart). WOW, HOW GENEROUS!

Brian Davis, Executive Director of the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, feels that "The Obama Administration championed the extra $250 that everyone on disability will be receiving in the next month. Some might think that this is a positive, but I view it more as an insult and results in a lowering of their grade. I mean, these individuals have to figure out how to live on a small amount of money, and now the government is sending them a few coins to go out and spend. How about an increase in the disability check every month so that these Americans are not doomed to poverty for the rest of their lives?"

I am in total agreement with Mr. Davis!

Sure Gary and I are both eligible for that extra $250.00 and are looking forward to that measly one time payment. But we both have a major fight on our hands and that is to see to it that we have more than adequate health care coverage, to be able to get medical treatment and our prescriptions with out having doctors offices calling us and canceling our appointments because we are not in the system.

I have some phone calls to make and will be on the phone for hours trying to get this Medicare issue resolved. My prescription coverage was dropped because I signed up for a PPO rather than an HMO so the state won't pay for my prescription coverage.

When that extra $250.00 comes I might have to give my neighbor a few bucks of it so she can pick up a case of industrial strength butt lube with aloe for me at Cosco.

The fight continues for Gary and me as our health is dramatically failing!

And yes - I'm rather punchy at the moment!

More on President Obama's News Conference

Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless comments

Brian Davis, Executive Director of NEOCH offers his viewpoint here.

Homelessness: Clip from Obama news conference

Glad it was brought up...

I was listening from another room when I heard a reporter ask President Obama about addressing homelessness. I grabbed my camera, focused it on the TV screen and this is what I got on video.

The president talked about programs for the unemployed; to get people back to work. He mentions the homeless veterans too.

From my own personal experience, I met more disabled homeless than unemployed homeless people in Cleveland and until the Social Security Administration starts paying attention, carefully reading the medical files of those who apply, there will still be people losing their homes waiting for 2 years before an administrative law judge hears their cases.

The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless offers a take on distribution of funding for the homeless.

President Obama is taking a stand; we must too by writing letters to our representatives and pressing them on the issues of Social Security denials for disability.

Happenings on the home front

I definitely have something to say about...

Why did Nationwide quit being on my side? - In the final planning stages of buying my home, I had to arrange for homeowner’s insurance. I chose to go with Nationwide Insurance and catching up with my former agent (Dick).

WELLLLLLLLLLL, my homeowner’s payment is finally due (after one year of home ownership - yea!) so I called Dick’s office and asked when am I getting my bill? Seems like my policy was going to expire at midnight March 19 (last night) with denial of renewal BECAUUUUUUUUSE of repairs not being done (as requested by Nationwide) on my house and patio. Nationwide was dropping me!

Well, it’s a good thing I called because I DIDN’T GET THE MEMO ON THIS!!!!!

My agent is a cool dude; it’s not his fault. He just writes policies and it is not his job to police unless one of his clients calls with a complaint.

Twice last year I got notices in the mail from Nationwide that a company inspector was snooping around on my property (without me being aware of it) and wrote up items that were considered hazards. The letter stated that the repairs were to be made by a certain date or risk cancellation of my policy.

I have absolutely no idea how this woman managed to come onto my property without being noticed. There was quite a bit of activity and plenty of people on the premises; all who never saw her.

Gary and I knew what needed done to the house and we made up a ‘to do’ list. Interior was on the higher priority with exterior on the lower priority list.

On the lower priority list: the outside staircase leading to the upstairs apartment had a loose handrail; rusted - simple fix requiring a bracket. We had it fixed; the agent came out and took a picture and e-mailed it to Nationwide.

That isn’t what the inspector wanted fixed; it was another railing - a cosmetic repair was what she was concerned about so we fixed that.

Then she slithered onto the property again; when? - we don’t know because, once again, no one saw her. “The structural integrity is compromised” on where the patio roof is attached to the garage so either replace or repair before March 2009 or risk cancellation of the homeowner’s policy. It was chipped paint from small leaks in the roof.

Dick happened to stop by to take a picture of the final repair to the staircase and I showed him the letter about the patio - the letter came in the mail that day but we had already repaired the roof. Dick inspected what this woman claimed was wrong and he saw nothing structurally threatening.

I’ve never had problems with them in the past but I definitely have problems with someone trespassing on my property. Maybe I didn’t get the letter prior to these inspections but, what excuse does this inspector have for not knocking on our door and announcing her presence?

I have been reinstated but I am considering dropping Nationwide like a bomb on a Nevada atomic test site.

The calls to 1-900-HOT BABE - My house has an apartment upstairs that I rent out to construction workers that come into the area to work at the First Energy power plant 3 miles north of us. It helps pay the bills for all the work that the house needs plus the mortgage.

That's the good thing.

The apartment is completely furnished with utilities included plus a washer/dryer combo. bed linen, dishes, cookware, basic cable, 19" color TV with VCR/DVD combo - all the comforts of home. It's sweet! Most of the guys who have been tenants have been very respectful of my property.

Since Gary was once a "road warrior" in his days as a union carpenter, he had the 'brilliant' idea to provide unlimited local and long distance service for upstairs. We have a package deal of two lines plus high speed DSL at a sweet price.

Well, we got a phone bill after one of the tenants left for $679.00 for a total of 9 phone calls (all the same night) to two different 'date' lines. We now have a block on the upstairs phone - live and learn. We thought that charges to 900 numbers would require a major credit card. Apparently not.

I was able to track down the former tenant and he has paid $500.00 so far towards the phone bill.

If this would have happened 35 years ago, I could have given him directions to the Modern Spa in Steubenville where he could have 'bundled' the hand-jive with add-ons for about $150.00. Inflated times we are living in now!!!!

'Ole Bessie' will be running soon! - That truck Gary found for us in East Cleveland for $500.00 has been sitting on the pad since a few days before Christmas. The transmission - dead; and I was 10 miles from home when it happened. Had to get the truck towed.

The nice Steubenville cop who made the call for me is the son of one of my high school teachers. He was just just a little boy when his dad was vice-principal and my sociology teacher.

The cop went to college at the University of Akron where he majored in business. He did the corporate thing and said being a cop was less stressful.

Anyway, we got another tenant upstairs (after nearly a two month vacancy) so the trany has been pulled and another one will be installed next week.

You need to get out more often! - When I graduated from art school, I had to leave the area to get a job in commercial art - the jobs weren't here. Going to school in Pittsburgh exposed me to a variety of cultures -nationalities, races, religions - that weren't prevalent here.

Now remember this as you read on - Pittsburgh is only 40 miles away but like it might as well be another planet.

My friend Joanna and I were discussing this in the grocery store one day (I was ranting about the inavailablity of some of my favorite pantry staples) plus, since we both had been away for thirty or more years, we know what the 'real world' out there is like.

Joanna and I are alike - both rebels - and we like progress and we just feel that too many people 'here' are just too set in their ways. Joanna (a former member of the MET Opera chorus) feels that everyone, upon graduation from high school should be required to leave town - or the valley - for 5 or so years to experience life in the real world. I agree.

Anyway, I have a new tenant who works for the county and yesterday we were having conversation and I said that one thing I miss is the cultural diversity that living in a metropolitan area offers. He asked what I meant so I told him about the people I met and the friends that I made.

"Are your Muslim friends radical?" he asked.

My one friend Kemal is a Cleveland RTA bus driver, born in the Bronx and is a Yankees fan. Whenever he spotted me walking, he used to slow down, open the door and yell, "The Tribe Sucks!" I dunno - is that radical? Nope, just a New Yorker.

Jack Scalia said to me, "The Tribe Sucks!" but I guess that's okay - he's Sicilian; from Brooklyn - and a Yankees fan. He just doesn't drive for RTA.

When my tenant started to talk about my friends' religion, I was so very tempted to suggest the book that my friend Sam recommends - "Islam for Dummies" but I have the feeling this guy would have thought this would have been my attempt of insulting him. I doubt he knows about the " for Dummies" series of books.

Ok, maybe I am being snarky.

Then my tenant asked, "You're not a LIBERAL, are you?"

Let's see - I'm a registered Democrat but don't necessarily vote a straight ticket; it all depends on the issue at hand and......

Maybe I'm confused but would like to think that - with my forever shorting out frontal lobe - I don't have a small mind, a liberal mind or a conservative mind; I just know it's one that doesn't always work well.

Just pay your rent on time, Pal. That's all I'm concerned about.

And yes, I am being snarky.

My little Guardian Angel - All Goldie really has to worry about is Mommy - is Mommy going to get me some tuna? Is Mommy going to fill my dry food bowl (it's Fiestaware and he deserves the finest oven safe stoneware).

My best boy walked me to and from the store the other night. He waited for me outside.

He's taking his nap now - I just took this picture of him.

Lucky little guy.