I am in the process of renewing my Medicare Extra Help benefits. I can tell you that the stress levels are very high! If I wasn't desperate for the financial help I would have quit months ago. Yes! It has taken since Oct. of 2023 to renew that claim, spending hours and dollars, and being originally rejected, not because of eligibility, but for supposed non-profit cooperation! That after spending $30 dollars just to send by overnight mail documents that I didn't even get the request for until the day before. That doesn't count the notary public fees, or the request for me to take a vehicle, that I haven't had possession of since 2020, to a car dealer, to get an appraisal on, to my caseworker. My case worker, being a minority seemed verbally resentful that I, a white person was applying for anything. I shudder to think what her burden of proof would have been, if I had requested an EBT card for food, since before even knowing what my certifiable income was, she flat out said over the phone, "I can tell you right now you aren't eligible for food assistance!" Being politically active, I finally contacted the offices of my State Senator and State Representative and only through their intervention have I been temporarily reinstated back to March 1st. while a new case worker is in the process officially of renewing my eligibility!
For others, not politically connected, I have been told by a social worker I know, that at least mine is listed by the Dept as in process, because many others like mine, are not even that far! Pity the gentleman that they are requiring to prove he has abortion insurance coverage on himself like his caseworker is requiring, she said!
I am in the process of renewing my Medicare Extra Help benefits. I can tell you that the stress levels are very high! If I wasn't desperate for the financial help I would have quit months ago. Yes! It has taken since Oct. of 2023 to renew that claim, spending hours and dollars, and being originally rejected, not because of eligibility, but for supposed non-profit cooperation! That after spending $30 dollars just to send by overnight mail documents that I didn't even get the request for until the day before. That doesn't count the notary public fees, or the request for me to take a vehicle, that I haven't had possession of since 2020, to a car dealer, to get an appraisal on, to my caseworker. My case worker, being a minority seemed verbally resentful that I, a white person was applying for anything. I shudder to think what her burden of proof would have been, if I had requested an EBT card for food, since before even knowing what my certifiable income was, she flat out said over the phone, "I can tell you right now you aren't eligible for food assistance!" Being politically active, I finally contacted the offices of my State Senator and State Representative and only through their intervention have I been temporarily reinstated back to March 1st. while a new case worker is in the process officially of renewing my eligibility!
For others, not politically connected, I have been told by a social worker I know, that at least mine is listed by the Dept as in process, because many others like mine, are not even that far! Pity the gentleman that they are requiring to prove he has abortion insurance coverage on himself like his caseworker is requiring, she said!