Blog, I

WTF? This was told to my wife by the recertification worker; who just happened to come back from leave; this afternoon.

Before the medicaid section of our recertification for both Food Stamps and Medicaid coverage can be processed, he must receive picture identification of all family members, including children.

My wife took the information, but didn’t think to ask specifically what the minimum age requirement was. She was told that this was a new change required by Federal decision. This is on top of copies of all birth certificates they have on file, since they received copies…that they received years ago…again, and again…when we both applied and recertified numerous times.

This is getting assanine. Rather than argue with someone claiming to be a supervisor, I’m going to try and put some things together and work it from the top down in the food chain. NOTHING has been sent out or communicated to clients or applicants of this, let alone the fact why people have to constantly send documents that were filed to open these cases…and recertify…and recertify.

It’s a waste of taxpayer money, it’s poor business administration, and at the least there’s the question of how personal identifying documents are handled. The Florida Government must have established regulations on how long hard copies must be retained, as well as how removed and destroyed…as well as what time frame the initial information identifying that they received a true and correct copy is good in the computer system.

I mean…a person applies for Food Stamps…they give a birth certificate…they recertify…the same person…why ask for the same multiple pieces of paper over and over again, when it’s the same family, with the same children, and the children are in schools that are required to have conferences with parents.

All they need to do is confirm with the children’s school…when they confirm the parents are having contact regularly with the school as required…due to the school requiring this all to have the child in school.

Yes, it can be rationalized out that it be done, but the point is there are many families that CANNOT go through these hoops in the allotted time frames in time of cutoff dates, ESPECIALLY when calls are not taken by workers claiming later they were on vacation.

Honestly, 50% of the recertifications we’ve gone through have resulted in this same excuse! Leave of absence or training…for a week!

I’ll close this for now while I’m venting, and come up with something in draft to put to higher ups. Even though it was a setback in our budget, we were able to work through it without anything ‘falling out’ in regards to bills not being paid.

That…isn’t the case though with many families. Given a choice between feeding children, electric or phone…you know which will be the most important. The reality is if electricity gets cut off, many families are threatened they can have their children taken by Child Protective Services, and have been known to ‘bug out’ of homes.

Sad, but true.

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