Estate Stuff

Last Saturday marked 90 days since Mom passed due to complications from her stroke. I think about her daily and nothing is  getting any easier. On this beautiful morning here in  North Texas, I am inside working on letters trying to handle crap that has come up in the last week.

If you have Bank Of America, know that anything you set up before death won't work thanks to their estate unit down in Tampa, Florida. They will request information they already have, move your case between folks that refuse to give their name and will even give you a fake name, and other issues. So, if things are supposed to happen and your account is supposed to go to a loved one, it won't.

Social Security will send out a letter after their recovery unit starts taking back SS money and will ask that you call and inform them why their money is being returned. Do not call! They will not talk to you. Write a letter.

Medicare will send you a premium notice demanding you call and discuss the situation immediately. Same deal. Write a letter.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Nearly everyone involved since her passing has worked to make all of this harder than it has to be.

I Need To Start A Life Of Crime

as there is a lot....

As Seen Elsewhere

and very true.....

I'm beyond disgusted.  It was bad enough under Texas rules that Sandi did not qualify for Texas medicaid despite the fact that she has terminal cancer leaving us on the hook for thousands of dollars her insurance won't cover because of this or that technicality. Or the fact that because they count her small Social Security Disability (SSD) payment and mine and that means I apparently no longer qualify for Medicare reimbursement which means I am now going to be responsible for not only my Medicare premium each month, but at least 200 dollars more in medication costs. More than half of my SSD each month will now go to the Medicare premuim and the drug costs of the medications I am currently on.

We still don't have our food stamps for this month. If the unthinkable happens and the default is triggered, as it stands now, we won't receive our SSD next month and that means we won't be able to pay our rent. We will be homeless--it truly is that simple.

Like millions of other Americans, while this nonsense goes on, we suffer. I don't care which party you support or why. This is no way to run a government or the country. Remember who did what and hold them accountable when it is time to vote again.

Rent PAID!!!

With a big time thank you to those that helped us out again this month, the rent is now paid with very few dollars to spare. Hopefully, by the end of the month Sandi's disability will finally be approved by the state and the feds and she will finally start receiving much needed disability payments and help with her enormous medical bills. We keep hoping the system will work as she is now way past the four month period it was suppsoed to take to approve her expedited case.

Thank you again for saving us with our apartment once more.

Sandi and Social Security Disability Interview

Sandi had her three hour plus interview with a representative of MASH for Social Security Disability this morning. It only covered the last two years of her medical stuff as there is so much to document on that. They will pull the records going back another fifteen years.

This MASH thing is supposed to expedite the process for patients such as Sandi with advanced cancer and other serious conditions. Whether or not this actually saves time as sixty days have already passed since she first filed for all this through the doctor's office, as part of this expetdited process, remains to be seen.

All it seems to have done for sure, at this point, is exhaust her so she has gone back to bed for a nap.

Paperwork

While we still do not know our food stamp status and Texas Medicaid has still not paid the cancer doctor for part of the treatment for Sandi from way earlier this year, I received today the official form to request help from TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES with Medicare Part B. As expected, the nineteen page form duplicates information they already have had for us going back over two years. It also duplicates every single thing the Social Security Administration requested and verified. 

 

Took two hours for me to complete and another hour plus to copy all the records so they could have them again. The postage paid envelope they sent is way too small for the application, let alone the supporting documents, so it took some doing to get everything in there. Finally did it with Karl's help. It now sits on the kitchen table waiting to go out tomorrow on its journey to Midland, Texas in the far western side of the state. With the holiday next week, I doubt if it will make it to anyone's desk until late next week.

 

Hopefully, once they get it, it will move right through the system and is quickly approved. I need every penny I can have of my disability check so being approved would be a big help.

Kevin

Update on Things---Dealing with TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Back in late November I wrote about how I had finally gotten approved for assistance for Medicare Part D by the Social Security Administration.  It took a while longer, but, I now know in general terms what kind of basic help I will receive on my medication costs. Anything helps and this will help me. Late last week I applied online for the program I wanted for drug coverage after overriding in the system (I think) the program that they had automatically put me into.

No surprise that the program they were automatically putting me into--something offered through AARP---had restrictive drug quantity limits and would not cover one of the drugs I am on for my high blood pressure and congestive heart failure. Having played drug roulette before where my blood pressure meds were changed due to insurance nonsense with the result I wound up in the hospital, I have no interest in doing that again.  

Back when I was working I used to scare folks because sometimes I would be beet red in the face and other times I would be as pale as a ghost. People I worked with tended to notice that sort of thing. It isn’t something you can hide like trying not to limp even when your leg and back are hurting big time. I have weird blood pressure issues where I can easily soar sky high (over two hundred) and then drop to below a hundred twenty minutes later. Basically, it is a roller-coaster effect and I have to be on meds that handle that sort of thing. Therefore, I went with a program that appears to not only be cheaper than the program they picked for me but also--at least for now--covers my drugs. It is going to be another ten days or so before I know if I got in and when coverage starts.

Like I said, anything helps. If things go the way I want, this will help.

Dealing with TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES remains far more difficult than it should be or is necessary. Appeal letters went out today trying again to get us back on food stamps and Medicaid for Sandi and Scott. Somehow, and probably because of the original foul-up with Social Security, they have Sandi making a very nice income. I have provided proof again that the figure is/was wrong. I have also provided again documented proof that she is out on UNPAID medical leave and, in addition to other issues, is facing some sort of cardiac surgery to remove the thing from her chest wall slightly behind her heart. I have sent proof to the various people at the various levels who have handled the case incorrectly in the hopes that one of them can fix his or her error and thus restore our much needed food stamps and their Medicaid coverage.

I also included the latest bill from the cancer doctor as Texas Medicaid has not paid that. Now the bill has risen to 847 dollars and with more cancer treatment most likely needed in the upcoming weeks it needs to be paid by them ASAP.

What really took the cake with Texas HHSC was the deal we got yesterday. As I explained back in late November, I had been denied by Texas HHSC for help with Medicare Part B because I had failed to fill out an application. Being certified by the feds wasn’t good enough for the state folks. Also, the family being on food stamps with the same agency having financial records and every other thing on us going back two years plus was not good enough. I had to fill out another application for that and I hadn’t done so. Of course, one can’t fill out an application if one does not get one. So, I appealed the decision--pointed out the obvious problem that NO APPLICATION ever arrived--and requested an application.

I continued to request an application from each person in a different office in the state as the case was assigned a hearing officer, a date and time, etc. I kept pointing out there was no need for a hearing at this point as all I really needed was an application. I finally got my application yesterday.

In SPANISH.

After repeatedly requesting it and never once using anything other than ENGLISH, they sent me a multi-page horrendously long form all in SPANISH.  I can’t read Spanish. I can’t write Spanish. I do not understand anything sent to me in Spanish. My Spanish understanding consists of two obscenities. Two obscenities that I will not repeat here and are not found on any government forms to the best of my knowledge.

I have requested this morning an application in my native language of English.

Next time you see Texas Governor Perry on television talking about waste of tax dollars and how the state of Texas will not participate in the expansion of Medicaid because the state can set up things so much better than federal folks, think about us. Think about what we went through and have been going through to get the very little bit of assistance this state provides to their neediest residents. Residents, who, through no fault of their own, got sick, can’t continue to work, and need help.

Think about how Texas ranks number one in the number of people without insurance. Think about how Texas ranks at near the bottom on education and a number of other things. Think about us and what we have gone through and are still going through.

It just isn’t right. It is bad enough to be sick, disabled, etc. but those in charge make things much worse and much harder than they have to be.

Kevin

Medicare Appeal Deal

Medicare is seriously confusing. I wrote a couple of weeks ago about how I had applied for assistance with Medicare Part B and assistance with Part D.  Right now I have no part D (the drug part) and pay $100 a month for Part B. I talked about how I had filed out paperwork to get assistance. I had thought I was applying for help with Part B ---so that I didn’t pay $100 a month. Instead, I was applying for help with Part D and that was what had been denied.

Apparently help with Part B is up to the state of Texas which recently denied me saying I hadn’t filed out an application. Of course, one can’t fill out an application if one does not get one. But, that is a separate issue. Our food stamps have been cutoff due to another error by them so it isn’t surprising this is messed up as well.

After appealing the recent Social Security decision against me and providing Sandi’s paystubs again as well as her copies of her unpaid medical leave paperwork as requested by an office of Social Security up in Baltimore, I got the decision today. They have thankfully reversed course and finally approved me.

This means I am now approved for some sort of financial help to purchase the MEDICARE PART D deal. How much a month I have no idea at all, but anything will be a huge help.

So, now I have to spend some time working through government websites and trying to figure out which plan will work for me. Hopefully, I will be notified how much in assistance I am eligible for before the signup cutoff date of December 7.

I am also going to photocopy the Social Security approval letter and send it to the same state government people who denied me because I supposedly failed to fill out their application (one I never got) and see if anything can be done.

Kevin

Couple of Things

I know there has not been any reviews in the last couple of days. I am working on them. Just been kind of busy here with various deals. So, more reviews are coming.

I mentioned last week I would be under Medicare as of Saturday. That has happened and I now have  an appointment with my cardiologist for next Wednesday morning bright and early.  This is an office visit only. I expect him to order the usual tests and those will have to be set up. No doubt an echo cardiogram and blood work for sure.

I am hoping to avoid the chemical stress test, but time will tell on that. Since I can't walk, a traditional stress test is out of the question. I have had the chemical version a couple of times and it is no fun. So, I hope to avoid that if at all possible.

Once this stuff is done and we know where I am cardiac wise, I hope to be able to do something to at least help with the pain on the back and leg deal. I am not looking forward to being poked and prodded, but it is nice to be able to get seen health wise again.



Kevin

LEXICON and Other Thoughts

You know it is a bad sign when neighbors who have not seen you in awhile make the point of coming up the balcony stairs to ask if you are okay or need to go to the hospital. That happened to me yesterday morning while I sat on the porch and again this morning. It also happened last Wednesday afternoon when Karl and I got back from an errand to downtown Dallas. I was absolutely exhausted and in tremendous pain from making the drive down for him and spending hours there. When we finally got home I could barely get out of the car with Karl pulling on me. A neighbor who hadn't seen me in about two weeks took one look and came flying over to check on me.

I do appreciate all the concern, but it does wear on one to be told how bad one looks. I have mirrors and can see what I look like. No, it isn't good. It is what it is and that has caused another frustration as I simply can't do what I wanted to do.  LEXICON is this weekend up in Denton, Texas. I had hoped to be there. Sadly, it just is not physically possible for me. The last several weeks have seen a definite worsening of my health so I let Mitch Haynes know this morning I will not be able to attend.

Tuesday will mark one month since my disability hearing before the Administrative Law Judge. That means I have most likely at least two more months at a minimum before I receive my ruling. Hopefully it will be in my favor so that I can not only receive my benefits, but be placed in Medicare so I can see a doctor.

In the meantime, I hurt all the time and slowly get worse and I wait......