CA Social Services Update

I have found that people are loathe to throw money at the problem of poverty- as evidenced by the mountain of red tape and sheer number of bureaucracies developed to micromanage social services.   

I just wanted to share my personal experiences with the process of applying for, qualifying for and recieving social services.  I think that most states are falling prey to budget cuts- which has created grave consequences in the efficacy of processing applications- especially for those in absolute poverty.

Jan 18

Mailed benefits application for cal-fresh (foodstamps) TANF (“Clinton’s” welfare) and Medi-cal (Medicaid).

Feb 4

Received letter advising of Feb 8 appointment at HSA (Human Services Agency).  HSA insists the application was received on Feb 1st- extending the 45 day processing limit by 13 days (March 17th instead of March 4th)  
**This action would create even more difficulty in the days that followed.

Feb 8

Required to RE-sign all application papers, effectively changing the application date to reflect 8th Feb rather than 18th Jan, extending the 45-day processing time limit by a new total of 21 days (March 25 instead of March 4th).  I was sent home with some more paperwork and “proof of” requirements.  

1) proof daughter is attending school 

2) proof of bank balance (most recent bank statement)  

3) proof of WA social services cancellation  

4) must come back to be FINGERPRINTED  

5) “statement of living plan” (form filled and signed by room mates, stating that we do not share food cost etc.

My appointment was for 10:00 and I waited for 1.5 hrs in the lobby before I was admitted and interviewed.  It ran so late that I had to leave before completing the process, and had to return on the 15th for fingerprinting.  

Yes- that’s right I had to submit my fingerprints to HSA in order to receive foodstamps. Apparently my social security card and multiple legal forms of ID are not enough for a thorough background check. If I began to list all of the reasons that this is illegal and unconstitutional, I would have no room for the rest of this update.

Feb 15

I delivered the paperwork- and gave up my liberty in the form of finger prints.   

** I had to ask my bank to fax January’s bank statement to a free internet fax service account I created for this purpose- the mail would not arrive for several more days due to forwarding from the old address in WA.

Feb 22

Letter: "Unable to determine benefits due to failure to send a copy of february's bank statement." 

February's bank statement is NOT MAILED UNTIL MARCH.  HSA denied cash benefits because of a requirement that the document be presented to them by Feb 18th.  This is not physically possible, unless/ until we perfect time travel sciences.  Where’s Doctor Who when you need him?

Feb 26

I called HSA.  Or I tried to.  The 800 number does not accept calls from my “out of area” cell phone number.  It took three calls to agencies just to get the local (650) number.  After being disconnected four times and an accumulative two hours of waiting on hold, I reached someone and explained the issue about time travel and the bank statement.  I was told I would be referred to a supervisor and should expect a call.  The time limit of sending the proof of balance would be extended because of the issue.

Mar 1

I received the call from a supervisor.  She said there was nothing she could do because the statement requirement was LAW.  She confirmed the extension.  I called my bank and begged for another fax without charge (free online fax service only allows 3 free faxes before charging, this was the second fax).

Mar 3

I walked to the mailbox closest to the house.  It’s about ⅓ mi away.  The freshly printed document was placed in the envelope provided by HSA. It would be picked up and date stamped on on Monday, Mar 4th (the last day of the original time limit).  In this neighborhood, there is no way to leave outgoing mail for pick-up.  The mail comes through slots in the garage doors, there is no part of the device that can hold letters being sent.

Mar 15

Received thick envelope from HSA.  Determination had been made on march 6th due to failure to return impossible bank statement by march 4th (which was supposed to be extended)

1) Calfresh denied for february, dated 3-8-2013

2) Calfresh approved for march,  dated 3-8-2013

3) Tanf denied for march, as of march 7th dated 3-8-2013

4) Tanf denied as of feb 1, dated 3-7-2013

5) Not a peep about MediCal.  Meanwhile- my prescriptions are running out and I am looking forward to a world of hurt.

6) A thick pack of papers - a printed revision of the application, re-printed in a duplicate document I was required to sign.  It was riddled with mistakes.  I spent the afternoon crossing out text and writing in the correct information.  I wrote a letter explaining the mistakes and pointed out the february bank statement impossibility (again) and mailed it on Mar 14.

**Although I received approval for food stamps, I did not actually receive the EBT card, which is like a credit or debit card that holds both food stamp and TANF cash benefits.  The majority of retail does not accept EBT payments, but most grocery stores and large chains like Target and Walmart do accept it.

Mar 17

I received a post card, with no markings about where it came from, delivering a pin number.  I was not sure if it came from my bank for online account purposes- later I discovered it was from HSA.

Mar 19

I called HSA (again) and asked a few questions.  

>Q: I had approval for CalFresh, and had called the FAQ line which confirmed that our account had been credited on March 7th with just over $350 in food stamps, but I had not received the actual EBT card- Has the EBT card been mailed and could the PIN postcard be from HSA?   
<A: both the post card and the EBT card had been mailed on the 7th of March.  We decided to trigger a new card to be sent since it had been almost 2 weeks, which seemed long enough to allow for mistakes and return service.  They had no record of the card having been returned.

>Q: I sent the impossible document which had been responsible for the denial determination almost 2 weeks ago, had they received it and had it been processed?
<A:  Even if they had received and processed the document, they would not be triggered to act on it unless I alert them to the existence of it.    

** Let me explain that - though I don’t really think it can be logically understood. Unless I call and tell HSA that I have sent the documents they requested, no action will be taken even if the document has been received and entered into their database.  It just sits there in my file, gathering cyberdust.
**Also,one of the documents had been misfiled and it took several minutes to find it for processing. ALL necessary documents were now accounted for and accepted. No further action from me is necessary.

>Q: Now that I had called and reported the document, would it be acted upon (Including Medical which had as yet not been determined in any of the paperwork)?
<A: Yes.  The whole application would be expedited as urgent, but there is a backlog for MediCal determination- they are currently working on September’s applications.

March 28  

I received approval for All three benefits,backdated to the “received” accepted date of Feb 1 .  Still no EBT card.

**There is no housing available anywhere in the country. All Section 8 vouchers have been dispersed, and the waiting lists are closed.  TANF does NOT provide enough funds to cover rent.  Total benefits add up to just over $750 per month (family of 2), about half of which can only be spent on food products.

HUGE shout-out to the community and my family for stepping in and helping out!!! WE WOULD HAVE STARVED THIS MONTH WITHOUT THEM.

FOOD BANK: