I know others write a lot about the government and how everything would be golden, if we just elected the right leaders. I think the day-to-day policies leave a lot to be desired. I’ll give you an example, as I am sure many other senior citizens have encountered this.
A few years back I applied for and received fuel assistance. I think at the time it was enough for part of a tank of oil – a couple of hundred dollars. This assistance (and the amount) is available depending on income, expenses, whether your house is insulated and a whole lot of variables.
At that time, seniors who qualified for this assistance automatically received reduced phone bills, a reduction in the electricity bill and surprise, surprise, a $10 monthly food stamp allowance.
The reduced utility costs were truly appreciated, but I was really surprised to receive the notice that I would be getting $10 a month food stamp credit. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it – three gallons of milk? Half a piece of good steak? Decisions, decisions.
The following year, I had to work a little more in order to pay for ever-escalating expenses. I didn’t qualify for the fuel assistance because my annual income had increased by $300 dollars. Consequently, the electric bill went back to its original charges and I also received a notice from the state that to continue qualifying for the food stamps, I needed to set up an appointment, fill out a six-page form and take it to the Portland office for a “face to face” interview with a DHS caseworker.
Completing the paper work and going to Portland would probably cost more than $10 since I would also have to take a couple of hours off from my part-time job. I didn’t bother completing the form and sure enough, a few weeks later I received a reminder that I would be disqualified if I didn’t comply.
So I called the office and after being shuttled from one robot voice to another, left a message: “Thanks, but no thanks.” I wasn’t going to Portland for $10.
A live person called me back and insisted we go over the form, although I said at the outset I didn’t need the $10 that badly. She reviewed my income and asked me to provide proof of the funds I had reported earning. This meant getting the town to print off a report of money I earned by clerical work; I called a doctor for whom I do typing and got a letter stating what had been paid to me. I photocopied my last income tax return. I mailed the copies in the postage-paid envelope, and thought that was the end of this “help.”
Still the DHS persisted in trying to help me.
I got a call from “my case leader” and we discussed out-of-pocket medical payments which included the payment for Medicare part B, dental insurance costs and all my drugstore prescription drug purchases. She wanted receipts for all of these – not just canceled check copies. The total was around $3,000; I knew I wouldn’t be eligible for that generous $10 a month, but to prove my figures were correct, I had to acquire and copy receipts and send them in.
After she received the copies, she called me again.
After a half hour on the phone (remember, I had started this conversation by saying I wasn’t interested in the food stamps) the ever-helpful employee of the Department of Human Services told me what I had known – my annual income was $300 over the limit and I didn’t have enough medical costs to offset it. She apologized nicely, told me she had thought she could help me, and just wanted to make sure my figures were correct. They were.
Have other seniors gone through similar experiences? I bet they have.
I wonder how many of these in-depth interviews are done and at what cost? Could we swap some of these costly hours for something meaningful? Just the cost of postage paid by us taxpayers, of course, was considerable. The monthly reporting forms were several sheets long including a machine-produced cover letter. And there were, of course, quarterly reports as well.
The biggest surprise in this food stamp chapter of my senior years, was that the “stamps” are plastic credit card things, produced out of state. We could at least make them in Maine. While we’re searching out good leaders, maybe we could have an oversight committee take a look at the routine waste.
There are many senior citizens who would easily qualify for food stamps, but the procedure is discouraging, to say the least.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
