primitive still waging a jihad against social services

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025479025

Oh my.

I'm sure some here will remember this primitive from Taverner's hometown, Oakland.

daredtowork (240 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 03:00 PM

Social Services Retaliation in Oakland, CA

For the last few weeks I've been tryng to raise awareness of how Oakland's Welfare policy punishes work, undermines housing, and is, in sum a convoluted mess that drives people to homelessness instead of doing anything to help them. And I've been calling out the politicians who are doing nothing about it by name.
 
Today I got my first taste of Social Services retaliation. They kicked me out of the Medi-Cal system. I had to cancel medical appts and I can't refill my meds. A clinical trial I was trying to enroll in is at risk because it relies on imaging done exactly a year ago. I may have to cancel the regularly scheduled injections that were saving my eye sight. I wonder if I will get DTs from the gap in my meds before this is fixed.
 
I also wonder how else Social Services plans to give me a "hard time".

Bastards.

Hemmingway (24 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 03:05 PM

1. Are CTs allowed in GD?

REP (19,970 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 03:07 PM

2. No.

KT2000 (10,828 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 03:13 PM

3. what are CTs?

Jackpine Radical (41,318 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 03:20 PM

5. I took it to mean conspiracy theories.

daredtowork (240 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 03:29 PM

7. This is not a conspiracy theory

It's direct action taken against me. I was enrolled in Medi-Cal until today. It was very clearly explained to me at the medical clinic, where they had to put me on an emergency indigent program for my appt. there, that someone at Social Services had to take me out of their system. This was deliberate.

Jackpine Radical (41,318 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 03:30 PM

8. I was translating an acronym, not commenting on your post.

daredtowork (240 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 03:41 PM

9. no problem

I obviously needed the translation, too, and the opportunity to assert why this isn't a"theory" since Hemingway may have already called for a jury.
 
I'm sure there are plenty of fans of underpaid, overworked Social Services workers here, but suppressing stories of incompetence and the damage they do only hurts the people they were supposed to be helping.

Jackpine Radical (41,318 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 03:44 PM

10. I would neither call your OP a CT or even think of hiding it.

And I'm very sorry for the way you have been treated.

daredtowork (240 posts)   Tue Sep 2, 2014, 03:53 PM

12. Thank You

Am very worried about what's going to happen to me a week from now since my main med needs refilling now, and suddenly dropping that will have neurological consequences. >.<
 
On the up side, the nonprofit advocacy center where I now seem to be living half my life opens in 5 minutes.

daredtowork (240 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 03:14 PM

4. Yes

This clinical trial was for a procedure, and Medi-Cal would have covered it. Previously I had been scrambling to get a doctor's referral in time, since it takes me a long time to get an appt. There is a limit on the patients in the trial. I finally got everything needed for the referral just today, and now I find out Social Services is messing with me yet again!!!!!

CreekDog (42,235 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 03:48 PM

11. Oakland (a city) cannot kick you out of Medi-Cal, a state medical system

not that I think you could ever convince me of this, but I'd think, if you're going to try, that you would actually post enough evidence to support a rather bold accusation.

daredtowork (240 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 03:59 PM

13. Yes they can

I was enrolled through Social Services. All they had to do is knock me out of their computer system. Whether you "believe" me or not, that's what happened. I was on Medi-Cal until the 1st of this month.

jwirr (24,261 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 04:43 PM

15. Did they give you the reason you are no longer eligible? If you are not in their computer system

and you enrolled and were accepted you are still in the program. What was the problem - technical problems with the computer? It does not make sense because if you qualified you were already in the States and Federal systems. All country cases are also documented in the state and federal records. A computer err cannot end your eligibility. And if a worker did this deliberately she/he is dealing with some really bad charges. Go above their head and contact the state office or go to legal aides.

daredtowork (240 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 05:52 PM

16. Just filed the appeal

I doubt the worker will have to have to deal with any charges here. No one has ever had charges filed for Oakland's Social Services messing with me in ways that had serious consequences for my well being before. That is part of what I've been trying to tell people about - Oakland Social Services DEFAULTS to shutting off services for any problem and frequently makes the ERROR of shutting off services, and there are NO CONSEQUENCES for them - but MANY CONSEQUENCES for people living on the edge of homelessness and who have no other resources!!! This is what I've been trying to communicate here!!!
 
No reasons were given, no letter was sent to notify me beyond a batch of of old Medi-Cal denials that were associated with the fact I don't have SSI yet (Medi-Cal was associated with SSI in Alameda County before the Affordable Care Act, thus I wasn't on Medi-Cal before January). This print out is the signature of what computer move was made to take me out of the system: they switched me from the ACA acceptance to the SSI-associated denial.
 
I'm sure this particular incident is going to be put off as an "accident" or something stupid the worker did while dealing with all the inputs/outputs related to the bureaucratic consequences of me reporting doing some work (see my sig).
 
I am once again VERY lucky to be living in Berkeley near kickass advocates who have been kind to me despite me having to run to them half a dozen times this month (they are over-burdened with clients because of the way Social Services auto-stops stuff). Can you imagine what happens to people who don't have an advocate and who have to go through this appeals process for every little thing, for every separate program, every time *Social Services* makes a mistake or decides DELIBERATELY to screw with you!!!!
 
Welcome to Oakland.

daredtowork (240 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 07:12 PM

19. btw, my eligibility is not in question

I'm still eligible. I'm still "on" Medi-Cal via the Affordable Care Act in that sense.
 
The problem is that I was registered through Social Services and their computer system now says I was I was "denied" Medi-Cal. Thus my home medical clinic had to put me on an emergency indigent program and I can't access Medi-Cal services until I'm back "on" Medi-Cal via the Social Services system. It has nothing to do with my eligibility at all.

LiberalAndProud (10,782 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 05:59 PM

17. Retaliation matters less than the fact that you have no help in dealing with urgent medical need.

Whatever the motivation behind the termination, the fact that you're not able to get the medical attention you need indicts our system of providing care. It just does.

daredtowork (240 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 06:21 PM

18. All kinds of factors in this system indict the system

There are so many it's hard to communicate to people in an orderly non-tl;dr fashion.
 
-The fact that people with no other resources aren't allowed a means of getting basic non-food necessities (light bulbs, toilet paper, stamps, cleaning products, soap, tooth paste, bus tickets, money for phone and heat bills, tampons, etc.) just because they are single and didn't have children. Uh, weren't we supposed to not have children?
 
-The fact we are punished for trying to work (and legally reporting it) to gain the above necessities. The tacit implication that the Oakland poor are SUPPOSED to beg, engage in prostitution, steal, and otherwise live up to stereotype so the police can then stereotype them an all those social workers can then justify their jobs...
 
- The fact that part of that punishment is undermining housing, driving already poor people into homelessness. The implication here is that these rules may be written to make welfare impossible: "Get off welfare or get out of town. Let San Francisco feed you."
 
- The fact that whenever something goes wrong, even if it is an error made by Social Services, the default is to stop payment on EVERYTHING. Then the person in poverty, who may be disabled or mentally ill, must know to chase down and legally appeal all these separate programs. Beyond the hassle and stress of doing this, there is the stoppage of services involved. This also happens A LOT!!!
 
- The fact that there are never any consequences for Social Services, but the consequences for a person on the edge of poverty are like horrific dominoes. Regarding my work situation (see my sig), I was without food stamps a couple of weeks (it would have been much longer if I didn't live in Berkeley) and I still have to deal with the fact my miniscule rent check to my landlord is going to be cut by 10%. And now I have to deal with however long Medi-Cal will be cut off. The specialist appointment I had to cancel for this afternoon was something that had taken months to arrange, and I had to cancel it on the same day! Grr, this just makes me so mad.
 
But I want to underscore this kind of stuff happens all the time in Oakland. To lots of people. I'm not a whiner crowing for exceptional attention. I'm a privileged person who is in the unusual position to be able to articulate and point out the exact nature of these problems. I hope I can communicate them to them to the right people to get something done.

<<<thinks the daring primitive should be posting in the mental health forum, not the Lounge.

[Big Dog]

daredtowork
 
On the up side, the nonprofit advocacy center where I now seem to be living half my life opens in 5 minutes.

This DUmmy should hop the next bus to Tucson. Tucson's advocacy centers are the best in all known worlds!

The city would even give her a cat.

[Mike220]

This DUmmy should hop the next bus to Tucson. Tucson's advocacy centers are the best in all known worlds!

The city would even give her a cat.

Now that I think about it, it's been a while since we've heard from the Tuscon Tramp, hasn't it? Guess the city doesn't pay for internet.

[Dori]

daredtowork (240 posts)    Tue Sep 2, 2014, 07:12 PM

19. btw, my eligibility is not in question

I'm still eligible. I'm still "on" Medi-Cal via the Affordable Care Act in that sense.

The problem is that I was registered through Social Services and their computer system now says I was I was "denied" Medi-Cal. Thus my home medical clinic had to put me on an emergency indigent program and I can't access Medi-Cal services until I'm back "on" Medi-Cal via the Social Services system. It has nothing to do with my eligibility at all.

I don't think the DUmmie knows what it's talking about.

You don't get MediCal through the ACA.  They are two different things.

If social services signed you up for MediCal then cancelled you, it's because you did qualify for the ACA. 




I

[I_B_Perky]

Another smartest bestest most edumacated dummie too stupid to take care of itself... and we're the stupid ones.   

[thundley4]

daredtowork (240 posts)   Tue Sep 2, 2014, 03:53 PM

12. Thank You

Am very worried about what's going to happen to me a week from now since my main med needs refilling now, and suddenly dropping that will have neurological consequences

Is a DUmmie going to go off the deep end and make the news?

[GOBUCKS]

This loon sounds like a medical version  of DUmmy laserhaas, the private attorney general.

[BlueStateSaint]

This DUmmy should hop the next bus to Tucson. Tucson's advocacy centers are the best in all known worlds!

The city would even give her a cat.

I saw a little blurb in the "Weird but True" column of the New York Post yesterday, where there's a German bank that will rent you a cat as part of the mortgage.  Seems that the local tradition is that if a cat is the first to cross the threshold of a newly-purchased home, it's good luck for the new owners.  They let you have the cat for two hours, which is about long enough to check things out without needing a litter box.

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Not working seems like a full time job.

[JohnnyReb]

Another government computer crash ???????

Hey, it works at every level.

[USA4ME]

daredtowork

Am very worried about what's going to happen to me a week from now since my main med needs refilling now, and suddenly dropping that will have neurological consequences.

What time is it, primitives?

IT'S FUNDRAISER TIME!!!!

.

[BlueStateSaint]

What time is it, primitives?

IT'S FUNDRAISER TIME!!!!

.

Send lots of healing white light!