I find myself asking this question over and over again and i still don't know for sure. They cut food stamps and amount of home health aid time. Since they are cutting these things, how are others making ends meet. I need the assistance because I am in a wheelchair and cannot work or even move my arms and hands much. It feels as if they are treating me as if i were more capable.
So do they actually want to help people or just save money? I really need the services and I feel as if it is being slowly taken away from me.
Medicaid only covers minors 21 and under. If you are on SDI you will not qualify for Medicaid, after 2 years on SDI you will qualify for Medicare. You MUST meet FPL which is Federal Poverty Level. Both of my kids are on Medicaid, we also receive food stamps AND live in government housing. If you are disabled, obviously you are, consider housing. You get in like 3x faster than non-disabled people. I am not in a wheelchair but I am hemiparetic which got us into housing after 4-6 months....it usually takes 9 months to 3 years to wait but disabled people are pushed to the top of the list. You may also want to check section 8 which in most areas is in the same office. BUT section 8 has a longer wait list and cut-off dates (depends on available funds- section 8 is basically emergency housing reserved for near homeless and abused families I think). If you are accepted into housing, your rent is strictly based on income. We pay $183/month for a 3-bedroom house, water included. In Texas, where I live, we receive help for our electric through a program called Lite-up Texas which you automatically qualify for if you are in housing, receive SNAPS or Medicaid. Cuts our bill by like 30-40 bucks a month. You should also apply for your local hospitals Indigent Care program. This is how my husband and I both receive healthcare. I have another year to go before I can get Medicare. Everything is covered:$10 for emergency ER visits, $50 for non-emergency ER visits, $5 for prescriptions and doctor visits. $7 for dental visits, it also covers oral surgery which we discovered the hard way. Of course, the prices vary by area. There are plenty of options out there you just need to be willing to accept a hit to your pride. My food stamps (actually called SNAPS) was not cut, it actually increased. My husband is my home healthcare but he doesn't get paid. Hopefully next year he can work. If you are married, housing will accept a letter from your doctor stating that you need home healthcare (your husband), this will allow him to stay home with you, meaning he won't have to work as per housing regulations. In housing, if you're aren't disabled, you must work or do community services.
Without these programs my husband and I would have been totally and completely screwed.
What to bring to ANY appointment:
Rent bills/receipt
Electric bill (the last 1-2)
birth cert, SS#
Checking acct statement (should bring at last the last 2)
Pay checks stubs (bring at least the last 3 but you should consider bringing the last 3-6 months worth)
If no job, bring your most recent award letter for SDI or SSI (which ever you have). This includes your food stamps award letter if you have food stamps already
Some programs are now accounting for credit card bills because of the recession, so add those payments up so you include them.
Phone bill
If you have student loans, bring you last statement just in case they will count that in for you.
They ask you how much is your cash on hand...I always say $0 and just so I'm not lying, I don't bring money LOL. Try your best to NEVER lie because ALL government assistant programs are tied into each other. Also, if you do have student loans, there are programs to get those discharged. I'm waiting to get my loans discharged, my fingers are crossed:)
I hope this info/suggestions work for you. I think New York is having a harder time than Texas right now. Just remember, there is nothing wrong with getting government help, it's what the programs are for. You can do most of it online. What people don't realize is the budget cuts are inside the offices. More jobs were lost than funds. We haven't had to attend an appointment in a year because funding cut case workers' jobs to make room for assisting others. I'm hoping the best for you.
they want to know if you own more then one vehicle..and what savings you have...do you own your on home too...if you do not then you could qualify..depends if you are drawing disabilty and how much it is and how much you got going out then comein...I have three people in my apt..me my daughter and granddaughter and I try so hard to make ends meet...its hard..you can search online for alot of things that can help you..some you qualify for ,maybe some not... but family is important and when a memeber is down the rest need to come help out...god bless you..!