Delays in processing public benefits applications “unconscionable”

An article in the Baltimore City Paper, “Net Loss,” describes serious delays in processing public benefit applications by the Department of Social Services. The article quotes Legal Aid assistant director of advocacy for income security Peter Sabonis about the ongoing situation. “Baltimore  County is just a mess,” Sabonis said. “It’s unconscionable, it’s illogical. It seems to smack of a period where we didn’t want people to get assistance, when the attitude was that these folks are just living off the system.  Obviously, we’re not in that period now. People need the assistance. People from all walks of life, all classes.” To read the article, click here.

Legal Aid sues Maryland for moving ventilator patients

Legal Aid filed a lawsuit against the state yesterday for moving low-income patients on ventilators in chronic-care hospitals to nursing homes, where they receive less-expert care.  In the complaint, Legal Aid claims the state didn’t follow legal requirements when it changed guidelines for patients’ eligibility for hospital care in order to save money–and, as a result, several patients died after they were moved to nursing homes.

“Their goal was to save money, plain and simple,” Assistant Director of Advocacy Jennifer Goldberg told The Baltimore Sun in an article in today’s paper. “Of course, everyone wants patients to get the best quality care in a setting that is appropriate and that is cost-effective,” she said. “But if it is hurting people, that’s where the problem comes in.”

To read the article, click here.

Still waiting for action on welfare reform

Legal Aid assistant director of advocacy Peter Sabonis had a letter published in Saturday’s Baltimore Sun responding to an op-ed on welfare reform. “In the early 1990s, President Bill Clinton set forth four principles of welfare reform: make work pay a living wage, provide child support, put time limits on public assistance, and provide public jobs to those who cannot find work,” Sabonis wrote. “Only one of those, time-limited assistance, found political  favor. We still await action on the other three.”

Maryland Legal Aid resumes outreach to local DSS offices

Legal Aid staff under the leadership of the Public Benefits Task Force has been conducting community education visits to local Departments of Social Services periodically since March. Three local DSS offices have been visited to date: Reisterstown in Baltimore County, St. Mary’s County and Frederick County. The education, or “outreach,” consists of staff positioning themselves in front of the offices and welcoming those heading to DSS with brochures about food stamps, Medical Assistance and DSS Fair Hearing rights. Coffee is served as well. “We don’t solicit potential clients, nor do we direct them to Legal Aid,” said task force chair Carol Ahlum. “We simply say, ‘Here’s some information about your rights at Social Services. We’re from Legal Aid.’ If they come back and ask a question about a particular problem, we answer it.”

Outreach to welfare offices, once a staple of early legal services programs, fell into disfavor because of program budget cuts and the belief that advocates had little need to drum up more business. Ironically, government budget cuts drove the task force bacl to the streets. “The state hiring freeze has left many DSS offices understaffed in the income maintenance realm,” explained Baltimore County staff attorney Sandra Brushart. “You get used to a certain amount of DSS sloppiness. But I’ve never seen it this bad.” The task force picked the Reisterstown office as the first stop on the outreach tour because of its poor performance. Prior to visiting the office, Legal Aid staff met with the Baltimore County DSS director and other officials and was invited to speak with the staff at Reisterstown. The reception from each was positive and DSS customers responded enthusiastically to the presence of Brushart, Ahlum and Assistant Director of Advocacy Peter Sabonis, and staff attorney Francine Hahn of the Homeless Persons Representation Project on the day of the outreach. Meeting with DSS officials led to further invitations to address other county workers and human service contractors.

Ahlum and Sabonis joined Southern Maryland office (Hughesville) chief attorney Seri Wilpone and paralegal Pauline Poirier to greet customers at the DSS office in Leonardtown. They also had a chance to speak to Rebecca Bridgett, director of the Charles County DSS office, who had a meeting at the St. Mary’s DSS office. “It’s always helpful to know what we’re supposed to be doing,” Bridgett said, as she cheerfully gathered the brochures and headed inside.

In Frederick, DSS Director Diane Gordy came out and was served coffee by Ahlum, Sabonis, and paralegals Kay Grant and Abe Escovedo of the Midwestern Maryland office. Ahlum took the opportunity to alert Gordy to language accessibility problems relative to Purchase of Care notices.

Outreach will continue. “We’d like to hit every local office, eventually,” Sabonis said. “It helps on so many levels. The community knows we’re here to help–and the workers take notice too. It’s amazing how many folks come out of DSS while we’re there and report that the staff was far more polite and accommodating than on prior visits.”

In Harford County, staff attorney Sarah Bowes and paralegal Lynda Baldwin of the Northeastern Maryland office (Bel Air) were invited to speak directly to Temporary Cash Assistance applicants after Baldwin told the county of their outreach plans. Legal Aid is now a regular participant in the TCA orientation process, providing information to customers and DSS staff.