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Case example: Elderly woman with guardian facing multiple benefit issues
1:05:10
ยท
4 min
Council Member Hudson presents a case example from Deputy Speaker Ayala about an elderly woman with serious mental health issues who, despite having an appointed guardian, faced multiple problems with her benefits including rental arrears, CityFHEPS voucher termination, and food stamp cancellation. The discussion focuses on how such issues occur and how they can be prevented.
- The case highlights problems with recertification of benefits for individuals under guardianship care.
- HRA representatives explain that guardians, whether through APS or other programs, are required to recertify benefits and CityFHEPS vouchers for their clients.
- The discussion reveals potential gaps in the system where even individuals under care can face severe benefit disruptions.
- HRA offers to review the specific case and emphasizes the need to prevent such situations from recurring.
Crystal Hudson
1:05:10
Okay.
1:05:12
I think in deputy speaker Ayala's case, she has had a different experience in that people who are being referred to home base or other services are not actually being they're not receiving the type of care that they should.
1:05:32
And I wanted to share one example that she has here.
1:05:37
The case of an elderly woman with serious mental health diagnosis who repeatedly came to her office and was having trouble communicating her needs.
1:05:46
Upon further investigation, she found that she had been appointed a guardian but was in rental arrears of over $30,000.
1:05:54
And to add insult to injury, her city FEPS voucher was about to be terminated because the recertification had not been completed.
1:06:01
She personally worked with DSS commissioner.
1:06:04
The rent was paid and recertification was completed, but then the woman showed up a few weeks later upset because she had no food stamps on her card.
1:06:12
After reaching out to DSS, deputy speaker Ayala found that her case was closed because her recertification had also not been completed.
1:06:20
So she'd love to know how this is possible because she's one of many older adults who are under guardian care who cannot access their workers and hide behind confidentiality rules when we reach out to try to be helpful?
John Rojas
1:06:33
So we we could definitely pull data for you and get more information on home based.
1:06:37
I'm not as familiar with home based because when we process our city for apps is with APS.
1:06:42
I can say if an individual needs help that's the bread and butter of APS.
1:06:45
They provide the they visit the client monthly, they provide the case management services if there's a need for legal services.
Crystal Hudson
1:06:51
But I think this example was somebody who's in APS care.
1:06:56
And so she was appointed a guardian.
1:07:00
She was in rental arrears of over $30,000.
1:07:04
Her CitiFepps voucher was about to be terminated because her recertification had not been completed.
1:07:10
Then she had no food stamps on her card, and they found that her case was closed because her recertification had also not been completed.
1:07:18
So I think what deputy speaker Ayala is trying to figure out is how the recertification process happens, how somebody like this who is in APS care would not have their case recertified.
1:07:32
So
Gili Hershkovich-Kim
1:07:34
first, know, if it was so APS is our most restrictive measure is to petition the court for guardianship.
1:07:44
And we do have three vendors who provide ALICA eighty one guardianship, but there's there are guardianship outside of APS.
1:07:52
So if it is, if this individual and I'm not, I don't know who the, of course who the individual is, I would love to take a look at this case and review it.
1:08:02
But if the individual is receiving services under one of our community guardian program vendors, they are required to recertify their benefits and they are required to recertify their city fabs.
1:08:17
If we identify that there is a concern or an issue with any of the clients under the guardianship program, We will work with the vendor to identify what the issues are, and when there is a need we will place them under a corrective action plan to assure that there is no negative effect on the client.
1:08:38
I I I would have to take a look at this case to better understand what what happened, but under if the individual is under our guardianship or to be honest with you any guardianship, even if it's not through APS, their benefits should be recertified.
1:08:54
So that should not be an experience that the individual have.
John Rojas
1:08:59
And we could work with our commissioners to get that information because we definitely don't want this to repeat at this case.
Crystal Hudson
1:09:10
Okay.