Programs and Services - What is not working, What would help
Applying for any program is like pulling out your own teeth. There seem to be programs to help with almost everything but it's almost impossible even with help to find out where they are, what you have to do to qualify, and actually get them.
Health First is based on GROSS income per month?? What??
SNAP benefits are based on very confusing metrics and what is the same month to month can suddenly change and despite talking to multiple people no one can tell you why. Recently mine (for two adults) went from 292 per month to 130. I told the person I was speaking to that neither myself or my roommate had a pay increase and was just told to re-apply. We cannot eat on that little with the ever-increasing cost of groceries. Especially since as disabled adults often we have to rely on things that are already prepared and easy to eat, because we seldom have the ability to cook for ourselves. Not to mention that it does not include anything that is not food. I was receiving a benefit of 200 per month while waiting for my SSDI determination, which as anyone could tell you often takes years, and stopped receiving it once I began to make more than 200 per month. It seems that any benefit you can receive is woefully out of date for how much things cost, especially in one of the most expensive places to live in the state. Any of these programs would be impossible to navigate efficiently for someone who is disabled and cannot rely on trusted friends or relatives.
What would help? Trying to be as concise as possible; making resources plainly available. I think anyone who signs up for any service at all ought to receive either in person or in the mail a packet of information about services offered. Include every cash-assistance program, rent-assistance, Healthcare provider that accepts Medicaid and Medicare, including mental health professionals, and organizations dedicated to helping people with disabilities navigate these programs. Like a quick reference phone book.
- Allotting more funds to at the very least SNAP programs. And reevaluating the relevance of current income limits to account for rising costs. I also think more open and accessible education for the general public on the purpose of these programs and their importance would help reassure those who are concerned about where their tax money is going. The myth of the disabled person living large off of others' paychecks is extraordinarily damaging to any further attempts to fund or put through state legislation protecting disabled people.
It has to be said that with the barriers currently in place, including the lack of mask or vax mandates in places that require in-person access such as doctor's offices, hospitals, and aid offices, as well as the lack of navigational support and restrictions on finances, that it arguably creates more opportunity for non-disabled people with the ability and resources to "game the system" than it does for those who need the help to access it.
- What would happen if changes occurred? If these things were made affordable and easier to access, I and many other disabled Coloradans would be able to enjoy a much improved quality of life, the ability to engage with our communities, and be more self-sufficient. Rates of petty crime, theft, and drug use would decrease significantly.
- What would happen if nothing changes? Either people will flee somewhere with less overwhelming cost, and ultimately much less support and assistance, be institutionalized or jailed as a result of the inability to access care, become overly reliant upon the aging population of their more well-equipped family members, or often, commit suicide.
Everyone is suffering, across the country. Disabled people are the last to be considered, and the first to be sacrificed. Our community members are precious, and important, and worth caring for and, and more varied than it is possible to guess. I appreciate your time and attention.
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