Advocacy group sues over delays

Protection and Advocacy Inc. is a statewide disability rights law firm that advocates for people with disabilities on a variety of issues. They ask for feedback from community members to assess whether systems are working the way they should.

I wish more organizations had the time and resources to do that.

The group wants to speak with people who applied for Medi-Cal on the basis of disability, with or without applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and whose application has not been processed for 90 days or more.

The delay cannot be due to the applicant, the applicant's provider or the county.

To comment, the applicant should be experiencing or is likely to experience harm because of the delay.

Harm can include applicants having to pay for all or part of their necessary medical care and as a result not having money for necessities such as food, clothing and shelter.

Also eligible are applicants being forced to rely on a county health care system that does not cover the medically necessary items that Medi-Cal would or would make them personally liable to repay the costs of care, is too far away or lacks providers to meet their needs.

If you or someone you know fits that profile, contact Michelle Uzeta, Associate Managing Attorney at (213) 427-8747 or via email at michelle.uzeta @pai-ca.org.

For more information on Protection and Advocacy Inc. log on to www.pai-ca.org.