Hurricane Evacuee's Medicaid Resumes
Thursday, August 24
- Organization: LSC Updates
Seventy-one year old Abdoulaye Camara is an internationally-known African dance instructor and former director of the National Dance Company of Senegal. In 2005, his home, dance school and all of his belongings were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, resulting in a loss of important identification and immigration documents. After being stranded in water for four days, he was airlifted to Atlanta. His longtime friend and former student Terri Brown invited him to live in her home in Kansas City, Missouri. In September, Abdoulaye moved in with Terri and began receiving Medicaid a month later.
In March 2006 Abdoulaye was diagnosed with lung and liver cancer and was notified by the Missouri Family Support Division (FSD) that his Medicaid benefits had been terminated. Unable to ambulate while undergoing cancer treatment, he could not obtain and submit the requested documentation for re-evaluation by the deadline date. LAWMO's Medicaid Appeals Project attorney, Stacy Porto contacted Abdoulaye's caseworker who canceled termination of his Medicaid, giving him two 10-day extensions. The attorney obtained Abdoulaye's alien number, which FSD accepted in lieu of a Social Security card and his Medicaid eligibility was reinstated. Working together with LAWMO's immigration attorney, Suzanne Gladney, the attorney also obtained copies of Abdoulaye's immigration documentation.
Now that his identification and immigration documents have been replaced, he is no longer at risk of losing Medicaid, has regained proof of his identity and is no longer responsible for medical bills he incurred during the time his Medicaid was terminated.