Margaret was 8o years old and newly widowed. Her house was not yet paid off and she lived on a modest fixed income. As a young woman, Margaret had two children. One was born with autism the other with Down’s Syndrome. One child died as a teenager.

The living child, Fred at nearly 50 years old, still lived with Margaret.  Last year, when Margaret needed surgery she was not able to drive for months.

Ten years ago, Margaret’s husband, Bruce, filed for bankruptcy due to the burden of medical expenses.  Bruce felt it very important to avoid any government handouts.

By being careful, Margaret’s only debt was her mortgage which had a balance of $40,000. She needed a better car. One of Margaret’s friends discovered that Fred was not covered by Medicaid, though it was highly likely he was eligible.

Margaret’s friend helped her call the county department of social services. After waiting a month a social worker came to visit Margaret and Fred. Documentation was obtained from his 1970s school records showing his need for special education classes. Margaret wrote a letter asking the school to release the records to her friend, so it could be delivered to the county social services department.

With the school records documenting Fred’s special needs in hand, the county case worker from social services enrolled Fred in Medicaid so that his medical care would be paid for by the Medicaid program.