They live in LA, and are indigent. They have a poorly run business repairing old Volvos - the younger one (by 14 months) (J) is the mechanic and is very ill, so he can't work a lot of the time. The older one (E) does almost everything else - poorly - including trying to take care of J by buying the food and preparing it. They are essentially homeless - they live in the auto shop - (they are clearing far less than $900/mo for the TWO of them per month) and pretty much act like they hate each other (except of course they don't), but they talk to each other hatefully all the time. They are miserable.
There are clearly mental health as well as physical issues (they are in their mid-50s). And they have mismanaged the business so badly that the chickens (taxman, landlord) are coming home to roost with liens and eviction notices. Other than sales tax, they haven't paid any taxes for many many years (no self-employment tax, thus have paid nothing into Social Security or Medicare).
J is very very ill, and has been for years. He is in constant abdominal pain, especially when he eats. He therefore doesn't - mostly lives on Boost. I believe I know what is wrong with him, and it is a horrible syndrome - median arcuate ligament syndrome (AKA celiac artery compression syndrome). A ligament is crushing the artery that carries blood to his stomach, pancreas, duodenum and jejunum causing unremitting pain and nausea and other gastro symptoms. J has been to the ER several times as an indigent patient - one time, about 5 years ago, they even kept him for several days and ran the usual tests - which came up with nothing - a diagnosis of "functional bowel disorder" and then they turfed him, because he was not suffering from an emergent medical disease that could kill him. I even attended a follow up appointment with him many months later, and the horrible rude way he was treated - even with me present - made him refuse to go back again. He lives on Boost and pot.
Of course, they don't have insurance. And without proper financial records (E's responsibility, which he has failed at miserably - they use ONE checking account for business and personal money), they couldn't apply for Obamacare or Medi-Cal, because they can't prove their income. And they couldn't manage to get their shit together enough to do anything about it.
Three months ago, I paid for them to go out (one at a time) to VA to see our mom, who is unwell, and whom they hadn't seen for 7 years. J was so ill, he couldn't get out of bed at my sister's place for 2 of the 4 days. She tried to sign him up on the Covered CA website - and of course couldn't get past the required financial information. She gave up.
Two weeks ago, my husband and I went to LA and strong-armed them into signing powers of attorney to let me (and him) handle their affairs. We forced them to go over copies of their banking "records" and identify business vs. personal expenses. I used that to go down to DPSS (the welfare office) and sign them up for Medi-Cal and CalFresh (food stamps). I had no idea whether I'd be able to accomplish that, especially in the time we had available, but I got the forms submitted in one afternoon (on a Friday no less), by begging and pleading for someone to help me - and we discovered that the partial application my sister submitted months previously, presumably with my prodding that day, had matured into approval for J for Medi-Cal. And I am now declaring at least a partial VICTORY - as of yesterday, they BOTH have Medi-Cal coverage, and CalFresh!
I have also gotten both of the holders of tax liens to back off for a while, so they can catch up on the rent. I am working to get J into a vascular surgeon either at UCLA or UC Irvine ASAP to see if my diagnosis is correct and I hope to fix it ASAP. He has been in so much pain for so long - I really don't know why he hasn't killed himself.
Some thoughts on all of this:
Sigh.
On the other hand, what J has may explain what problems my son is having too - so I am doubly motivated to get him a diagnosis and fixed.
My parents are very happy about this, which is its own reward as well - in some ways, this is their fault, and now we are cleaning up their mess (they moved into a commune when my brothers were in their early teens, and allowed them to smoke pot - they are walking proof that that is a TERRIBLE idea, and kills a person's motivation - my brothers have very very high IQs, but never did anything with their minds because of it). Even so, I'd rather have them not be as worried about them, and impotent to do anything about it.
So, now I guess I'd better go do some work.
There are clearly mental health as well as physical issues (they are in their mid-50s). And they have mismanaged the business so badly that the chickens (taxman, landlord) are coming home to roost with liens and eviction notices. Other than sales tax, they haven't paid any taxes for many many years (no self-employment tax, thus have paid nothing into Social Security or Medicare).
J is very very ill, and has been for years. He is in constant abdominal pain, especially when he eats. He therefore doesn't - mostly lives on Boost. I believe I know what is wrong with him, and it is a horrible syndrome - median arcuate ligament syndrome (AKA celiac artery compression syndrome). A ligament is crushing the artery that carries blood to his stomach, pancreas, duodenum and jejunum causing unremitting pain and nausea and other gastro symptoms. J has been to the ER several times as an indigent patient - one time, about 5 years ago, they even kept him for several days and ran the usual tests - which came up with nothing - a diagnosis of "functional bowel disorder" and then they turfed him, because he was not suffering from an emergent medical disease that could kill him. I even attended a follow up appointment with him many months later, and the horrible rude way he was treated - even with me present - made him refuse to go back again. He lives on Boost and pot.
Of course, they don't have insurance. And without proper financial records (E's responsibility, which he has failed at miserably - they use ONE checking account for business and personal money), they couldn't apply for Obamacare or Medi-Cal, because they can't prove their income. And they couldn't manage to get their shit together enough to do anything about it.
Three months ago, I paid for them to go out (one at a time) to VA to see our mom, who is unwell, and whom they hadn't seen for 7 years. J was so ill, he couldn't get out of bed at my sister's place for 2 of the 4 days. She tried to sign him up on the Covered CA website - and of course couldn't get past the required financial information. She gave up.
Two weeks ago, my husband and I went to LA and strong-armed them into signing powers of attorney to let me (and him) handle their affairs. We forced them to go over copies of their banking "records" and identify business vs. personal expenses. I used that to go down to DPSS (the welfare office) and sign them up for Medi-Cal and CalFresh (food stamps). I had no idea whether I'd be able to accomplish that, especially in the time we had available, but I got the forms submitted in one afternoon (on a Friday no less), by begging and pleading for someone to help me - and we discovered that the partial application my sister submitted months previously, presumably with my prodding that day, had matured into approval for J for Medi-Cal. And I am now declaring at least a partial VICTORY - as of yesterday, they BOTH have Medi-Cal coverage, and CalFresh!
I have also gotten both of the holders of tax liens to back off for a while, so they can catch up on the rent. I am working to get J into a vascular surgeon either at UCLA or UC Irvine ASAP to see if my diagnosis is correct and I hope to fix it ASAP. He has been in so much pain for so long - I really don't know why he hasn't killed himself.
Some thoughts on all of this:
- Yes, yes, yes, I am wonderful to do this for my brothers, who have pissed on my (and others') efforts over the years to help. It is hugely time-consuming, and very VERY difficult, even with me being an attorney who has done a lot of insurance issues over the years.
- But I am not doing this solely to be altruisic:
- If they don't get their shit together, and don't die in the process, they will be living in my basement if I don't get them straightened out and able to collect some sort of social security and Medicare in 10-12 years.
- Our parents are destitute as well and can't help them, and at 82 and 83, are beside themselves to see their sons living like this (my parents' teeth are in better shape than their sons', and they are both living under better circumstances).
- Obviously, it also upsets me to see my brothers like this - and I finally had the leverage to FORCE them to accept our help.
- The bigger thing, though, is that this process has been SO difficult, SO painful, SO confusing - I have to wonder (as I often do with the DS appeals) HOW THE HELL IS A "NORMAL" PERSON WITHOUT THE HELP OF SOMEONE HAVING MY EDUCATION - OR WORSE, SOMEONE WHO IS AMONG THE 50% OF THE POPULATION WITH AN IQ BELOW 100 - SUPPOSED TO NAVIGATE THIS HORRIBLE BUREAUCRACY BY THEMSELVES?
- In particular, how is someone so beaten down by poverty, ill health and saddled with an appearance of being a marginal person (like my brothers' gap-toothed appearance, and stained hands), supposed to deal with the petty bureaucrats who populate and occupy the welfare offices?
Sigh.
On the other hand, what J has may explain what problems my son is having too - so I am doubly motivated to get him a diagnosis and fixed.
My parents are very happy about this, which is its own reward as well - in some ways, this is their fault, and now we are cleaning up their mess (they moved into a commune when my brothers were in their early teens, and allowed them to smoke pot - they are walking proof that that is a TERRIBLE idea, and kills a person's motivation - my brothers have very very high IQs, but never did anything with their minds because of it). Even so, I'd rather have them not be as worried about them, and impotent to do anything about it.
So, now I guess I'd better go do some work.
