Medicaid gives Ashe County woman a second chance…
A sample of cases handled by Legal Aid of North Carolina
Note: This is an actual case submitted by an attorney from the Legal Aid of North Carolina in Boone, N.C.
In Fall 1999, the client contacted Legal Aid of North Carolina office
located in Boone, NC for help with her Medicaid application. She could
not afford to pay for surgery, and her Medicaid application had been
denied.
Legal Aid agreed to represent the client at a state-level Medicaid hearing.
The previous Spring (1999), the 30-year-old client had suffered a lumbar
disc herniation, which had rendered her virtually helpless and unable
to work. She had undergone a laminotomy, which is spinal surgery that
is supposed to reduce pressure on her spine and relieve her pain. Unfortunately,
the laminotomy had been unsuccessful, and the client remained unable
to sit, stand, or walk for more than a few minutes. She was in almost
constant pain and had muscle spasms and pain radiating to both of her
legs.
Her only hope for recovery was a second back surgery, which she now
could not afford.
The client’s case presented several difficulties: The client was very
young for Medicaid, being only 31-years-old at the time of the hearing;
she had not been out of work very long; and she had a disability that
would be short-lived, assuming that she could receive proper treatment.
The Legal Aid representation at the Medicaid hearing included a documentation
of the client’s medical and financial history. The client was granted
Medicaid benefits to help her get the treatment that she needed.
"Our representation of the client was straightforward and fairly routine,"
noted a Legal Aid staffer. "However, we were able to help her accomplish
something that she had not been successful in achieving on her own."
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Mission Statement
Legal Aid of North Carolina is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that
provides free legal services in civil matters to low-income people in
order to ensure equal access to justice and to remove legal barriers
to economic opportunity.