I made several phone calls today (in the interest of saving gas and stress) and have a much clearer picture of what is going on. For the record, everyone I have talked to has been very nice and courteous, both in person and on the phone. :)
At any rate...the Share of Cost is NOT something we owe the state of California. (whew!) It's actually a deductible that needs to be met before the state will cover the Queen Mother's expenses. The confusion started when we asked Social Security to cover her dental plan premium payment; yes, they will actually do that, depending on the health plan and (I presume) the state you live in. Once that happened, mom got bumped back over the Poverty Line. Technically, she should have had a Share of Cost attached to her Medi-Cal starting in April, but no one realized what was up (including us) until October.
With the help of a lovely social worker from our local Legal Aid, we managed to get the Share of Cost set aside again, until the Queen Mother's annual re-evaluation in December. This time I'm waiting until I have the Notice of Action letter in my hot little hands before I return to IHSS and get the reimbursement process going. In the meatime, I have a decision to appeal, paperwork to fill out, and a bit of sleuthing to do. I have a lot of notes that I jotted down today to assist me, along with a helpful ally in the form of the above-mentioned social worker.
My brain was a bit fried after all of those phone calls, but I have rested for a few hours since then, and I feel better. I definitely feel better than I did at the beginning the week! :)
I'm also pretty certain that I will be able to swing a "daycation" on Saturday. It's more of a business trip for Himself, but it will be an opportunity to color in my mandala book for me. Our friend who was going to stay with the Queen Mother while we were away on vacation last month - until those plans were torpedoed - will come and stay with mom on Saturday. This will be a better introduction anyway, with mom being watched for just one day instead of four or five.
By degrees, I begin to feel hopeful again, that perhaps there are solutions within easy reach. :D
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