Saturday, July 21, 2007
from the Kennebec Journal
Finding shelter for those who serve their nation
Immigrant recalls her special greeting
State gains $85M in Homeland Security funds
Man arrested after swerve toward cop
School unit in limbo
Rain? What rain?
LEE LATCHES ON WITH THOMAS
Modern camping equipment takes it to the extreme
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Kennebec Journal
from the Morning Sentinel
Civil War-era flag finds honored position
Residents wonder if the rain will ever go away
FAIRFIELD Sewage plant rejection irks man
Winslow's fireworks guy doesn't mind the obscurity
At holiday derby, the fun is catching
Vets' champion 'very passionate' about her work
Hersom deals with change
Sandals work for outdoor types
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Morning Sentinel
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday it has already identified 65,000 Mainers who meet the new requirements.
But that leaves 70,000 who will need to comply with the law when they seek to renew coverage, along with those who are applying for new coverage. Noncitizen MaineCare members or applicants must continue to prove their noncitizen status, according to DHHS.
MaineCare is the state's Medicaid program.
"We have been working to get the word out to MaineCare recipients and applicants about the new law," Barbara Van Burgel, of the department, said in a statement.
The state used money from the Maine Health Access Foundation to match current recipients to information already on file with the state, such as birth records, motor vehicle records and Social Security records, she said.
Maine Equal Justice Partners, an advocacy group for low-income Mainers who need government services, has spent the last 18 months training people to make sure recipients are aware of the new requirements, said Executive Director Sara Gagne-Holmes.
The federal requirement, which has been rolled out in other states, has hurt the poor in places such as Louisiana and Virginia, she said. She's hoping Mainers won't experience the same delays or lose their services.
For those born in Maine, it's relatively easy to track down a birth certificate. For those who were born elsewhere, or are homeless, it's a little harder, she said.
"Our largest concern was for the low-income individual who can't pay $60 to get a birth certificate," she said.
The state has some funds available to help people who can't afford it. For those who are already enrolled in MaineCare, the requirements will be addressed at their next scheduled review, according to DHHS.
It can take up to six weeks to get a copy of a birth certificate from another state, Gagne-Holmes said.
She said the state has done a good job trying to contact those who will be affected by the new law. But it's still a concern, she said.
"It is an extreme administrative burden and it has a potential to cause delay or denial in service," she said.
Current MaineCare members and new applicants should contact their eligibility workers for more information.
There's also a Citizenship and Identity hotline at (800) 701-1887.
Susan Cover -- 623-1056
scover@centralmaine.com
Reader comments
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Every job I have taken, even as a contractor working for one firm and never getting a check, I have had to produce identification. Not one form, not a birth certificate. That would be too easy. I have to produce THREE forms of identification. Then I have to fill out some Immigration and Naturalization Service form like I am some kind of criminal in order to work.
This is bullshit of the highest order. The founders of this country would be rolling over in their graves. Producing my papers in order to begin work? Unbelievable.
But if I have to produce the papers to make the money, then the people the government is taking it for can produce theirs to recieve it. The ones with no papers can go back where they came from and get what they can from that government. report abuse
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