State Benefits Update

Thanks for everyone's prayers. I wanted to give everyone an update. I have been in contact with Jason Chaffetz Constituent Services office, DWS Customer Relations office, Governor's Constituent Services office, and various VA offices. The only thing that has changed is I might be able to work with my case supervisor to keep the kids enrolled in CHIP. DWS has a state policy "wonk" looking into it. VA's DVOP representative is making some inquiries.

Please keep praying. Thanks.

Prayers Needed

As you may know, the VA is sending me to Seattle for treatment for my leukemia. They mandate a 24/7 caregiver or I will not get the treatment. By my preference and under their criteria, my wife is the best choice. Yesterday, however, we were informed by the Utah Department of Workforce Services ("DWS") that we will be dropped from all state benefits (financial aid, food stamps, children's medical) if Steph and I leave the state for the medical procedure since we will not be in the home. Additionally:

• Our kids are not covered medically if they leave the state. So we cannot bring our kids with me for the first weeks nor send our children to my family for moral support for the month prior to school without risking medical expenses.
• If anyone is gone from the state for more than two weeks, that person is dropped from all programs altogether.
• If Steph stays back with the kids, then the benefits will continue, but if it is longer than 6 months, the state will come after me for child support, but since I don't make anything it will be "not much".
• If Steph does go with me, Steph and I will have to apply for aid in Washington state even though they have a resident requirement that we will not meet. The kids will have to be applied for by a close relative in the state, but the state will come after us for child support.

So as a veteran, Washington, DC, mandates that I get treated in Seattle, but Washington, DC, and/or Utah also mandates the above. So I asked, "So what you are saying is because I am a veteran who does not live in the state where the treatment center is, I'm screwed." They replied, "Basically."

Five minutes later, they called me back to tell me they will run it by there Financial Aid department to see if there is a program or loophole to assist us and would let us know by today what they found.

Please pray!

FYI...My family found out that unless a person in Utah has a hard line (not VOIP, Cable, etc) you cannot call Medicare or medicaid in Utah. You get routed to California. So since I have VOIP, I cannot call my state's medicare or medicaid.

Transplant Plan

We leave for the medical facility on Sun, June 26th, The first week and a half will be intense testing, followed by a week and a half of waiting for the results. Then I start a week of heavy chemotherapy to kill off all of my bone marrow. They will put my donor's stem cells into me, will monitor for infection, graft-versus-host disease, and bone marrow recovery and will treat me as needed. The process will take 3-6 months (up to nine in extremely bad situations) and the average is four months.

Your help and prayers have been and will continue to be appreciated.

Thanks,

Joe