A Texas 57-year-old man in Laredo lost his home help services on December 31, 2023 after it was learned that his designated SSA organizational representative payee, which is the Border Region Behavioral Health Center case worker(s) failed to complete the required Medicaid SSI review to continue to get benefits for home help services.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
January 2, 2024
Laredo, Texas - On Tuesday, Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) learned that Joel Quiroga, 57, from Laredo had lost his Social Security Administration (SSA)-Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which provides disability benefits for home help services. Quiroga suffers from a large percentage of blindness and hearing disabilities (deaf), but must wear a hearing aid. He is required to receive a home care provider to help him at home during the day. (His SSA benefits were not disrupted, only his SSI benefits was stopped.)
On January 1, 2024, the home help services (homecare giver) stopped, after Quiroga's eligibility for SSI Medicaid benefits expired on December 31, 2023. Apparently, Border Region Behavioral Health Center (BRBHC, located at 1500 Pappas Street in Laredo, Texas) case worker(s) who was responsible to complete Quiroga's SSI Medicaid disability benefits review as the SSA organizational representative payee failed to do so, according to the Texas Health and Human Commission, who on December 3, 2023 notified the BRBHC that they had "Failed to meet the requirements of completing a Social Security Administration qualifying quarter," and that Quiroga was not eligible for benefits.
A BRBHC case worker attempted to salvage Quiroga's SSI benefits review requirement by scheduling a phone interview with the SSA/SSI on December 29th, but by then it was to late for Quiroga to qualify for the SSI Medicaid benefits for home help. It would take between 3 to 4 months for Quiroga to reqaulify for SSI. If a BRBHC case worker would have walked-in Quiroga to the SSA in order to renew his SSI claim, he would have most likely regained his SSI benefits by early January 2024.
HNNUSA has also learned that Quiroga had lost his SSI benefits in 2015 while BRBHC was the SSA organizational representative payee and he has been with the BRBHC formerly the Border Region MHMR for at least 29 years.
BRBHC, a non-profit tax exempt contract agency of the State of Texas provides services to four Texas counties, Webb, Zapata, Jim Hogg and Starr with a budget of $28M and employs 360 workers and serves at least 9,313 clients. BRBHC is a designated as a local Mental Health Authority and a Mental Retardation Authority, according to its website.
The BRBHC executive director in Laredo is Maria A. Sanchez and its BRBHC Board of Trustees are, In Webb County: Commissioner Rosaura "Wawi" Tijerina; Roberto Vela, Chairman; Geraldine Leven, Board Secretary and Lupita Zepeda. In Zapata County: Commissioner Robert Garza. In Jim Hogg County: Judge Juan Carlos Guerra, Treasurer; Sheriff Erasmo Alarcon and Captain Reyes Espinoza. In Starr County: Rosie Benavidez, Vice-Chair; Dr. Jessica Vera-Rios and Cynthia Garcia Fuentes.
The question remains, if BRBHC failed to renew Quiroga's SSI benefits as the designated SSA organizational representative payee twice, how many other BRBHC clients have also lost their SSI Medicaid benefits? A Texas State and federal audit of BRBHC is warranted in this case.
Update: According to Border Region Behavioral Health Center sources in Laredo, Joel Quiroga began to get home care services paid by Medicaid SSI on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 after his benefits were restored.
Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA)
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