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Chance

Leslie B. of Lexington, TN contacted the Tennessee Justice Center for representation when the Department of Human Services cut off cash assistance (Families First aid) for her and her two young children. Ms. B. has cancer and her youngest son has a colon disease that requires doctor visits three times a week. The family’s assistance was terminated because Ms. B. was receiving child support of $60 per week. Reflecting a misunderstanding which was widespread in DHS, her case manager told Ms. B. that she could not receive both child support and cash assistance. In fact, state law requires that DHS administer the Families First program “in a manner in which the maximum amount of child support and other income may be provided to the family and the children without loss of grant and Medicaid benefits.” Because this is a recurring problem observed in our review of closed Families First cases, we contacted the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office as well as DHS. In response, DHS restored Ms. B.’s benefits. The agency also revised its written instructions to case managers statewide, and is conducting staff training to prevent such errors from recurring. [1998]

Sahara A.

Sahara A. is a recent refugee from the Middle East who fled persecution in her homeland with her husband and three children.  When Ms. A’s husband abandoned her and their children this past summer and she lost her job soon thereafter, the family found itself suddenly destitute and facing eviction.  Ms. A went to the Department of Human Services to request assistance from the Families First program.  Because she speaks almost no English the family was summarily turned away unaided. A month later, with the family’s circumstances truly desperate, Ms. A. was referred to TJC, which noted that DHS had failed to comply with Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race or national origin. The family is now receiving assistance, and TJC continues to work with state agencies, the federal Office for Civil Rights, and a broad array of community groups to address language and discrimination barriers in the Families First, Food Stamps and TennCare programs.  [2000]

Ms. C.

Ms. C. is a disabled resident of Carroll County who is raising her teenaged grandson. Unable to drive due to frequent blackouts, she was notified by Department of Human Services that she had to come in to the local DHS office for a face-to-face interview. She was told that she was overdue to reverify her and her grandson’s eligibility for temporary assistance to needy families (TANF), their only source of income. The DHS staff was mistaken, and Ms. C. and her grandson were in fact still eligible. But DHS staff continued to insist on the face-to-face interview, despite their awareness that Ms. C’s disability prevented her from coming in to the DHS office. As a result of TJC’s intervention, the family’s TANF income was continued, and corrective action was taken to ensure that Carroll County DHS staff comply in the future with state and federal requirements to accommodate people with disabilities. [2003]

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