I am forwarding this letter to compliment efforts,...

I am forwarding this letter to compliment efforts, dedication and empathy of your staff during a difficult, yet important process. My mother transitioned quickly from an Assisted Living Residence to needing full time care in a skilled Nursing facility. Miri, from the Sheepshead Nursing and Rehabilitation Center recommended that I contact Senior Planning to education me on the process to apply for Medicaid. Upon my first meeting with your representative, it was clear that this was not something I can do myself from both the time required and the expertise on navigating the process. I had been my mothers POA and had managed her finances, but never expected the level of details that were required. It was clear to me that Senior Planning offered the services I needed and appeared to have the knowledge to manage and guide me through the process. At first the cost was a bit alarming, but ultimately it was worth every cent for peace of mind and a partner through the process. I learned many lessons of what I need to do different for myself and other family members as years progress to manage the level of details that are later required.
I was assigned Sandra Uhr as my caseworker. She was fabulous to work with. Sandra was very knowledgeable about what was needed and communicated with me through out the information gather stages. There were things I needed to acquire, but Sandra and the staff at Senior Planning did most of the detailed acquisition of information and evaluation of any questions that would arise throughout the application process. Contrary to what I thought would happen, Senior planning did most of the acquisition of banking information, which saved me a tremendous amount of time. Sandra was thorough and guided me through the best way to present my mothers financial history. This was very important, as it is difficult to look at banking information from years ago and have clear recollection of all transactions. Sandra was also empathetic throughout the application process and I felt she was truly partnered with me until completion.
Sandra also maintained communication with Miri at the Nursing facility to keep them updated on the process and intentions. This was very helpful to me, as it alleviated the need to worry about accurate transfer of knowledge. There were multiple occasions that the 2 of them coordinated what was needed. This communication was ongoing from the beginning of the process until approval and finalization of the details.
My mother was considered Medicaid eligible after she completed her spend down and the application was submitted. This took a huge mental burden away as I was confident mom would be taken care of properly. Sandra gave me the confidence that everything we worked on would be complete, and it was just a matter of time to work through the review at Medicaid. The review ended up taking longer than expected, but she was ultimately approved. Unfortunately 2 months later mom passed, but I had comfort knowing I did not need to worry about her care and she received whatever support was necessary.
Thank you again to Sandra and the staff at Senior Planning, as I know this past year would have been much different without their support and expertise. I would be happy to receive any communication from perspective clients if they wanted to discuss the process or my experiences.