WHAT YOU DID NOT KNOW ABOUT SAGA CASH & MEDICAL!

WHAT YOU DID NOT KNOW ABOUT SAGA CASH AND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE  
So you think that the state is helping you out when you get approved for SAGA cash assistance and medical care, i.e. their medical spend down?  Well, think again.  Yeah, sure you are getting money to tide you over or once you meet your spend down, the state will pay the rest of your medical bills, but guess what, the state considers this a loan.  Yes, that is right, this is a loan and you will have to pay it back via a lien on your home, lottery winnings or inheritance.  Oh, you thought that was only while you were getting assistance.  Well, think again.  

What the state does NOT tell you in all of it’s applications or process is they claim there is NO statute of limitations on the return of this loan and that the loan repayment continues on even into your death.  Are you scratching your head yet?  Yes, that is right, if you get SAGA Cash or Medical Assistance in the form of a spend-down, you owe the state for the rest of your natural life.  In reality this is just another way for the state to control you and keep you on the system.   Yes, that is right, the state claims that they do NOT have any statute of limitations on the moneys they “loan” to you.  Everyone else in the world, every other agency and department, every other organization is bound by a statute of limitations on contracts and loans except the Department of Social Services.  Yes, 10, 15, 30 even 50 years later, the state can come after you for the SAGA assistance that you have received when you were down and out.  

But what is even more interesting is that the state does not get that when it does this, it forces the very people they claim they want off of the system, right back onto it.  The minute you are self-sufficient and finally feel good about your situation, well don’t bother.  The state of CT will be right at your door putting liens on everything you own and taking whatever it can when you die if they don’t get it before.  

The policies are purposely written so that people do NOT understand what is really going on when they ask for state assistance.  They assume that this is only while they are on assistance the state can put a lien on their property, inheritance or lottery winning.  And the paperwork you sign does not say any differently.  What people do not realize is that even when they go off of assistance, the state will be able to go after them.  In addition, caseworkers deliberately do not explain that this is a loan from the state of CT that must and will be paid back even upon your death.  You are now beholden to the state of CT for the rest of your life.  You have made a packed with the Devil!  

So how is this helping people to stay off; or get off, of the system for that matter?  How is this helping our economy to get back on its feet?  How is this fair to the person who is in desperate need of financial or medical assistance and comes to the state for temporary help, not realizing that this contract is for the rest of their life and is NOT just for that time period while on assistance.  

I have learned that no matter how hard I try to get off of the system, there is no point because the minute I am self-sufficient, it will all be taken away from me again and I will be forced back on the system.  In my case, the state has no proof of my getting assistance in 1995 to 1998 as they have destroyed all of the records, yet, DSS claims I got massive amounts of assistance.  I know for a fact, I did not.   All they have is some sheet with numbers on it that were input by hand.  Where is the paperwork to back up these figures?  There is none, it has been destroyed.  How convenient for the state that they cannot back up their claims, but yet, the go after you anyway.   

Like everyone else in this country, there should be a statute of limitations on contracts whether you are a state agency or not.  Like everyone else in this country, the contracts should be spelled out clearly that by taking assistance from the state, you would owe them for the rest of your life, even if you get off of the system.  And just like everyone else in this country, you must retain complete records of the contract and all papers with signatures if you want to claim that someone owes you money.  

Enough is enough!!  We need honest government policies that do not entrap its’ citizens and lull them into a false sense of security when they have to come to their state for assistance.  We need a government that is held to the same set of standards as all others and does not hold itself better than the rest.  Not even the banks have the opportunity to have no statute of limitations on loans and contracts, because then our entire system would collapse.  

Someone needs to stand up and stop this disgusting tactic.  Too many families that would never have gone on state assistance are now on it because of the economy.  These families hope and pray to be able to get off and be on their own again.  Sadly, this will never happen as the State of CT will always be at their back door with their hands out.  These innocent people were duped into believing that the state was there to help them because they did not tell these people that if we give you assistance, you have to pay it back even if you have been off of the system for 30 years.  Enough is enough!!  

So what should you do?  Do NOT throw away your records of state assistance.  It will be your proof as to how much you actually got from the state.  Try to get any other assistance that you can and only use the state resources as a last resort because once you get that cash or medical assistance, you will be stuck for life paying it back.  And do NOT put any property into your name.  Do not own anything.  And if you are on any wills, make sure that the money cannot be touched by the state or that the funds are given to your children.  Cover your butt because the state of CT is coming for it.