INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS
Assists people who need multiple services to develop independent living goals. Teaches practical skills for living independently and with the individual creates a plan for achieving their goals.
Sitting across from a peer counselor, 28-year-old Ralph, with a stricken look on his face, told of his brain injury from an accident in 2002, and stated that he owed the hospital $180,000! His only income came from Worker's Comp. He had no healthcare insurance. What could he do? He had thought by now he would be starting toward a more independent life--be back in school getting his GED, but how could he do anything with this debt staring him in the face? He lived at home, was supported by his parents and even relied on them for transportation. Could WCIL help him apply for benefits for long-term disability and health insurance? WCIL understood why he had little ability to focus on one issue at a time. He was sinking under the debt and fighting for a future at the same time.
WCIL started at the beginning by applying for SS DI, SSI. Medi-Cal retroactive to the date of the accident, and transportation programs. Ralph started receiving SSI and SSDI last year and soon thereafter he was awarded retroactive Medi-Cal benefits removing Ralph from that huge $180,000 debt. The transportation program accepted Ralph's application, and he has now started going to the Betty Clooney Foundation. Ralph without the debt is a different man seeking a more independent life with WCIL's help.
