As part of its Bearing Witness 2.0 project, the Huffington Post is rounding up a few of the best local stories of the day.
A family in Indianapolis, Ind., is suing the state's welfare agency because they were dropped by Medicaid, reports WTHR's Sandra Chapman. Melissa Grant's two daughters need medication to manage their seizures, but they were dropped from the welfare system at 19, and Grant cannot afford the $800 cost.
The lawsuit alleges that the family's case has been pending in the appeals process for the last year and a half, during which time the Social Services Administration had no right to stop services. "When [the department employees] get overloaded, they just mass delete [cases]," claimed Grant's lawyer.
A spokesperson for the agency declined comment to WTHR.
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A bureaucratic loophole in legislation extending federal unemployment benefits prevents state governments from extending their own benefits, reports Chad Mira for Columbia, Mo.'s KOMU. Rhonda Victor is one person caught in the middle: her current unemployment runs out in two weeks, but she has to wait to apply until her state can implement federal guidelines and process her application. "I'm at a panic state because I'm the only person in the household so [when my benefits end] I will have no income coming in," she said.
The state Department of Labor said it will likely take weeks for new applications to be filed for unemployment checks to be sent.
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A program in North Carolina designed to keep responsible homeowners in their houses has been extended statewide, reports WRAL's Monica Laliberte. The North Carolina Home Protection Program gives an interest-free loan of $24,000 to qualified applicants who are current on recent payments, but have been laid off or suffered other financial hardships.
"I did everything right that I thought I should do. I worked hard. I paid my bills on time. I earned decent money," said Angela Satterwhite, a former investment banker who lost her job almost a year ago. "I feel the program has helped me save my home."
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A free dental clinic in Asheboro, N.C., was patronized by hundreds of unemployed or uninsured workers Friday, reports Tracey McCain for WFMY News. "I'm unemployed, I'm uninsured, I don't know how else I would be able to get my teeth fixed if I didn't come here," said Kat Ore, who was thankful that the dentists would sooth her aching teeth.
HuffPost readers: Seen a compelling local story? Have a neighbor going to bizarre lengths to get through the recession? Tell us about it! Email jmhattem@gmail.com.