Disabled Locals Sue Pa. Over Home Help

Disabled Pennsylvanians trying to stay in their homes sued state welfare officials Monday over alleged delays with their appeals for in-home care.

The long delays deny clients the help they need with bathing, meal preparation and other daily tasks, disability rights lawyers said.

The plaintiffs in the potential class-action suit include a Chester County woman with cerebral palsy who, according to the suit, was denied eligibility after just a brief phone call.

Advocates helped the 50-year-old woman get an in-home evaluation seven weeks later, and she is now awaiting word on her application.

Other plaintiffs include a 63-year-old western Pennsylvania man with AIDS and a 49-year-old Philadelphia woman with a serious brain injury.

The delays are affecting hundreds and perhaps thousands of people across the state, despite the funding available in nearly all of the relevant state programs, the suit said.

Robert W. Meek, managing attorney of the Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania, filed the lawsuit in federal court in Philadelphia. He does not believe the state is trying to deny people services, but said officials have simply fumbled in their efforts to run the program.

Michael Race, a spokesman for the Department of Public Welfare, said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.

Most clients need attendant care or a nursing aide, not skilled nursing, Meek said. That makes the in-home care much cheaper than a nursing home would be, advocates said.

“They're not expensive services but it keeps people in their homes, and they can function in the community with a little help,'' Meek told The Associated Press.

According to the suit, the state tried to address backlogs with the program last fall by awarding a private contractor $9 million over two years to handle inquiries, applications, in-home eligibility visits and other tasks. But the problem has only gotten worse, the suit says.