Mediplan trouble article

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Little typo goes a long way with state agency

Jon Yates | What's Your Problem?

February 20, 2008

Sometimes a simple typo -- just one mistyped letter -- can have huge

ramifications.

For G., the difference between a " g " and a " c " threatened to

cost her 24-year-old niece, who has autism, a spot in a desperately

needed workshop.

G., legal guardian for Meghan E, has been planning since summer to

move from Chicago to Naperville this month.

As part of the move, E would transfer from a workshop program in the

city to one in the suburbs. G. had picked the program, Little Friends,

and started the paperwork months ago to ensure a smooth transition.

It wasn't until Jan. 28, three days before the application to Little

Friends was due, that G. realized something was amiss.

Her niece's state-issued MediPlan card had misspelled E's first name.

Instead of Meghan, it read Mechan. It also displayed an incorrect

coverage level for E.

Unless those errors were corrected immediately, G. was told, E would

be denied funding to enroll at Little Friends.

G. said she called the state to get the MediPlan card fixed, but was

bounced around from agency to agency. She never could figure out who

she was supposed to talk to, or if anyone with the state was working

to fix the mistakes.

In a panic, G. e-mailed What's Your Problem? late in the day on Jan. 28.

" I'm attempting to correct an impossible situation, " G. said. " I don't

know where to turn. "

G., who became E's legal guardian after the young woman's father died

in 2005, said that without state help, she could not afford to enroll

E in the $1,200-per-month Naperville program. If E did not enroll in

the program, she would languish at home, G. said.

The clock was ticking. The goal was to enroll E at Little Friends

starting in March.

" I'm desperate, " G. said. " She needs it so desperately. She's used to

working. She needs stimulation. There's no other place I can take her.

My husband and I both work, and it's important that she be out. "

The Problem Solver called the state agency that issues the MediPlan

Card, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Within hours,

it had corrected both the misspelled first name and the coverage level.

Healthcare and Family Services spokeswoman Ruth Igoe said her agency

moved as quickly as it could.

" We regret that there was an error that interfered with [E] getting

the workshop services, " Igoe said. " That error was corrected

expeditiously once brought to our attention. "

After the card was corrected, G. submitted the paperwork immediately,

meeting the Jan. 31 deadline. She received word last week that funding

had been approved, and E is scheduled to enroll in Little Friends

starting March 3

G. said she's still learning how to navigate bureaucratic red tape and

best advocate for her niece. Enrolling E in Little Friends, she said,

will help a lot.

" We're very excited, " G. said. " It's a great opportunity for Meghan. "

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, Chicago Tribune