[Nfbmo] Judge finds blind people owed 30 million

Mon Apr 5 03:35:31 UTC 2010

that shortfall doesn't matter due to how the tax was setup back in 1875.
the thing that may matter is if there is a large amount of publicity.
Bryan Schulz

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dewey Bradley" <dewey.bradley at mchsi.com>
To: "NFB of Missouri Mailing List" <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, April 04, 2010 10:04 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] Judge finds blind people owed 30 million

> We do have a 151 million  budget shortfall for next year, so you never 
> know what will happen.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Eugene Coulter" <escoulter at centurytel.net>
> To: "NFB of Missouri Mailing List" <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, April 04, 2010 9:22 PM
> Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] Judge finds blind people owed 30 million
>
>
>> The United States Supreme Court ruled a generation ago that residency 
>> requirements for any public assistance programs  this would include Blind 
>> Pension, are unconstitutional. The only thing that resembles a residency 
>> requirement is that recipients be of good moral character and prove this 
>> by having  two property owners in the county in which they apply  that 
>> have known  the blind person for at least two years attest to this.
>> Actually only Temporary Assistance (formerly AFDC) roles have grown 
>> slower than Blind Pension in the last fifteen years as Food Stamp and all 
>> types of Medicaid roles have  increased at a ever increasing rate. So, I 
>> don't think large numbers of people have flocked to Missouri just to get 
>> the pension (certainly there are some).
>> Given the circumstance of the state budget and other factors it is 
>> anybody's guess what will happen next in the case.  It could be quickly 
>> resolved or take in excess of another year before there is final action. 
>> We will know much more in about a month.
>> Gene
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Dewey Bradley" <dewey.bradley at mchsi.com>
>> To: "NFB of Missouri Mailing List" <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, April 04, 2010 7:12 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] Judge finds blind people owed 30 million
>>
>>
>>> They should make something like that.
>>> If everyone keeps coming here, there going to drain the fund.
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "Bryan Schulz" <b.schulz at sbcglobal.net>
>>> To: "NFB of Missouri Mailing List" <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Sunday, April 04, 2010 6:05 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] Judge finds blind people owed 30 million
>>>
>>>
>>>> maybe so but how many would have moved if you had to be a resident for 
>>>> at least five years to be eligible?
>>>> That says something about the person.
>>>> that's all I'll say.
>>>> Bryan Schulz
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>>> From: "Dewey Bradley" <dewey.bradley at mchsi.com>
>>>> To: "NFB of Missouri Mailing List" <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Sunday, April 04, 2010 4:27 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] Judge finds blind people owed 30 million
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Same here, I can't say that I blame them either.
>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>>>> From: "Bryan Schulz" <b.schulz at sbcglobal.net>
>>>>> To: "NFB of Missouri Mailing List" <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>>>>> Sent: Sunday, April 04, 2010 2:42 PM
>>>>> Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] Judge finds blind people owed 30 million
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> you want to talk hypocritical/ethics?
>>>>>> i know several people who moved to mo for the bucks.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Bryan Schulz
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>>>>> From: "Dewey Bradley" <dewey.bradley at mchsi.com>
>>>>>> To: "NFB of Missouri Mailing List" <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> Sent: Sunday, April 04, 2010 1:20 PM
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] Judge finds blind people owed 30 million
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I don't mean to be a hypocrite. But That $651 on the 10th of every 
>>>>>>>month really is very helpful.
>>>>>>> But we have also have people who are not disabled who can't get help 
>>>>>>> like that.
>>>>>>> I think that if we want to be treated like everyone else we need to 
>>>>>>> act like everyone else.
>>>>>>> I used to make close to 16 bucks an hour, an I took the bus for half 
>>>>>>> price
>>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>>>>>> From: "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
>>>>>>> To: "NFB of Missouri Mailing List" <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>>> Sent: Saturday, April 03, 2010 10:08 PM
>>>>>>> Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] Judge finds blind people owed 30 million
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Can I be a "back dated" honorary Missourian?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Dave
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> At 04:26 PM 4/2/2010, you wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Posted: Friday, 02 April 2010 12:12PM
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Judge awards $30 million to blind Missourians
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>KMOXNews at kmox.com
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>ST. LOUIS (AP)  -- Missouri owes $30 million to 3,300 blind 
>>>>>>>>>residents to make up for years of shortchanging payments to them 
>>>>>>>>>through the Blind Pension Fund,
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>a judge has ruled.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Cole County Judge Patricia Joyce determined the Missouri Department 
>>>>>>>>>of Social Services miscalculated benefits dating to 1992. She 
>>>>>>>>>awarded nearly $19 million
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>in unpaid benefits and more than $11 million in interest.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>It wasn't clear Friday whether the state would appeal Thursday's 
>>>>>>>>>decision. A Social Services spokesman referred questions to the 
>>>>>>>>>Missouri Attorney General's
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>office. A spokeswoman for the attorney general did not return 
>>>>>>>>>messages seeking comment.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Pensioners were underpaid for more than a decade, said attorney 
>>>>>>>>>Deborah Greider, who filed the class action lawsuit on behalf of 
>>>>>>>>>the St. Louis-based Missouri
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Council of the Blind and seven blind Missourians. After the lawsuit 
>>>>>>>>>was filed about five years ago, Missouri recalculated the pension 
>>>>>>>>>and now pays a fair
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>amount, she said.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>The average blind pensioner now receives about $651 a month from 
>>>>>>>>>the state, and for many, that is their only income.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>"Most of these people are poor and unemployed, many are elderly," 
>>>>>>>>>Greider said. She recalled testimony from one blind woman who was 
>>>>>>>>>asked what an additional
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>$40 a month would mean to her.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>"She said, 'I could feed my guide dog better, I could get a pizza 
>>>>>>>>>once in a while,'" Greider said. "It was really heartbreaking."
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Denny Huff, president of the Missouri Council of the Blind, said 
>>>>>>>>>the state shorted people who were already on tight budgets.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>"To be denied even a percentage of what they should have been 
>>>>>>>>>receiving may not seem like much to some people," he said, "but for 
>>>>>>>>>a lot of recipients, it
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>affected them a great deal."
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>The Missouri Constitution has required the General Assembly since 
>>>>>>>>>1875 to levy an annual property tax to fund the Blind Pension Fund. 
>>>>>>>>>But starting in 1992,
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>the state began using some of the money for other expenses, Greider 
>>>>>>>>>said.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>For example, some of the money goes to rehabilitation services for 
>>>>>>>>>the blind. But Greider said the pensions should be fully funded 
>>>>>>>>>first, with leftover
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>money going for rehab services.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>> Nfbmo mailing list
>>>>>>>> Nfbmo at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmo_nfbnet.org
>>>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
>>>>>>>> for Nfbmo:
>>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmo_nfbnet.org/dewey.bradley%40mchsi.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> Nfbmo mailing list
>>>>>>> Nfbmo at nfbnet.org
>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmo_nfbnet.org
>>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info 
>>>>>>> for Nfbmo:
>>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmo_nfbnet.org/b.schulz%40sbcglobal.net
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> Nfbmo mailing list
>>>>>> Nfbmo at nfbnet.org
>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmo_nfbnet.org
>>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>>>>>> Nfbmo:
>>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmo_nfbnet.org/dewey.bradley%40mchsi.com
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Nfbmo mailing list
>>>>> Nfbmo at nfbnet.org
>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmo_nfbnet.org
>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>>>>> Nfbmo:
>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmo_nfbnet.org/b.schulz%40sbcglobal.net
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Nfbmo mailing list
>>>> Nfbmo at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmo_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>>>> Nfbmo:
>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmo_nfbnet.org/dewey.bradley%40mchsi.com
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Nfbmo mailing list
>>> Nfbmo at nfbnet.org
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmo_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>>> Nfbmo:
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmo_nfbnet.org/escoulter%40centurytel.net
>>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Nfbmo mailing list
>> Nfbmo at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmo_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>> Nfbmo:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmo_nfbnet.org/dewey.bradley%40mchsi.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Nfbmo mailing list
> Nfbmo at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfbmo_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> Nfbmo:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfbmo_nfbnet.org/b.schulz%40sbcglobal.net 