Saturday, April 13, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
Last Thursday, DUI Victims' Donna Maynard and her two young sons experienced government bureaucracy and incompetence at its worst. Welfare representative Richard Phillips, informed Maynard her application for benefits was denied because she used $5,200 from a victim trust account established by STOP DUI, to pay for items such as food and other necessities. (This is exactly what that money was meant for!) The department was of the opinion this money should have been put toward the $200,000 in medical bills the family has incurred -- through no fault of their own.
How dare Maynard think that feeding her children and keeping a roof over their heads should take precedence over medical bills. Just because she was critically injured and still confined to a wheelchair was no excuse. The Nevada Department of Welfare was going to teach her a lesson, by God! No to food stamps -- no to Medicare and Medicaid.
The media was then notified and began an inquiry. Within a few short hours a miraculous discovery occurred. Phillips notified Maynard the file now reflected her eligibility for food stamps and her applications for medical benefits would be re-evaluated.
The absurdity of the situation was publicized and, by the following day, the Maynards were experiencing the best of Nevada. Calls were received at the STOP DUI office with offers of help. These were the same caliber of caring people who so generously donated to the original ill-fated trust account. Sadly, these acts of kindness must be declined until we are assured they will not jeopardize the Maynards' appeal. And yes, this defies common sense.
We understand the importance of guarding against welfare abuse as no one would expect their tax dollars wasted. We also understand the importance of thoroughly evaluating each case. Hopefully, the Nevada Department of Welfare will be more in tune with the latter regarding future applicants.
Sandy Heverly
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