Complaint Rating:

Company information:
Iowa department of human services
Iowa
United States

I am hoping many people will read this and maybe even advise because I dont feel this is right.
I have recently started receiving Medicare, I do not get this for free because I pay $96.40 a month and I feel this charge for insurance for someone my age is fair. Anyways I called Medicare about adding a Medigap coverage to cover the costs Medicare does not cover, the representative told me that I qualify for medicaid help with my additional expenses I thought that would be nice but I was not sure so I called back the next day and got told the exact same thing by another representative. So I proceeded to fill out a preliminary application to Iowa DHS and it said I qualified for additional help so I started to fill out the official application online. One of the very first questions was asking if I was Hispanic or not. NOT ANY OTHER RACE just HISPANIC or NOT HISPANIC
I was already offended but finished with the application. Two days later I received a letter saying to finish with my approval I need to come in for a in person interview. The letter said a specific appointment time however it also said that I can come in early if I want any day and at any time Mon-Fri from 8:30 to 3:00 NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY and no call needed but I may have to wait for another interview to be finished first. Completely understandable so we went early, asked for the lady whose name was on the letter and she came out to a crowded waiting room and told us she was NOT taking interviews today and I calmly explained that I was sorry I was just going by what my letter said. She said "fine but that was before I had 40 cases dumped on me" but she took us back to an office told me she cant find my file but I dont qualify for anything because my wife makes to much. then she dismissed me total time of "interview" 4 min. Now I wasnt asking for anything for free I was only doing what Medicare suggested before I get additional insurance so if I didnt qualify that is fine but to not qualify because my wife makes to much when she makes$7.75 hour and works 24 hours a week???? And then for this lady to say this without being able to find my file???
We left feeling very embarrassed so we went to the social security office to explain to them what happened and they gave me the director's of DHS phone of course I didnt get to talk to the director but his "assistant" I told the whole story and this guy said that she probably did get 40 cases dumped on her and when I voiced my displeasure of the Hispanic question and he told me thats how it is.

I dont complain to complain but to be treated like I was is not right but more importantly WHY does it matter if we are hispanic or not????? Is that the only way a person who really needs assistance gets help is if the are hispanic.