MS Medcaid Say No more Therapy for Matthew, Well we'll just see about that!

I'm in limbo. Even though the therapist and doctor sent letters and prescriptions stating his progression, Medicaid says NO? Of course, I have appealed. I have three days to prove his has progressed. That's no problem. I have it ALL on video tape. I also got yet ANOTHER prescription from another doctors saying he needed physical therapy THREE times a week.
If they say no this time we'll be on our way to Haley Barbours House. (Like that would do anygood.) Ms is a mess , like I've been saying and Katrina didn't help us a bit. This state is rapidly getting worse. I'll know Friday what Medicaid decides after getting the new prescriptions and the links to the videos and another letter from the therapist. I had to drop everything to get this stuff together and make phone calls. I've not done any school work all day and that's not good because I have another test next tuesday but it doesn't matter. Matthew has always came first and he always will. Here's my NICE letter. The next one won't be nice if we are denied again.
Charlotte



To: The Vicksburg Post.
I am writing this on behalf of my grandson. He is four years old and has severe Cerebral Palsy. Maybe Medicaid and everyone else involved can understand better why kids with CP need physical therapy even though most will never walk or even crawl. Maybe this will help them understand. I was wondering if this be put in the paper somewhere? If it's too long for letter to the editor, I can revise it.
People need to know how severely handicapped children (including the elderly)
are being denied medical services that they deserve and have paid for with their tax dollars. It's probably just another Medicaid problem to some it could mean life of pain or death to the handicapped children in Mississippi. Sometimes I think that not one Senator, Representative or Governor has even had the priveledge of knowing a handicapped child, much less having one of their own. If they did, things would be much different when it came to Medical services for our handicapped children.
Charlotte Kappler

Just Because we may never walk, doesn't mean we don't need Physical Therapy.

My name is Matthew Sanderson. I am four years old. I have 4 different brain malformations. I was not supposed to live more than two years according to my neurologist. Because my brain is malformed, I cannot walk or crawl unassisted. I can walk in a walker and sometimes I can run on my special treadmill I got for Christmas if I am in my walker. I don’t have balance but my walker holds me up so I can walk. I am blind too but I know people by their voice and smell. I’m not totally blind like they thought I was because I have some peripheral vision. I know what people are saying to me but because of my brain malformation, I can only respond by shaking my head yes or with a big smile on my face. I am a person, even though I can't do the things a "normal" person can do.

I have been getting physical therapy since I was 6 months old. At first, I couldn’t even bear much weight on my feet but since my surgery last year, on my hips, I am able to walk in my walker much better than I could before. Sometimes I don’t feel much like walking because I have seizures that the doctors say will never go away but there are lots of times, I feel good and like to walk in my walker.

Because of my brain malformations, I also have what the doctors call Spasticity. That means my muscles are very tight, especially in my legs. Before my surgery my legs used to scissor and hurt real bad and they came out of the sockets. A person that has had a stroke can tell you how that feels to be lying in bed and have their arm or leg suddenly draw up really tight. My brain makes my legs draw up or scissor and I have to have physical therapy to keep them from getting like they were before the surgery. My brain will always make my legs do that and it’s nothing that can be fixed but without physical therapy, my legs can come out of the sockets again and it is very painful for me.

Today my grandma told me that Medicaid denied me physical therapy because I was not showing any progress. Grandma had to quit work to take care of me so I have to be on Medicaid for my insurance. I have worked really hard to get to where I am today.
If the doctors are right, I won’t be here very much longer, even though I am doing very well right now. Why not help me with what I need while I am here? I just want my legs to feel better so I don’t have to have that surgery again. My handicapped friends are being denied too for their physical therapy and it’s just not fair. My therapist and my doctor both say I have progressed a lot more than they ever thought I would. Most of my friends have some type of brain malformation and their legs hurt too when they don’t get the physical therapy. My grandma is doing therapy on my legs until we see if Medicaid will watch some videos showing my progression. Some of my friends parents work and don’t have time that is needed to do the therapy that my friends need to keep their legs from hurting.

Isn’t there some other program that could be cut instead of the therapy for my handicapped friends and me? Some of my friends can’t do as much as I can. One of my friends can barely move at all but her legs hurt too when she doesn't get physical therapy.
Love,
Matthew Sanderson
P.S.
I have videos showing my progression on my website at
http://www.littleoddyssey.blogspot.com