COAST TO COAST
LEGAL AID OF
SOUTH FLORIDA

About Coast To Coast

Services

RECENT CCLA SUCCESS STORIES

  • Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida's (CCLA) 84 year-old client on a fixed income went to a dentist to have a checkup. She was charged $150 in initial exam fees and x-rays and then quoted $210 for additional work. Client opted to not to have additional work done, yet was signed up (someone else signed her name) for a CareCredit credit card, now being offered at a number of doctors' offices. Client soon starts receiving credit card bills with charges for services that she did not receive. In addition, client was covered under Humana Health insurance which paid for the services she did receive. When client called to refute charges the dental office refused to speak to her. CCLA called to inquire on behalf of client and was also denied. In the meantime, interest and late fees are accruing on her credit card bill. CCLA sent a certified letter to doctor with a release of information per HIPAA guidelines, and demanded the doctor to provide CCLA with her medical and financial records. Dentist's office finally called CCLA back and agreed to refund her money including initial exam charges. They also paid all the credit card charges and interest related to the charge. CCLA recovered a total of $680 for the client.


  • Client's Medicaid Reform health ceased providing services in Broward County and the client was forced to choose a new plan. The only plans available covered his medications but not his prior doctors. The client required oxygen tanks to breathe and the old plan providers were scheduled to remove the tanks. The new plan providers would not give him new tanks until he saw a doctor under his new plan. Panicked and confused over how to proceed, he contacted CCLA for assistance. CCLA spoke to a number of agents before reaching a managing nurse in the new health plan who could arrange for the oxygen tanks to be delivered and the doctor appointments to be set up. CCLA arranged for the nurse to continue to work with the client to monitor his medical needs.

  • Our client worked as a baker for 16 years at one company. The client was fired and the employer refused to pay unemployment benefits claiming that the client had stolen bread. CCLA represented the client at the hearing and obtained unemployment benefits for him.

  • A woman with multiple disabilities came to CCLA for help. She was unable to pay her rent and was about to be evicted. She had been denied unemployment compensation from her last job and her Medicaid benefits had been taken away. She applied for social security disability, but had been denied. She felt that "all doors had been slammed in her face." CCLA was able to arrange an emergency unemployment hearing within the hour and her benefits were granted. As a result, she was able to stay in her home with Medicaid coverage. CCLA is currently working on her disability claim with social security.

  • The mother of a 16 year old girl with a brain tumor came to CCLA for help when her daughter's Medicaid and social security benefits were terminated because the mother had property in Haiti. CCLA contacted the girl's doctor who said that chemotherapy was needed within days. CCLA immediately contacted Children's Medical Services and obtained the reinstatement of Medicaid the same day. CCLA then employed a little known Social Security regulation which allowed the daughter to collect her social security benefits despite her mother's property in Haiti.