The Office: The Paperwork Trial

I want to test something for a second. Keep reading…

Medicaid - The Medicaid program is jointly funded by the federal government and states. The federal government pays states for a specified percentage of program expenditures, called the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP). FMAP varies by state based on criteria such as per capita income. The regular average state FMAP is 57%, but ranges from 50% in wealthier states up to 75% in states with lower per capita incomes (the maximum regular FMAP is 82 %). FMAPs are adjusted for each state on a three-year cycle to account for fluctuations in the economy. The FMAP is published annually in the Federal Register. 

Are you still with me?

I thought you might stop reading once you reached a percentage sign. I personally checked out at the first FMAP and just kept mindlessly typing. I’m sorry for any spelling errors beyond that point, but the gnat hovering over my coffee cup suddenly became very interesting.

It takes a special kind of person to deal with this stuff every day – someone intelligent, clear-thinking, organized and patient. This special person at Shepherds is Linda Manlick in the Business Office.

Linda not only handles Medicaid for the college students, she also deals with Social Security issues and medical billing. If you have questions about any of these matters, call her and she’ll explain what needs to be done in plain English. I feel fairly confident in saying that you’ll be able to understand the entire conversation.

Not only does Linda do an excellent job with all this difficult governmental paperwork, she also does something I can actually understand – she buys all the Woodman’s gift cards for the students! 

Linda deals directly with the Woodman’s Corporate Office in Madison to buy gift cards in bulk so we can get discounts to pass on to the students and their families. The Culinary Arts department uses these gift cards to purchase all their food supplies for their lessons each week, and the students use them on their weekly grocery shopping trips to purchase the food needed to make their breakfasts and dinners.

I wanted to highlight Linda in The Office today for two reasons: One - because even though what she does is difficult for me to write about, it’s important stuff and she will make it easy for you to grasp. 

And two – It’s her 66^th birthday today and her co-workers love her to pieces. 

She’s funny and generous and kind. She’s plain-spoken and truthful, yet sensitive. She’s a careful listener and gives sound advice.

If you need someone like that to answer your hard-to-comprehend Medicaid or Social Security questions, give Linda a call at 262-878-5620 ext. 2318.

Or just call her to say, “Happy Birthday Linda!!”
 

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.