Rules are important in every aspect of life. Eligibility rules are equally important for any kind of services offered, especially those offered to assist the general public. The Arc program, as well the local Chemung Arc, is an organization developed to assist those with developmental disabilities and just like every other organization, it has eligibility rules for the people it assists and services. ARC has eligibility requirements that most would consider not too difficult to establish. Any person with any kind of intellectual or developmental disability is accepted into the ARC program, where services vary depending upon need. The catch to these services is the way a person and/or their family will able to financially make the decision to join the organization. The eligibility rules for such programs as Medicare and Medicaid may be the toughest rules to fall into. Being defined as intellectually or developmentally disabled is done by a doctor, usually at a very young age. Being diagnosed as disabled by a doctor falls under: eligibility by professional discretion. Once diagnosed, unfortunately lots of doors and opportunities close for a person. In order to successfully go to ARC for assistance in opening these doors back up, Medicaid is a popular route to take for financial assistance. Information on applying for Medicaid services is very limited online. ARC states, “Medicaid is, however, extremely complicated” (The ARC, 2013). The most basic eligibility rule for Medicaid is income. This is best described as eligibility by means testing. Stigmatization occurs more in the lines of Medicaid than Arc services, but both tie into one another very closely. Medicaid and Medicare are close words, but differ. Medicaid is more of welfare assistance and Medicare is contributed to by workers towards retirement. Welfare has bad stigmatization, which may make some skeptical of applying for Medicaid benefits. Stigmatization occurs in ARC as a whole but just in a general way of the word “retard” being thrown out to those utilizing the services at ARC. In the case of overutilization, it is not present within ARC. It wouldn’t be impossible, but quite farfetched, that a person could fake a disability to receive ARC services. Those utilizing the services are in genuine need of such assistance. Those with an unavoidable disability are entitled to assistance and that’s the reasoning behind creating such organizations as ARC. Underutilization is hard to pinpoint in this case because those with a developmental or intellectual disability have many sources to turn to, and typically utilize only one organization at a time, if the organization is multi functioning like ARC, which provides counseling, residential and vocational services to name a few. Overwhelming costs can be based on opinion. The disabled in this situation are not like baby boomers, who will all reach the same age range and needs around the same time. These individuals carry varying needs and depend person to person. A typical person may overlook some expenses of a disabled person and costs may seem overwhelming. On top of medical costs, there could be therapy, food, living, counseling, wages paid to employees, and medication expenses. Eligibility rules for ARC are far from strict, yet are in place. Those with a disability can receive services from ARC that range greatly dependent on each individual. Not many people using the organization can pay for the services out of pocket. This is where Medicaid eligibility comes into play. While it may be a difficult process, once completed the advantages of belonging to a specialized organization outweigh inconvenience. Developmentally and intellectually disabled are dealt a hand in life that nobody would choose. They deserve every opportunity they can come across to become a sufficient member of society like people their age. ARC provides this opportunity without strict eligibility guidelines that cause some to be turned away. The rules provide sufficient guidelines to make a person with a disability and their family confident of their future success within the organization. Strict rules for eligibility would damper the number of people willing to utilize the service. With a population like the one discussed, services are essential for a fulfilled life.
Works Cited
The Arc. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.thearc.org/find-a-chapter
