3 minute read
The Thomas Insurance Agency: Your Voice in Navigating Your Benefits
BY REBEKAH THOMAS
“My heart is for all the people without a voice for their benefits. Having an advocate means having a lifeline,” shared Lynn, a client of The Thomas Agency. “Brian and Delaine have been my lifeline to quality care and receiving my benefits.” Lynn has seen her life change for four years as she partnered with Delaine and Brian for her Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
“I wish that others like me wouldn’t have to endure all this like I did. It took me years to get the benefits I qualified for and find the right advocates. I never gave up and will encourage others to do the same,” Lynn continued. “Before Brian and Delaine, I experienced a lack of direction, confusion, and frustration. I was getting transferred from department to department, and there was always lots of paperwork.”
After Lynn began working with Brian and Delaine, her situation changed, and she finally felt supported and heard. “I don’t know where I would be without Brian and Delaine,” she said. “Delaine walks me through the steps to take; she’s always available and supports me with whatever I need.”
Lynn’s experiences with Brian and Delaine were the support, resource, and help she needed.“You get so used to people not calling you back or transferring you. It can be challenging to figure out what or how to do something. Delaine will bring her laptop over to help me. She reminds me to make appointments I can easily forget about, and she’s even helped me make an appeal in time when I needed to.”
Lynn recalls a difficult situation her advocates helped her to navigate: “When I lost my benefits, Brian educated me step-by-step to understand what happened and what I needed to do to get my benefits back. I had a hearing with a judge, and Brian helped me prepare for my appointment and showed up to ensure the judge heard me.”
“I ask myself: what do other people in my situation do?” Lynn added, “Do they just get lost in the stacks or shuffle in the system without the benefits and services they need?”
“Having advocates means a higher daily quality of life and getting the benefits that are mine. It affects my daily life in every aspect: monetary, physical, emotional, and more.”
“It’s the way Brian and Delaine educate, advocate, and care for others that make them truly amazing at what they do,” Lynn described. “They share an empathy and care for people with disabilities and the challenges that we face as well as a commitment to provide the support and to give the answers we need.”
“My life has absolutely improved since working with Brian and Delaine. Their help brought me out of a pile of papers. I like to be independent. The system now works for me only because they taught me how to be heard. I’ve gone from a negative situation to having a support system that helps. I feel educated and like I have more awareness about everything.”
