Florida Department of Children and FamiliesOn August 27th, 2012 — two weeks after she died, and after nine months of trying — the State of Florida Department of Children and Families finally approved my mother’s application for Medicaid.

On the afternoon of September 10th, I sent this email to my attorney, Steve Phillips, of Pincus & Currier, LLP:

Steve,

After more than nine months of red tape and phone calls, it appears that the State of Florida finally approved my mother’s Medicaid status two weeks after her death.

I am wondering if my sister and I (or “the estate of Kathleen Gagne”) are entitled to any of these Medicaid funds, for example to help defray the cost of the cremation, mortuary services, autopsy, and / or any of the other expenses.

Do you know anything about this at all? Or do I need to contract a different type of attorney to help me deal with this type of thing?

I attached to the email a PDF copy of the letter from the Department of Children and Families.

Steve replied to my email at 1:22 PM on September 12th with:

I have no experience dealing with this issue so I don’t know what may be covered.