Red Cross Denials? - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Nov 9, 2005

Red Cross Denials?

Date: Nov 9, 2005

What are you talking about????

Date: Nov 9, 2005

Most of the Red Cross money has been found to be given to people living in certain Zip codes but with no legitimate need. Consider yourself fortunate that you did not receive any funds.

Date: Nov 9, 2005

I was given a letter that said my request was being forwarded to the national offices and that I would be notified of any further action.
Well, last week a Red Cross card came in the mail, but there was not an amount listed.

Date: Nov 9, 2005

I agree 100% that USM faculty and staff were mistreated by the Red Cross. Whether or not the Red Cross made sill mistakes with others should not penalize people who should get the money under the Red Cross' rules.

I cannot urge everyone at USM enough to not contribute to United Way next year (or this year if you have not). Red Cross gets money form them. Please give, and give generously if you can, but give directly to the Boy Scouts or other organizations. Do not support the Red Cross after this. USM is not alone: many military veterans can tell you that they have ill feelings about the Red Cross for various things experienced in the military.

Date: Nov 9, 2005

USM, like many other large Hattiesburg companies, had some of their staff trained to take up Red Cross applications.

You might remember a few weeks after Katrina there were all these Red Cross assistance centers set-up where individuals and families could apply for assistance. Most of them issued numbers and you would have to wait in long lines to receive a number and then come back when you number was called.

Or you could try to get through to the 800 number that was constantly busy 24/7 for at least 2 months post Katrina.

Well most of the USM employees that wanted to apply for assistance could not go and apply because we worked during the hours the Red Cross assistance centers were open. So to help us out the HR department, like many other local businesses, offered the application process on site to help their employees that couldn't take the time to leave work and apply at the onsite facilities.

Well it turned out that most all of the USM employees that applied on campus received denial letters in the mail today. I guess Red Cross ran out of money, or just continues to change their assistance policies every week.

I am just glad I only donate to the Salvation Army.

Date: Nov 9, 2005

Just a word in defence of the Red Cross - keep in mind that the Red Cross isn't FEMA...they're a bunch of volunteers trying to help others. The people you're criticizing didn't get paid for their hours of work. The only thing they reaped was the complaints of those who felt they waited too long in line. No volunteer organization could have coped with the magnitude of this disaster....jeez - the State of Louisiana fell on its face.

I'll offer my thanks to those who took the time to sit at the Red Cross tables helping those in need fill out the forms, even though some of those people were cranky and abusive. The president of our Faculty Senate was one of those wonderful people......

Date: Nov 9, 2005

It appears the Red Cross has changed its eligibility criteria. According to the Red Cross application for assistance information provided by USM's Human Resources office on September 30, 2005, http://www.usm.edu/about/notice, "lost wages as a result of the hurricane" makes one eligible for Red Cross financial assistance. However, the "denial" letter hitting the mailboxes of USM employees says "the American Red Cross provides for immediate emergency, disaster-caused needs such as food, clothing and shelter; not losses such as food in refrigerators or freezers due to power outage, or lost wages."

The letter also states that Red Cross financial assistance is not to take the place of insurance and "... it does not duplicate government or other agency assistance." This implies that FEMA check recipients would not be eligible for Red Cross aid and probably not the one-time food stamps, either.

My guess is USM was about two weeks too late in getting the application process rolling on campus. This statement is by no means a criticism of the HR office. In talking with others in the community, employers such as Hattiesburg Clinic and Forrest General Hospital took applications on their employees within the first couple of weeks after the hurricane. These applications probably got into the "system" before Red Cross realized they had more applications than they had available funds.

Date: Nov 9, 2005

Friday, Sept. 30, 2005

Employees Can Apply for Red Cross On Campus Next Week

The University of Southern Mississippi is pleased to announce that it will accept applications for Red Cross financial assistance for Southern Miss employees on Monday, Oct. 3; Tuesday, Oct. 4; and Wednesday, Oct. 5. The applications will be accepted in Cook Library, Room 123 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

In order to apply for the financial assistance, you must bring

• Southern Miss faculty/staff identification card;
• Driver’s license;
• Photo copy of either the Southern Miss faculty/staff identification card or driver’s license; and
• Social security cards or birth certificates of anyone living in your home (including yourself) on a permanent basis at the time of the hurricane (not evacuees who may have come to your home during the hurricane). Social security cards or birth certificates of all family members will be inspected by the interviewer. However, you do not have to bring a photo copy of these documents.

In order to be eligible for the financial assistance, you must answer “yes” to one of the following questions:

• Did you lose your home?
• Did you suffer damage to your home?
• Did you have lost wages as a result of the hurricane?

The following are some important points to note as you apply for the Red Cross financial assistance:
• You may only apply for Red Cross financial assistance once. Therefore, if you or your spouse has already applied for your family either on-site or by telephone, you cannot apply again.
• The Red Cross is now issuing debit cards, and all purchases will be tracked.
• The application center on campus is being staffed with Southern Miss employees who are volunteering, not Red Cross officials. Therefore, the Southern Miss employee will not be able to answer specific questions about your specific situation.
• All applications will be turned in to the Red Cross for processing. There is no issuing of any funds on-site.
• Southern Miss cannot guarantee when you will receive your financial assistance.
• The Southern Miss application center is for Southern Miss employees only, not students or others from the community.

Date: Nov 10, 2005

Red Cross were as effective as FEMA as first responders. Churches, International Aid and Salvation Army were way way better. Red Cross were also rude and dispassionate to those requesting assistance. Never another dime. There are better places to put your money to help people.

Date: Nov 10, 2005

I too am upset with Red Cross. I know of many individuals who received Red Cross aid that shouldn't have. There was no checking going on for the first few weeks and because of that they were taken advantage of. Ultimately this lies on the conscience of those who accepted money who shouldn't have. But now people who had real damage are being turned away who really need it because they went to work and tried to do the right thing. I understand that there is an appeals process but that it will take several weeks to get them out to your home and then several more after that to receive the assistance if they deem you worthy. What one of my employees was told on the phone is that 9 weeks later you aren't still in an emergency situation. Tell that to someone who has been robbing Peter to pay Paul for two months until this money came in to help them catch up. I as well will discontinue my charitable donations to Red Cross and the United Way and will give through my church and Christian Services ( who by the way did a great job even without a building to work in)

Date: Nov 11, 2005

And don't forget the Salvation Army that helps the needy year round. Watch for those red kettles outside shopping centers during the holiday season.