20 March 2012 – Saint George Day 2: On Medicaid and Zion National Park

HALO trips are designed to allow for our members to provide legal aid and also to enjoy their Spring Break through legal-services-free activities.

Some of our members in Saint George continued to work on divorce filings, client communication, and legal research. I worked on simplifying and clarifying, although not shortening, a checklist for filling out state-required financial disclosure forms for divorce proceedings. I next worked on legal research on the standard of “medically necessary services” in Utah for a case involving a differently-abled Medicaid recipient trying to get coverage for a necessary dental operation.

During the morning, a disgruntled citizen fighting Medicaid came in and loudly voiced his frustration with obtaining legal aid (he had never been to the office before and left letters under the wrong door) and fighting Medicaid to cover his medical services, including cancer treatments. After a few minutes arguing with Sherry, Ms. Jensen came out and talked the disgruntled citizen down. After explaining the legal implications of his case, he was calm. Ms. Jensen gave him options for possible next steps, including opening a case with them by making an in-take call, and he left in a calm and friendly demeanor. Towards the afternoon, Ms. Jensen began encouraging us to go to Zion National Park, a common destination for vacationers and tourists.

In the afternoon, we headed out to Zion National park, and after some navigational issues involving a wrong turn, we finally made it to the national park. One can tell they are near the park when the black asphalt turns burgundy, the color of the local hills and geography. We explored local trails and were surrounded by majestic red mountains rising into the sky thousands of feet, topped with single trees and leftover snow. We left the area in the evening, with dinner at a small local stop, The Buffalo Trails Trading Company, featuring some of the best buffalo burgers that visitors often have ever had. The proprietor was friendly and told us stories of where he came from (Venice Beach, California!) and how he made it to Virgin, Utah near La Verkin (for the education of his daughters).