Raymond v. Rowland

220 F.R.D. 173, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4300, 2004 WL 551241
CourtDistrict Court, D. Connecticut
DecidedMarch 12, 2004
DocketNo. 3:03 CV 0118(MRK)
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 220 F.R.D. 173 (Raymond v. Rowland) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Raymond v. Rowland, 220 F.R.D. 173, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4300, 2004 WL 551241 (D. Conn. 2004).

Opinion

ORDER

KRAVITZ, District Judge.

In this action, Plaintiffs claim that Defendants have failed reasonably to accommodate disabled individuals who require or seek essential services from the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS), in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. § 12132, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. § 701, et seq., and federal and state law. Currently before the Court is Plaintiffs Amended Motion for Class Certification [doc. # 24]. Because the Plaintiffs meet the requirements for class certification set out in Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the motion is GRANTED.

I.

DSS administers the following programs: State Supplement to the Aged, Blind, or Disabled (AABD; cash assistance for impoverished elderly and disabled persons), Temporary Family Assistance (TFA; cash assistance for impoverished families with children or pregnant women), State Administered General Assistance (SAGA; cash and medical assistance), Food Stamps (food coupons for impoverished persons) and Medicaid (medical assistance for impoverished recipients of cash assistance programs, children and disabled persons). Am. Compl. [doc. # 23] H 4. State regulations require applicants for and beneficiaries of the TFA, SAGA, and Food Stamp [175]*175programs to have face-to-face interviews at least once every twelve months, with waivers available under limited circumstances. Id. 131; (citing DSS Uniform Policy Manual (UPM) §§ 1505.30.B, 1545.20.B, 1545.10.B through E, 1545.11, 8080.15.F, 8520.05.E, 8520.10). Failure to participate in the interview process in the absence of a waiver results in denial or termination of benefits. Id.; (citing UPM §§ 1505.30.G, 1545.20.E, 8080.10.E, 8520.10). There is no codified procedure governing waivers, which must be requested and are available only upon agency discretion. Id. 1131.

On or about January 17, 2003, the State closed six DSS offices, those in Ansonia, Bristol, Meriden, Norwalk, Killingly, and Willimantic, representing over one-third of the offices in the state. Persons served by the closed offices were transferred to other DSS offices throughout the state. Id. 1129. Plaintiffs also assert that DSS has reduced staff throughout the state, resulting in caseloads too high for DSS workers to consistently and timely provide accommodations to disabled applicants and beneficiaries, resulting in delays in processing benefits' and the denial of benefits. Id. H 30, 34.

Plaintiffs allege that “Defendants have failed to adopt and codify policies and procedures to accommodate disabled persons in accessing and maintaining eligibility for benefits, programs, and services offered by DSS.” Id. 1132. Plaintiffs specify: “Defendants do not have an adequate transition plan in place regarding office closings, nor codified policies and procedures to ensure Plaintiffs and members of the Plaintiff class will be able to access the DSS office to which they are assigned. Neither do Defendants have policies and procedures to ensure that program-eligible disabled persons are reasonably accommodated, if necessary, in a manner that ensures they have an opportunity to meaningfully access DSS administered benefits, programs and services, equal to that of non-disabled persons.” Id. 1133.1 Furthermore, Plaintiffs claim that Defendants have failed to provide Plaintiffs with adequate notice and information regarding the nondiscrimination requirements of the ADA2 and § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act3 and that Defendants have further failed to adopt appropriate grievance procedures that would allow Plaintiffs to file grievances and obtain appropriate relief when and if their rights under the ADA and Rehabilitation Act are violated. Id. 111135, 36.

The Amended Complaint includes the specific claims of several named plaintiffs. The first named Plaintiff, Lori Raymond, is a resident of Meriden, Connecticut and is disabled by depression, panic disorder, and anxiety. She receives Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, and AABD, Food Stamps, and Medicaid through DSS. Second Am. Compl. [doc. # 61], H 5. Ms. Raymond was served by the Meriden office before it closed, and was reassigned to the New Haven office, which she alleges to be a sixty mile round trip from her residence. Id. H24.4 She has no personal transportation, she cannot use public transportation because of her disabilities, and she has no other means of getting to New Haven for appointments at the DSS office. Id.

[176]*176Ms. Raymond alleges that her psychiatric condition has been exacerbated by her reassignment to the New Haven office, as her case management worker has been changed twice, and she has had difficulty reaching the DSS worker by telephone. Id. 1125. These difficulties resulted in delays in her approval for Qualified Medicare Benefits. Id. Ms. Raymond notes that there is no disability indicator on her DSS case, nor in her computer file, essentially leaving DSS no way of knowing that she is disabled and requires special accommodations. Id. H 26.

Migdalia Mendez is a resident of Meriden, and is a disabled single parent of two disabled children. Id. 1127. Ms. Mendez and her younger son receive Supplemental Security Income, the older son receives TFA, and they all receive Medicaid and sometimes Food Stamps, depending on whether they receive child support. Id. She is disabled by severe lupus, a herniated disk, and esophagus and stomach problems, all of which limit her mobility and require her to take at least 14 medications every day. She does not have a car and cannot use a bus. Because of the medical needs of her children, she cannot be away from home for extended periods. Id.

During the year prior to its closing, Ms. Mendez had to attend appointments at the Meriden DSS office three or four times. She has been reassigned to New Haven, and is unable to get there. Even if she could, her younger son could not make the trip because of his disabilities. Id. In the past year, she claims that on at least two occasions DSS made errors in determining her eligibility for benefits. Id. 111128, 29. Again, there is no notation in her file that she is disabled. Id. 1130.

Kimberly Dade and her seven-year-old daughter are disabled residents of Bristol. Ms. Dade receives TFA, Food Stamps, and Medicaid through DSS, and has a pending application with the Social Security Administration for disability benefits. Id. 1131. Ms. Dade suffers from chronic bronchial asthma complicated by allergies, morbid obesity, high blood pressure, a prolapsed bladder and urinary and fecal incontinence, tendinitis in her wrist, damaged ankle and knee joints, and circulatory problems in her legs that cause swelling. Id. Before the closure of the Bristol DSS office, she visited that office for redeterminations of eligibility every three to six months and often other times as well to supply required documentation.

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Bluebook (online)
220 F.R.D. 173, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4300, 2004 WL 551241, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/raymond-v-rowland-ctd-2004.