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Healing From War Trauma Through Nature
How some veterans with war trauma are turning to farming and animals to recover and reintegrate themselves into civilian life.
By Stephanie Westlund
| October 2014
Nathan Lewis, pictured, helped start the Veterans' Sanctuary just outside of Ithaca, New York.
Photo by Poppy Kohner
"Field Exercises," by Stephanie Westlund, shares stories of former soldiers who have turned to farming and other outdoor activities to ease the effects of their war trauma.
Cover courtesy New Society Publishers
Field Exercises, by Stephanie Westlund (New Society Publishers, 2014), explores approaches to conventional therapeutic and medical interventions, offering hope for veterans searching for ways to ease the transition to civilian life and recover from stress and war trauma. Westlund shares the stories of men and women who are finding relief from the effects of their military experiences through outdoor activities such as farming and gardening. The following excerpt from Chapter 3, Getting Back to Our Roots—Nathan Lewis and the Veterans' Sanctuary, tells of a young former soldier who helped start a farming community for veterans.
Nathan grew up in a family of five children in Barker, Niagara County, in western New York State. During his high-school years, army recruiters came to his school regularly, where, he told me, they continue to do very well. "Not many jobs, careers, cultural opportunities for people in areas like that," he said. And so, in 2001 right out of high school—and like many of his peers—Nathan enlisted in the US Army field artillery for two years. As he described it now, "I was coaxed into joining the military; it wasn't something I really sought out. It wasn't my own idea." He left for basic training in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in August 2001. Then September 11 happened. Nathan recalled training hard in the year leading up to the Iraq War, and he was deployed in March 2003. After a brief time in Kuwait, his unit went to Baghdad, where they spent the next five months collecting weapons and ammunitions stockpiles in the immediate aftermath of the invasion. "We were trying to police up all the weapons stockpiles so they wouldn't fall into the hands of the insurgents," said Nathan. "So we spent a lot of time on the roads, a lot of time going into bunkers, buildings and Iraqi army bases, into warehouses and in the streets, just handling weapons and explosives and putting them on the trucks and kicking them off somewhere safer."
Nathan had strong reservations about the war from the start, and once in Iraq, he wanted to get out as soon as possible. In August 2003, his two-year enlistment period was up. "All I had to do to get out was not reenlist." However, he remembers the period immediately following his return home as an "unsteady, dark, troubling time." He was very unhappy and suffered from extreme anger. The next few years were filled with heavy drinking, substance abuse and bar fights. Nathan also experienced deep guilt about his participation in the war. "As the war unfolded and as the violence increased, as different scandals came to light, whether they be massacres of unarmed civilians, or torture in the prisons, or the Battle of Fallujah, I started to really, really get a gut-wrenching guilt, and I was just sick of the whole thing."
After leaving the Army, Nathan began attending the local community college, but he felt alienated from his civilian peers who did not share his experiences. "They didn't seem to know anything about it or care. They didn't seem to know the war was still going on, and would often ask inappropriate questions if anything at all." He also held several jobs, including one at the local lumber yard, but felt alienated from his co-workers there, too, who upon learning he was a veteran, often expressed what Nathan called "racist and genocidal" opinions about killing everyone in the Middle East or turning the entire region into a parking lot.
Through his struggles, Nathan eventually found his way to the group Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), in which he was active between 2006 and 2008. In contrast to the alienation he felt around his college peers and lumber yard co-workers, Nathan felt at home amongst IVAW veterans who shared his experiences and whom he described as "progressively minded, interesting people, looking to do different things and not afraid to rock the boat."
Starting the Veterans' Sanctuary
Nathan and a small group of others often discussed their desire to settle down together on a farm and to create a peer-to-peer program to support veterans reintegrating into civilian life. While they imagined different possibilities and programs, growing their own food was always central to the conversation. And Nathan was no stranger to gardening. When he was growing up, his family had a large garden in which they grew mostly annuals and some fruit trees, and he, along with his twin brother and three sisters, spent plenty of time weeding and hoeing in the garden. The family also had a small but popular roadside stand where they sold Lewis Sweet Corn.
By the time he had completed community college, Nathan continued to harbor a deep distrust in the economy and many of the traditional, popular cultural assumptions and beliefs held in US society. "I felt very unstable and insecure in terms of the basics in life—food, shelter and money. I was looking to do something different, so subsistence farming really spoke to me." And based on past experiences, he was not eager to find another job. "I just felt like dropping out of society and the economy," he explained. "And so I was really primed to start working at the Sanctuary."
Along with a few friends, Nathan put together what would eventually become the Veterans' Sanctuary, a 501(c)(3) non-profit. They chose Ithaca, New York, as their base because of their connections in the community within the anti-war movement, and also its reputation as a progressive, radical community supportive of veterans' issues. Initially, the friends hoped to buy some land, but they lacked the finances. Eager to get started, they kept themselves open to alternative possibilities, and fortune was on their side. "We figured out that capital wasn't necessarily a critical element in putting something like this together," Nathan recalled. "We just got lucky and met the right person who knew of some land that had two enormous greenhouses on it."
The two- to three-acre parcel in Trumansburg, just outside of Ithaca, had not been used for some time. Trees grew up through the greenhouse floors, weeds and trash were everywhere, and soil fertility was generally poor. But it was enough to get started. Nathan, his friends and the landowner made an agreement on a handshake, and the Veterans' Sanctuary garden was born. The veterans were to act as caretakers of the land and to leave it in better condition than when they started. Nathan described the seven-year lease agreement with the landowners as "a very healthy collaboration, cooperative effort. They're not trying to squeeze rent out of us. They donate the land. Once in a while, we take them a basket of vegetables or fruit or whatever's around, but pretty much we just have access to it."
That first year, the veterans cleaned up the land. They built raised beds and planted a variety of food crops, with a particular focus on long-term fruit and berries and cold-hearty perennials, which tend to be more disease- and drought-resistant than annuals. These included reliable crops such as horseradish, nettles and Jerusalem artichokes. Reflecting on growing Jerusalem artichokes, Nathan laughed: "I don't even necessarily like them all that much. I've found a few ways to cook them and ferment them, but they always give you gas and they don't taste the best. But there's just something really awesome about going out with a shovel, cracking open the soil in whatever month that you want to, throwing them in there and then they come up. And then you try to dig them up, and they're doubled the next year. It's like the Terminator, they just keep coming back; you just can't mess with them!"
The veterans' main goal for their garden is sustainable food security. "We like to think about and follow a lot of permaculture principles to try to integrate things, instead of just big monocrops. We don't have any power tools except a chainsaw," Nathan explained. "I like not having a tractor. I like not smelling fumes. Talk about triggers and shit—diesel exhaust makes me think of the fuckin' Army, that's universal! That's kind of the hallmark of the military, that you smell diesel exhaust. So we really value the marginal things. The whole space is kind of a marginal space; if you were starting a for-profit farm, you wouldn't look at the place where we farm now. We want to be independent and fairly resilient. So we try to get stuff, and saving seeds is just one of the many things we're trying to learn and get good at."
In an ideal world, Nathan said, the Veterans' Sanctuary would include animals in their operation. "If I had a whole homestead somewhere, without a doubt I'd get some goats or some sheep or chickens and ducks," he told me. And several years ago, the group did experiment with incorporating laying hens into the garden. The chickens lived in the greenhouse for a time, and then in chicken tractors (which are chicken coops without a floor that can be moved around to different areas). However, because none of the veterans live at the garden space, they are limited in their ability to care for animals, and after about a year, they realized that keeping chickens was not practical. "We were going through a pretty chaotic time where we weren't able to take care of them that well, so we ate them."
To learn the different skills associated with farming and permaculture, the veterans take an experiential approach—talking to other farmers, reading books—and trial and error. Sometimes they succeed, and other times they fail. Nathan pointed to the group's latest experiments implementing a humanure system.
"What's that?" I asked. "I'm not familiar with that term."
"Humanure . . ." Nathan hesitated briefly, and the awareness of what he was talking about suddenly dawned on me. "You're basically composting your human waste. It's intentional in the sense that you're going to be using that as fertilizer. I just think it's awesome; not everyone does." Nathan went on to describe the reactions of friends to the veterans' latest experiment. "Usually it's at dinner when we start bragging: 'Yeah we're shittin' in buckets, and we're gonna have some awesome fertilizer.' And their chewing slows down, and they kind of look at you. But then I look at them and say, 'Oh no, you have to wait a year, just to be safe, so we haven't fertilized anything yet.' So they're like, 'Oh, good, this food isn't fertilized with shit.' 'No, it's not.' 'Oh, OK, good, good, good.' So there are still a lot of taboos with that sort of thing."
By the end of the year, they had collected two large compost bins of humanure. "We made really nice containers for it; it was really neat and orderly. And they did get hot, they were certainly cooking down," Nathan explained. But when the veterans moved out of their shared house in January 2013, they couldn't take the compost because it was winter, and they worried that the new renters would want to keep it. "So we went back to the old house with a plan that we were going to say, 'Hey, we left our compost here. Do you mind if we haul it out? And if they said, 'Yeah,' then good, we wouldn't mention that it was humanure," said Nathan. "But if they said, 'No, we want to use it,' we were going to pull that out of our back pockets and say, 'Well actually it's not compost, but we were crapping in buckets for a year,'" he laughed heartily. "Luckily it didn't come down to that. All we had to do was pick it up."
They moved the humanure compost out to the farm, and mixed it with grass cuttings. Nathan explained that they are continuing to collect and compost it, but haven't used the initial batch yet because it was not completely composted. "It's still cooking down, and we have full intention to incorporate that right into the farm—especially by next spring, it will be broken down enough where you won't be able to tell what it was. Not that you could tell when we were shovelling it; it looked like any other half-finished compost," Nathan said. "So it's moving in a good direction. We'll get to it someday."
Given that their main goal is sustainable food security, the veterans are particularly focused on growing food for the members of the Veterans' Sanctuary and then sharing what's left over with their friends, allies in the community and other veterans. "We share with the local food bank when we can. We give it to veterans and their families in town when we can. Just today we gave some to an outreach coordinator from the Binghamton Vet Center. They have a nutrition and cooking class with veterans down at the Vet Center in Binghamton, and so it felt really good to give them a bunch of kale and daikon radishes and onions because they're going to learn to cook and prepare it, and say, 'Hey, these vets have this farm up there and they grew this!'" However, the importance of growing their own food runs deeper than food security, Nathan told me. "It's not only food security but to have real food that is healing and nourishes bodies, so veterans can get their nutrients and have a fighting chance to tackle some of the more long-term, deeper spiritual/soul/war trauma issues, to try to sort them out. I see it as very important: first things first—your body has to be nourished. You have to exercise."
Since starting the garden, the members of Veterans' Sanctuary have come a long way. They are now eating a lot of the food they grow. "I'm starting to benefit a lot in terms of health and payoffs, which provides the motivation to keep me doing it." They started with small, limited goals and have been expanding very slowly. "We try to move forward with a very low footprint, so we're not trying to build large outbuildings or anything like that. We try to generally just improve the land, so that means mowing, and if a tree comes down, we're the ones that clean it up. Once in a while, we ask the landowners' permission to do something, but mostly we have a whole lot of autonomy and trust. We just do what we feel is best, and it works out."
Reprinted with permission from Field Exercises: How Veterans Are Healing Themselves Through Farming and Outdoor Activities, by Stephanie Westlund, and published by New Society Publishers, 2014.
mensaje.del.reino
I was discharged just before the second Iraqi war, so I did not see action. Even so, when I came home I was a ticking time bomb- suicidal/homicidal. Even those Civilian classes back in the States did not help at all; that "switch" was always on. I was so bad my family was afraid of me. Over time I found solace in deep Personal Bible Studies, spending time building and maintaining gardens (and seeing them come to life with little help from me) and in working with troubled and aggressive dogs. When people find out I'm a Veteran, once they get over the shock (I'm a 30 something, 5'3 1/2" female who has trouble lifting 50lbs. anymore), they always make a comment of one kind or another- I'm sure they mean well but that was not the best period in my life. I always reply that "I traded my M16 in for the Bible because it's a lot more accurate, a lot more powerful, a lot more reliable and I know I'm on the winning team!" Since the time of my discharge, my health has declined considerably and I now live in a 100sf Enclosed Cargo Trailer (with electric but no running water); I've added a refrigerator and a Nature's Head composting toilet (I had a washer/dryer combo hooked up to a garden hose but had to sell it). My Mom, 2 Home-trained & Registered Service dogs and 2 cats are on this journey with me; there is no low-income housing or disability housing that can accommodate our needs and there is really no medical help or jobs available to accommodate for what we suffer (Environmentally Ill; MCS, EHS, etc.). What most friends and family find strange is that we do not mind living this way; it is certainly not a place to go after a 9-5 job; this is our life- it's very hard work just surviving though each day but it is also very productive and though we're both disabled we do have to work… to be clean… to eat… to show hospitality to friends who visit… to help take care of each other … to have healthy and happy animals (two of which help n return), etc. Living in a small space means being outside more and being surrounded by nature (being Environmentally Ill one does not do well in cities or other highly polluted areas). There are days I physically and/or mentally cannot get out of bed but having daily responsibilities makes me get up anyway; I rest more on those days but I cannot pull the covers over my head or throw in the towel. There are still periods where I battle depression and anger but not as severe and keeping busy at those times is also a good and healthy way to release that negative energy (On a side note: there's Naturpoaths at AltMed in Blackhawk, SD who use EDS Testing to see what's going on inside and they've also helped considerably.) In our travels I've been helping train others with rehabilitating their red-zone dogs (very aggressive), Mom and I have slowly been learning how to fix up the trailer, we've begun learning Spanish to be a part of a tiny Spanish Group of Jehovah's Witnesses in a remote area of Arizona (Psalm 83:18; Isaiah 43:10,11), and we've just begun a new project called "bucket gardening" (it makes sense for us to have a portable organic garden). Though I was not in war and did not suffer the same level of trauma you guys did, reading your article brought the issues close to home for me as well. I've also heard stories of people I'd served with, who were sent into the second Iraqi War, and they're similar to your story- even the problems since they've come home is the same. Some are physically ill (SKY TEST produced specifically for these soldiers) as well as suffering severe Post Traumatic Stress. It's wonderful that you are helping them find their way back to being human again and I'm sure they appreciate that you're not a doctor sitting behind a desk telling them what they need to do to get better; you've been in their shoes, in their trenches/fox holes, and don't mind sharing what helps you to cope- it's a field tested method (pun intended here) and has been proved successful which is far more appealing than taking pills and going to classes. Being productive, spending personal time with God by reading though the pages of his personal Diary and praying (like a 2 way radio) and spending time with animals or helping heal our little corner of the earth, and sharing good things with others gives us direction and a sense of purpose and is spiritually healing. Thank you for sharing this article. Below (after the scriptures) is an article I ran across that I thought might be encouraging to all my comrades who are seeking peace in their hearts after facing such tremendous ordeals. Isaiah 2:4 "He [God] will render judgment among the nations And set matters straight respecting many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, Nor will they learn war anymore."- this inscription is on a famous statue in the garden of the United Nations but, of course, without mentioning the scripture. Isaiah 11:6-9: "The wolf will reside for a while with the lamb, And with the young goat the leopard will lie down, And the calf and the lion and the fattened animal will all be together; And a little boy will lead them. The cow and the bear will feed together, And their young will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the bull. The nursing child will play over the lair of a cobra, And a weaned child will put his hand over the den of a poisonous snake. They will not cause any harm Or any ruin in all my holy mountain, Because the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah As the waters cover the sea." Micah 4:3,4: "He will render judgment among many peoples And set matters straight respecting mighty nations far away. They will beat their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, Nor will they learn war anymore. They will sit, each one under his vine and under his fig tree, And no one will make them afraid, For the mouth of Jehovah of armies has spoken." Hosea 2:18-20: "In that day I will make a covenant for them with the wild animals of the field, And with the birds of the heavens and the creeping things of the ground; I will rid the land of the bow and the sword and war, And I will make them lie down in security. I will engage myself to you forever; And I will engage myself to you in righteousness and in justice, In loyal love and in mercy. I will engage myself to you in faithfulness, And you will certainly know Jehovah." Awake! of October 22, 2005 (pages 11-15) A Conflict That Changed My Life AS TOLD BY MICHAEL MOLINA 'The Republic of Viet Nam awarded Petty Officer Molina with the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry,' reported the military newspaper "Tester," of Maryland, U.S.A. 'Later Molina earned a gold star in lieu of a second award of the Commendation Medal for his courageous and tenacious actions during another heavy gunfire engagement. On June 6, 1968, Molina earned a second gold star when he prevented the loss of an important outpost to Viet Cong guerillas.' ALTOGETHER, I flew 284 combat missions and was decorated with 29 medals. Now I serve as a Christian minister in a different kind of warfare, about which the Bible says: "The weapons of our warfare are not fleshly." (2 Corinthians 10:4) Let me explain how it was that I made such a change in my life. Chicago is situated in northern Illinois, U.S.A., which always seems to have strong wind off Lake Michigan. On February 1, 1947, the day I was born there, it was not only windy but also freezing cold. Since my father had recently served in World War II, two military doctors helped my mother bring me into the world. When I was ten years old, my parents moved our family to Los Angeles, California, where they sent my older brother, my sister, and me to a Catholic school. I grew up playing baseball and football in the streets and in vacant lots, but I also played soldier with homemade wooden rifles and machine guns. The 1960's, when I entered high school, were years of radical thinking and changing attitudes. Assassinations of social and political leaders, including the 1963 shooting of the president of the United States, as well as protest marches, burning of the American flag, and violent demonstrations, were the scenes of the day. While in school, most of my classmates and I worried about the military draft. Shortly after graduation from high school in 1966, I received a call to report for my physical examination, which I passed. However, instead of being drafted into the army, I joined the navy. Since I was fascinated with helicopters, I volunteered for a new squadron of navy attack helicopters. In November 1967, soon after receiving basic training, I found myself in Vietnam's capital city, Saigon. Initial War Experiences Shortly, I was shipped to a small airstrip, where there were four Huey helicopters. Some of our detachment of 30 sailors slept at the airstrip, while others of us were accommodated ten miles away in a two-story building. On my first night, I awoke abruptly as bullets began piercing the building. I rolled out of my cot and lay flat on the floor for a few seconds. When I heard shooting above, I found my way to the stairs and made it to the roof, where someone gave me a rifle. We fought for the rest of the night, barefoot and in our underclothes. After three days of heavy fighting—surrounded and completely cut off—we ran out of food and water and most of our ammunition. The officer in charge gave the order, "At the first light of day, we will make a run for the airstrip." We had to cross a small town that was in flames. We could hear gunfire, including that of machine guns, as we made our way through the town. There were dead bodies everywhere. We finally made it to our airstrip, where the situation was not much better. We dug foxholes around the airstrip and tried to hold our ground. On several occasions the Vietcong broke our perimeter and invaded our airstrip, killing many, including our commanding officer. I stayed in my foxhole for several weeks without a change of clothes or a shower. Then a helicopter evacuated us to another outpost. After those initial days of combat, I was determined to become a helicopter door gunner. I was given a few days' training and became part of an aircrew. Combat firefights were routine; sometimes I flew three or four missions a day. The Effect of the War I was shocked to see so much killing. At the same time, I thought about the protests against the war back home. Were we not fighting for freedom? Were we not risking our lives so that others could live better lives? Still, I wondered where the justice was in the war. Who would benefit from it? The Vietnamese? They had endured many years of war even before we came. Now there was only more death and suffering. I was young and didn't understand the politics behind the war. I didn't have time to think about it either. I just knew that I had missions to fly and a job to do because that was what I was trained for. Sailors would say, "We were trained to fight, not to think." I did promise myself, though, that if I survived, I would do some serious investigating to find out why we were there. The Vietnam conflict exposed me to something else that I was not prepared to handle—drugs. As an adolescent, I smoked cigarettes, drank beer and whiskey on weekends, and went to parties. But I had never used drugs. In Vietnam things changed. Some of my companions said: "Why not, Mike? You're going to get your head shot off tomorrow anyway." So, on occasion, I complied. Combat, though, is no place for the use of hallucinogenic drugs, and I swore to myself that I would not take them before going on a mission. When I returned home, however, I carried the urge to take drugs, and I got involved in that world. Back From the War When I returned home to California from Vietnam in October 1970, my outlook on life had changed drastically. Although I had joined the military to help the cause of freedom, I felt I had been used. I came back bitter and full of hate. I was a misfit and was no longer patriotic. I spent days smoking marijuana and taking other drugs while working on my motorcycle in my parents' garage. Brooding over my situation and thinking about what had happened in Vietnam only depressed me further. My conscience started to bother me. My desire to investigate the reason for the Vietnam War grew. The government gave veterans education benefits, so I enrolled in a city college and later entered the California State University at Los Angeles. There I acquired friends who had demonstrated against the war in Vietnam, as well as others who had been in the war. We had long discussions about the war and world conditions. Not one of us had satisfying answers; we were all quite confused. Efforts to Help and Find Help Many of us, in fact, had emotional and psychological problems. I was moved to try to do something to help. So in school I majored in abnormal psychology. Since I had been so involved in war and killing, I decided to work to make amends. Thus, I started working in hospitals for the mentally disturbed. Drugs were all over our university campus, and I came to see that they were the root of many problems. I wanted to make progress with my studies and help those in the hospital who were having psychological problems. So I quit all use of drugs and dedicated my time and energies to study and work. Yet, as a therapist, I could see only limited progress with my mental patients. Completely frustrated with the system of things and with my own tormented conscience, I sought relief from my anguish. I started to pray and go to church. Mass in the Catholic Church was of little instructive value to me. So I started attending church at night. I would go in, light a candle, and pray in front of the images. These included Jesus hanging on a cross as well as Mary with a dagger in her heart and other images of so-called saints. I began to think: 'What a cold and morbid place the church is! Could God's spirit really be here?' I needed answers and encouragement. I had seen enough suffering. So one night I left the church and went to pray in the park. I looked up at the stars and probably for the first time in my life tried earnestly to communicate with my Creator. Learning Bible Truth I escaped from the stress of working at the hospital and visited my old friend Gary for a weekend. One day we spent some time in his living room watching TV. The news was about efforts to impeach President Nixon. We talked about the corruption in all aspects of life, and I mentioned that I had felt deceived regarding the war in Vietnam. Alva, my friend's wife, overheard us and came out from the kitchen. She said that events such as those we were discussing were in fulfillment of Bible prophecy. "What could the problems of a president have to do with Bible prophecy?" I asked. Alva explained that soon God's Kingdom in the hands of Christ Jesus will replace all corrupt governments and that people will live forever in peace on an earth that will be transformed into a paradise. (Daniel 2:44; Revelation 21:3, 4) Alva spoke about the Lord's Prayer, in which we ask that God's Kingdom come and that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven.—Matthew 6:9, 10. I could see that we truly do need divine guidance to realize better government and true peace on earth. (Ecclesiastes 8:9; Jeremiah 10:23) Regarding the possibility of living forever, I remembered learning that the atoms that make up our physical body are replaced in relatively short periods of time. Even though some things Alva said seemed far-fetched, my curiosity was aroused. I wanted to make amends for the many injuries I had caused and to help ease the suffering of others. Alva suggested that I go to the Kingdom Hall, where I could learn more. Bill Akina was a full-time minister in the congregation. He had been in the navy during the second world war, so I could relate to him. Above all, he knew the Bible, and he and his wife answered my many questions by using it. As my studies with Bill progressed, I could see that although my efforts to help those in the hospital were well-intentioned, I could give them only temporary relief. On the other hand, helping people acquire an accurate knowledge of the Bible would mean everlasting life to them if they had faith and lived in harmony with this knowledge.—John 17:3. Bill studied the Bible with me using the study aid The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life. I was baptized in symbol of my dedication to God in July 1974. Six months later I became a pioneer, as full-time evangelizers among Jehovah's Witnesses are called. In the meantime, I quit my studies at the university and discontinued my work in the hospital. To support myself in the ministry, I worked as a janitor cleaning banks at night. (1 Thessalonians 4:11) My friends and family thought I had gone crazy. After pioneering in California for about a year, I began to wonder how I could be used more fully in Jehovah's service. I decided to set missionary work in a foreign territory as my goal. After serving as a pioneer for a few years, I received an invitation to attend the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead, which was then located in Brooklyn, New York. I was part of the 66th class of that school and graduated on March 11, 1979, in Long Island City, New York. Changes of Assignment I was assigned to Guatemala, Central America, where I served as a missionary for about a year. Then I was invited to work in the small printery at the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses in the capital, Guatemala City. In 1981, I married Lupita, a local pioneer, and she was invited to join me at the branch office. Later, in 1996, our printing in Guatemala was discontinued when we began receiving all of our publications from the Mexico branch. Our little girl, Stephanie, was born in 1984, yet I was able to continue serving at the branch office. This was true even after Lupita gave birth to Mitchell in 1987. Living in a residence apart from the branch office and commuting about six miles [10 km] to the office each day has not been easy. But it has been a privilege to serve in this capacity, and my family has been very supportive. Lupita and Stephanie are now pioneers, and Mitchell is a baptized minister. He will finish his studies at a trade school this year, and his goal is to pursue the full-time ministry. I know that we enjoy these special privileges, not because of personal abilities, but because of Jehovah's undeserved kindness. He is a loving God, and he will use anyone who has a willing spirit and looks to him for guidance. Sometimes we are asked how we as a family manage to share so fully in the ministry and at the same time support ourselves. We do work secularly during our vacations. But beyond that, we have always tried to have a 'simple eye' as regards material things, looking to Jehovah for help, trusting in him, and constantly seeking his guidance.—Matthew 6:25-34; Proverbs 3:5. Carrying a gun gave me a sense of power, so I can see the need constantly to work on developing humility. Satan's system of things taught me to hate and kill and to be suspicious, aggressive, and defensive. But Jehovah has extended mercy and loving-kindness to me, for which I am very appreciative. Now I am determined to continue to learn war no more and to have love and compassion for all.—Matthew 5:43-45; Isaiah 2:4. It has not been easy for me to make changes. However, I have learned to live a more peaceable life. With God's help I have also been able to cope with the nightmares resulting from my war experiences. I truly look forward to the time when wars and conflicts will cease. (Psalm 46:9) Until that time comes, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve in the lifesaving work of helping people to learn about our grand Lifegiver, Jehovah God.


I have always loved autumn. To me, this is the time of year when the world is most beautiful. The red-brown colour of the leaves, the crispness of the air, the blustery breeze; I would live perpetually in this world if I could. As the air starts to get colder, all I want to do is cook hearty meals, read good books, and take long walks through leaf-covered streets. Cooking at this time of year is great, because not only do we have the autumn seasonal produce, but also the first crop of winter vegetables and the remnants of the summer veg. With so much wonderful produce at our disposal, it would be a terrible shame not to take advantage of it with some delicious and hearty meals.
I created this dish last year, and then (rather uncharacteristically) promptly forgot to write it down. Thank goodness for Instagram and friends with good memories, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to remember the ingredients I used. Luckily I was able to figure it out, and when I remade it this week I was pleased to discover it tasted just as good as I remembered.
Now, a little note about chorizo. At my local supermarket, there are a number of types of gluten-free chorizo available, some fresh, others smoked or dried. However, if you're not able to locate any gluten-free chorizo, you can use another kind of spicy sausage, or simply substitute it for a a few rashers of bacon (diced). The chorizo lends a smoky, spicy flavour to the dish, so bacon is a good substitute.
I hope you're all enjoying this lovely autumn (if you're in the southern hemisphere), and I also hope that you will enjoy this recipe. Be sure to leave me a note in the comments below if you make it.
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Sear the sausages on all sides until browned. Add pumpkin and parsnip to the pan, and cook over a low heat until the vegetables begin to soften.
By this time, the sausages should be mostly cooked. Remove the sausages from the pan to a plate, and cut into 1cm rounds. Return the cut sausages to the pan, along with the carrot. Allow to sweat for a further 3 minutes, then add the fennel. Continue cooking, stirring regularly, until both the vegetables and the sausages are cooked through.
Add the tomatoes to the vegetable mixture and stir through. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, until a sauce forms. Meanwhile, cook your pasta according to packet instructions.
Serve the sauce over the fresh pasta, topped with a generous helping of grated pecorino.
Keeping time: keeps 3 days in the fridge.


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ABC Rural
Gas industry, activists at odds over US case of 'negligent' well drilling
By Nathan Coates
Posted FriFriday 11 MarMarch 2016 at 6:11amFriFriday 11 MarMarch 2016 at 6:11am , updated SatSaturday 12 MarMarch 2016 at 2:33amSatSaturday 12 MarMarch 2016 at 2:33am
Australia's gas industry and anti-fracking campaigners are closely watching the ramifications of a US court case that found a company was negligent in its natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania.
The peak body for the Australian oil and gas industry has dismissed the court finding, but anti-fracking activists in the NT argue the case will have ramifications in Australia.
A US jury has decided that Cabot Oil and Gas Corporation was "negligent" in its drilling program, and created a "private nuisance by contaminating water wells" owned by two nearby families.
The jury was asked if the plaintiffs had proved the following three points:
That Cabot was negligent in the drilling or completing of the Gesford Wells
That in the drilling or completion of the Gesford Wells Cabot negligently created a private nuisance, which significantly harmed any of the plaintiffs in their use and enjoyment of the property by contaminating the water well(s) on the Ely property
That the private nuisance created by Cabot was a legal cause of that plaintiffs loss of use and enjoyment of the Ely property
For each point the jury answered yes, and awarded total damages of $US4.29 million.
Anti-fracking activists in the Northern Territory argue many similar cases are resolved via financial settlement and a requirement of confidentiality.
But Matthew Doman from the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) said the court's ruling was being misinterpreted.
"The case has nothing to do with fracking, it's a about whether or not there was a nuisance created to the landholders by the activities of this gas company," he said.
NT Labor has promised to put a moratorium on fracking if elected later this year.
Cabot Oil and Gas issued a statement saying it was "surprised at the jury's verdict given the lack of evidence provided by plaintiffs in support of their nuisance claim".
"The verdict disregards overwhelming scientific and factual evidence that Cabot acted as a prudent operator in conducting its operations," the statement said.
"Cabot will be filing motions with the court to set the verdict aside based upon lack of evidence as well as conduct of plaintiff's counsel calculated to deprive Cabot of a fair trial."
Naomi Hogan from Lock the Gate Alliance said the families involved had endured the court case over many years and complaints from Dimock, Pennsylvania, had featured in the 2010 documentary Gasland.
"There are so many pastoralists, traditional owners, businesses, who are really concerned about water and we really need to look after our groundwater because it's what the Territory runs on," she said.
"We want to see a pause on fracking until more court cases [like this] and more science can come out."
Posted 11 MarMarch 2016FriFriday 11 MarMarch 2016 at 6:11am , updated 12 MarMarch 2016SatSaturday 12 MarMarch 2016 at 2:33am
Fury over possible NT fracking moratorium
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Joe Biden has overhauled the decorations in the Oval Office. Let's take a look
Posted 7mminutes agoFriFriday 22 JanJanuary 2021 at 4:46am

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New research has found that even casual marijuana use causes critical changes in the brains of young people from which they may never recover and should prompt President Barack Obama to rethink a view he expressed in January about marijuana being no more dangerous than alcohol, one scientist said.
The first-of-its-kind study on recreational marijuana, published April 16 in the Journal of Neuroscience, was a collaboration between Northwestern University's medical school, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Previous studies have revealed brain changes in chronic marijuana users, but this new research shows such abnormalities in young, casual smokers.
Regions of the brain linked to motivation and emotion are hijacked by even once-a-week use of marijuana, said co-senior study author Anne Blood, director of the Mood and Motor Control Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Even with sustained periods of abstinence, it's unlikely the brain can ever go back to exactly how it was, Blood said, likening the problem to that faced by stroke victims. They may recover some function, but once the brain is changed, "it's very hard to go back," she said.
The researchers looked at the brains of 40 people aged 18 to 25, half of whom smoked marijuana and half who didn't, and found that the size, density and shape of the amygdala and the nucleus accumbens — key regions in the brain for motivation and emotion — were abnormally altered in those who did smoke marijuana. The nucleus accumbens was enlarged, and its alteration in size, shape and density was directly related to how many joints an individual smoked. The changes in brain structures indicate the marijuana users' brains are adapting to low-level exposure to marijuana, the researchers said.
Scientists have known for some time that chronic, long-term use of marijuana has lasting effects on the brain. A recent study of pot smokers who began using in adolescence revealed substantially reduced connectivity among brain areas responsible for learning and memory, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. And a large long-term study in New Zealand showed that people who began smoking marijuana heavily in their teens lost an average of 8 points in IQ between age 13 and age 38. Importantly, the lost cognitive abilities were not fully restored in those who quit smoking marijuana as adults.
How Do Brain Changes Affect Students?
Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the U.S. with an estimated 15.2 million users, the study reports, based on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2008. The drug's use is increasing among adolescents and young adults, partially due to society's changing beliefs about cannabis use and its legal status. An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll in March found that only 8% of adults think that marijuana is the most harmful substance to a one's overall health when compared with tobacco, alcohol and sugar. In contrast, 49% rated tobacco as the most harmful on the list, while 24% mentioned alcohol.
Because teen brains are only about 80% developed and don't fully mature until about age 25, adolescents are at particular risk for suffering adverse effects from drug use. But quantifying those effects is sometimes difficult.
A teen who smokes pot on the weekends may be pulling decent grades, but it's hard to know how much better that kid's grades would have been if he hadn't used, Blood said. "It's hard to know what life would have been like if they hadn't smoked," she said.
The new research fits with animal studies that show when rats are given tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, their brains rewire and form many new connections, the university said in a news release. In animals, these new connections indicate the brain is adapting to the unnatural level of reward and stimulation from marijuana. These connections make other natural rewards less satisfying.
Blood asserts that more studies are needed to learn the long-term effects of casual marijuana use. But she stresses the importance of adolescents staying away from drugs that alter the structure of their brains, which remain a work in progress until they are in their mid-20s.
"People just don't think about the thing that's making them think," Blood said.
As for President Obama's comment?
Previous research has found that alcohol alters the brain, said study co-author Hans Breiter, a psychiatrist and mathematician at the Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. But while researchers do not know exactly how the mental rewiring seen in marijuana users affects their lives, the new study shows it physically changes the brain in ways that differ from drinking, Breiter said.


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Here's how beauty brand Alleyoop saved $230,000 in payroll taxes through a little-known federal program as venture capital dries up
Startups don't need to send rockets into space to earn tax credits for research and development. They just have to show new product development.
Small Business 2022-11-26T20:24:13Z
Q4 is the most profitable time of year for many entrepreneurs. Here are 4 ways to reinvest cash into your business to prepare for 2023.
Marketing is important all year, so business owners should reinvest in attracting customers, one entrepreneur said.
Elon Musk's Boring Company is planning to build a tunneling test site in Texas, a report says
The Boring Company wants to dig "as many tunnels as necessary" to test digging equipment, according to documents cited by Bloomberg.
Nintendo's already working on its next major video game console after the Switch
As the Nintendo Switch continues to dominate, the Japanese gaming powerhouse is already working on its next major console.
Google reportedly uses a strategy called 'pantry mode' that leads to it sitting on new ideas until a competitor forces its hand
In 'pantry mode,' Google researches and develops new products but won't publicly release them until a rival makes the first move.
Healthcare 2021-02-18T20:29:45Z
First non-Japanese CEO of Takeda has set out 2 objectives: to be an R&D-driven firm and to build global scale
The 240-year old biopharma company reinforced its global ambition in 2019 with the $62 billion acquisition of pharma firm Shire
Premium Markets 2020-07-20T16:12:00Z
BANK OF AMERICA: Buy these 9 stocks poised to crush the market in any market environment as they spend heavily on innovation
Bank of America says these companies get good returns on the investments they make in their own businesses, which has lead to huge stock gains.
Markets 2020-06-19T10:22:00Z
Billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya says the Fed and Treasury's actions at the start of coronavirus were a 6-week-long 'drunken binge'
In a podcast with Bloomberg, the billionaire said US stimulus measures were just weeks "drunken binge" and will have many "unintended consequences."
Science 2020-04-14T19:27:05Z
French scientists are using the measles vaccine to develop a 'Trojan horse' against the coronavirus
Virologists are modifying a measles vaccine with a coronavirus protein, in the hopes of training the immune system to fight the virus.
Bill Gates says the novel coronavirus is a 'once-in-a-century pathogen.' The Gates Foundation just joined Wellcome and Mastercard in committing $125 million to find new treatments for it.
Around the world, nearly 116,000 people have been infected with the novel coronavirus, and 4,000 have died.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says stopping the firm's controversial research in China would hurt
Nadella discussed Microsoft's research in China, and emphasized what he called the "open" nature of his firm's research.
Apple's third quarter profit was weighed down by an overlooked cost — it's now devoting more of its sales to R&D than at any time since it released the iPod
Apple has been ramping up its research and development spending in recent years. In the third quarter, that expense reached a new high.
Apple now spends 18 times as much on research as it did when it launched the iPhone. These 6 charts show how it became an R&D giant.
Apple's R&D effort has quietly become one of the best-funded in the world. These charts show illustrate its transformation.
Apple is now one of the biggest investors in research and development, and critics are wondering what it's getting for its money
The electronics giant has been quietly — but dramatically — ramping up its R&D efforts in recent years, but has little to show for it.
Amazon is opening a new office in Manchester as it makes a big bet on research and development in the UK
Amazon announced it's opening a new office in Manchester, UK, which will accommodate at least 600 staff. Amazon is also expanding its research and development teams in Cambridge and Edinburgh.
Military & Defense Contributors 2017-12-18T16:50:26Z
DARPA is working on a project that would drop a swarm of drones from an airplane — and fly back into it after their mission is complete
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency plans to conduct a test of the drone swarm's abilities in 2019.
The Navy's $500 million electromagnetic railgun will likely never see combat
The Office of Naval Research's much-hyped electromagnetic railgun prototype is finally capable of flexing its futuristic muscles.
Markets Contributors 2017-10-16T23:45:00Z
Here are the countries and companies that spend the most on R&D
A breakdown of global spending on new tech.
Science Contributors 2017-01-05T00:41:00Z
Trump will have part of the federal budget to use for science initiatives, but no one knows what he'll do
Science advances can provide the boost in manufacturing Trump is after.
Finance 2016-12-09T08:45:10Z
The UK's chronic lack of productivity might be explained by its feeble R&D spending
The UK doesn't spend much on research and development and it could be the key to solving the country's low productivity problem.


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Apple Supplier to Produce Electric Vehicle for Chinese Startup Byton
Apple supplier Foxconn has inked a deal with Chinese electric vehicle startup Byton to bring the latter company's first car to production in 2022.
Foxconn plans to invest $200 million in the venture, Bloomberg reported. Both companies plan to start mass production of the Byton M-Byte electric SUV by the first quarter of 2022.
The deal could aid the embattled Byton, which recently missed a promised deadline to release the M-Byte to Chinese consumers in 2020. But the partnership also suggests a major bet by Foxconn on the electric vehicle market.
That's significant because the Taiwanese contract manufacturer is Apple's single largest supply chain partner. Foxconn is known for producing the iPhone and other products for the Cupertino tech giant, which is also said to be eyeing the electric car market.
Rumors of an "Apple Car" or some type of autonomous vehicle system stretch back to 2014. Since then, Apple has continued its development of car technology under the internal moniker of Project Titan, and recent reports indicate that Apple's vehicle work may come to fruition in the 2020s.
A report from December 2020 indicated that Apple is planning on producing its own electric vehicle with "next level" battery technology in 2024. Before that, Apple was said to be working with chipmaker TSMC on autonomous vehicle silicon.
Although it still isn't clear if Apple will release a production vehicle or enter the car market in another fashion, analysts have said that Apple may already have the "key ingredients" to disrupt the auto market and deliver a "seamless user experience."
Well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has forecast that the "Apple Car" could arrive in 2025, but isn't likely to debut before then.
Although the Foxconn partnership with Byton isn't directly connected to Apple's car plans, it does reveal an increasing interest in EVs among traditional electronics companies.
As of yet, Foxconn hasn't been explicitly named in any rumors related to "Apple Car." Past reports have suggested that Apple may be interested in tapping traditional auto industry contract manufacturers like Magna International.
Source: Appleinsider
South Korea Hits Apple Modem Supplier Qualcomm With $854M Fine Wireless Charging Company Energous Partners With Apple Supplier Dialog Apple Supplier Japan Display Raising $900 Million to Mass Produce OLED Panels Four Apple Suppliers Get Dragged into Qualcomm conflict Apple Asked Suppliers to Slow Down iPhone X Production Japan Display Considers New Capital to Adapt to Apple's Oled Shift Apple Supplier Smooths Out Lens Production for iPhone X Cameras Apple Suppliers Upping Production of AMD GPUs for iMac Pro Launch


I've tried. I've REALLY tried. Honestly, I tried. But I can't help myself. The Garden Muses own me. They tug at me unceremoniously until they get what they want. This year they're making me improve our chicken yard. Since it's in our front yard having a welcoming area makes sense.
Well, it's actually a chicken AND goat yard for now. We're breeding a buck with three delightful ladies and needed the space and shelter. Sooooooooooo the chickens had to move over.
This picture was taken last summer (2009). Jordan (my goat-helper) went bonkers on us after sheering 25 goats. By the time she got to Lester, she HAD to express her creativity. Lester deserved it, don't feel sorry for him. Mr. Wonderful is our beloved pain-in-the-bottom. More about him later. His antics could fill volumes. Every farm needs a Lester; he's ours.
The chicken yard is in the background. Containing two structures: a 10×10 chicken house and a 4×10 chicken tractor (designed to be portable), the area is shaped like a kite, sort of. With only two 90 degree angles and long unused algebra, I have no idea of the square area. It isn't THAT important.
Since this photo was taken we've added heavy mulch and steel edging around the beds OUTSIDE the chicken area. Notice the bird bath area. The rock driveway was added last year. While clay makes for highly nutritious mud, tromping through mud at the front door is NOT good.
The umbrellas have been removed (needed for summer shade); and, the goats have eaten down the grass. The chicken tractor (first photo foreground) has a brown tarp wrapped around it so the goats would have shelter apart from the chicken house. The tractor's floor began as dirt but with all this rain it's major muddyyyyyy. Since goats don't do wet feet, the goats are residing in the chicken house. Sigh … .
The trash cans are food containers and store various chicken-related tools. With the land grade being slightly down hill from the barn (see background) all water drains through the chicken yard down to the front door. NOT a desirable result.
Lots of mud. Lots of wet, slimy, slippery mud. Did I mention that this mud has chicken AND goat poop mixed in with it? If you've ever fallen is 'poop enriched farm mud" you'll know the choice words used on the way d-o-w-n. Luckily water hoses are everywhere. In the summer I don't mind hosing myself down before going inside; but, during the winter it's tufffffffff. But poop drenched clothes are NOT permitted in the house. Not even mine.


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All Articles on Nina Turner
'Make Your Stand': Medicare for All Supporters Ready to Hold Dems to Account
An increasing majority of Democratic voters support improving and expanding Medicare to all Americans, so why all the reported "alarm" among party establishment?
With Trumpcare Vote Looming, Medicare For All Supporters Set to March
"Now is the time to guarantee healthcare as a right for everyone and we will take that message to Congress every day until it happens."
Resistance Not Enough: Progressive Groups Push Democrats to Back #PeoplesPlatform
"Democrats in Congress must lay out a bold vision for how we create a country that works for everyone—not just the very wealthy."
A 'Revolution' Grows in Chicago
Progressives travel from across the country for 2017 People''s Summit
The Power of Personal Connections in the Dark Age of Trump
Sitting in my relatively new home in Hawai'i in January of 2017, I'm watching Nina Turner, past state-senator in Ohio and current progressive leader, speak to hundreds of single-payer activists at the national single-payer strategy conference convening in New York City and hosted by several...
People's Summit Vows to Transform Resistance into Power
Gathering of progressive activists and organizers celebrates new generation of progressive leaders
Draft Bernie? Democratic Party Takeover? Strategic Concerns Paramount at People's Summit
Because criticizing the Democrats and ditching them are two entirely different things
Dangerous Discourse: When Progressives Sound like Demagogues
The Trump administration has already done enormous harm to the United States and the planet. Along the way, Trump has also caused many prominent progressives to degrade their own political discourse. It's up to us to challenge the corrosive effects of routine hyperbole and outright demagoguery...
Bernie Sanders' Revolution Is Just Getting Started
Several polls combined with his growing support base have confirmed that Sen. Bernie Sanders is the most popular politician in the United States. His presidential candidacy sparked a progressive political revolution across the country. In response to its popularity, establishment figures have...
Nina Turner: While Congress Obsesses Over Russia, Americans Being 'Left Behind'
Voters in Flint, Michigan "wouldn't ask you about Russia and Jared Kushner," said Turner. "They want to know how they are gonna get some clean water and why some 8,000 people are about to lose their homes"


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Master Your Finances podcast
Handling your finances can be stressful, but that doesn't need to be the case! Sunday's at 9 a.m. on 107.7 the Bronc, Kurtis Baker, CFP®, AIF® will teach you how to Master Your Finances.
On this week's episode, Kurtis is joined by Harold Grodberg, Esq., Certified Elder Law Attorney, to discuss how to apply for Medicaid and make sure you get the coverage right for you.
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State Can Recover Non-Medical Expenses From Medicaid Recipient's Estate
Herman Vollmann received Medicaid benefits while he resided at two different nursing homes. After he died, the state filed a claim against his estate for $22,978.35 to recoup Medicaid benefits paid on his behalf. The amount was based on the per diem rate calculated under the state's Medicaid plan.
Mr. Vollmann's estate disallowed the claim, and the state petitioned the court. Both parties asked for summary judgment. The estate argued that the state was entitled to recover only medical expenses, which totaled $360.45. The trial court granted summary judgment to the state, and the estate appealed.
The Nebraska Supreme Court affirms, holding that the state can recover nursing home services that include non-medical expenses. According to the court, "'medical assistance' provided to a Medicaid recipient includes costs for his room and board and other 'nonmedical' expenses at nursing facilities."
To read an article from the Omaha World Herald about the case, click here.
For the full text of this decision, click here.
Nursing Home's Claim Against Resident's Spouse Under Necessaries Statute Can Continue
Cora Sue Bell's husband, Robert, resided in a nursing home for a few months before he died, accruing $1,678 in unpaid nursing services.
The nursing home sued Mrs. Bell under Ohio's necessaries statute. The statute requires a married person to pay for a spouse's necessities if the spouse is unable to support him- or herself. Mrs. Bell argued that Mr. Bell could support himself because he had 54 days of skilled nursing home Medicare coverage remaining. The trial court granted summary judgment to Mrs. Bell, ruling that the nursing home was required to pursue a claim against Mr. Bell's estate before pursuing a claim under the necessaries statute. The nursing home appealed.
The Ohio Court of Appeals, 12th District, reverses, holding that summary judgment is not appropriate because more facts are needed to determine whether Mr. Bell could support himself. The court rules that the necessaries statute creates a separate cause of action that is not dependent on pursuing a claim against the estate. According to the court, the fact that Mr. Bell had insurance policies through Medicare that may have covered the nursing costs is not enough to affirmatively demonstrate that the nursing home "could not establish the inability to support element of its necessaries claim."
For the full text of this decision, go to: http://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/12/2017/2017-Ohio-1499.pdf
State Not Required to Deduct Pre-Eligibility Nursing Home Expenses From Patient Amount
A Florida appeals court rules that the state is not required to deduct all of a Medicaid applicant's pre-eligibility nursing home expenses from the applicant's income when calculating the applicant's monthly contribution to nursing home costs. Goodwin v. Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (Fla. Ct. App., 1st Dist., No. 1D12-4430, April 4, 2016).
After Gabrielle Goodwin injured her spinal cord, she entered a nursing home. She applied for Medicaid through a program that required her to contribute to her cost of care by paying a monthly co-pay that was based on her income. To calculate Ms. Goodwin's patient responsibility amount (PRA), the state is required to deduct unpaid medical expenses from Ms. Goodwin's income. The state calculated Ms. Goodwin's PRA at $1,000.
Ms. Goodwin appealed, arguing that the state should have deducted all of her unpaid, pre-eligibility nursing home expenses — about $70,000 — from her income. The state denied her appeal, ruling that federal regulations require the state to deduct medical care not covered under the state's Medicaid plan and that Ms. Goodwin's care was covered. Ms. Goodwin appealed to court, arguing that covered care only included care the state actually paid for.
The Florida District Court of Appeal, First District, affirms, holding that the state is not required to deduct all of Ms. Goodwin's pre-eligibility nursing home expenses. According to the court, because the state's "Medicaid program routinely includes and covers the nursing home care that Ms. Goodwin received" before becoming eligible for Medicaid, the state considers them Medicaid-covered expenses.
For the full text of this decision, go to: https://edca.1dca.org/DCADocs/2012/4430/124430_DC05_04042016_094233_i.pdf
Lawsuit to Prevent State from Recovering Medicaid Benefits from Spousal Annuity May Proceed
A U.S. district court rules that a case by the family of a Kentucky Medicaid recipient challenging the state's adherence to federal law regarding spousal annuities rather than to a less restrictive state regulation may proceed against the secretary of Kentucky's Medicaid agency because the secretary does not have qualified immunity. Singleton v. Commonwealth of Kentucky (U.S. Dist. Ct., E. D. Ky., No. 15-15-GFVT, March 31, 2016).
Claude Singleton entered a nursing home and applied for Medicaid. His wife, Mary, purchased an annuity with herself as annuitant. Ms. Singleton wished to name the state as remainder beneficiary up to the amount of Medicaid paid on her behalf. State regulations provide that the state must be named remainder beneficiary for the amount of Medicaid benefits paid on behalf of the annuitant, and this did not change even after federal Medicaid law was amended in 2006 to require that states be named as a remainder beneficiary for Medicaid benefits paid on behalf of the institutionalized individual. However, Ms. Singleton's attorneys – the ElderLawAnswers member firm of McClelland & Associates, PLLC — informed her that the state Medicaid agency's branch manager would view structuring the annuity pursuant to the state's regulation as a transfer for less than market value, so Ms. Singleton changed the state's remainder beneficiary amount to Medicaid paid on behalf of Mr. Singleton.
After Ms. Singleton died, her children, the annuity's secondary beneficiaries, sued the secretary of the state Medicaid agency, along with other parties, arguing that state regulations may be less restrictive than federal law and that the branch manager's alleged policy of rejecting annuities drafted pursuant to Kentucky's own statute was improper. The state filed a motion to dismiss, arguing, among other things, that the secretary has immunity.
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky denies the motion to dismiss the claim against the secretary in her official capacity. The court holds that because the Ms. Singleton's children are seeking prospective injunctive relief by seeking to prevent the state from collecting any more than the amount paid by the state on behalf of Ms. Singleton, the secretary is not entitled to immunity.
For the full text of this decision, go to: http://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/kentucky/kyedce/3:2015cv00015/77278/39/0.pdf?ts=1459523955
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Medicare Advantage Plans Overbill Taxpayers By Billions Annually, Records Show
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From baby boomers to Gen X: America's retirement crisis by the numbers
VA Establishes Asset Limits and Transfer Penalties for Needs-Based Benefits
Medicaid Director Needs to Hold Full Hearing on Facts Before Ruling Against Recipient
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