Thank you, Jamie Goldberg, for exposing the shameful application process for Medicaid-funded long term assistance. (“Oregon Medicaid applicants erroneously denied benefits due to software glitches, lack of training,” Aug. 6)

Are the 12,000 delayed applications submitted through Oregon’s new ONE application portal “not that bad,” as one Portland representative stated? Does “12,000″ include applicants erroneously denied during the screening process? Stand in the shoes of those applying for long-term care who endured for months the agonizing stress of repeated denials for services.

Try applying while caring full-time for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease who can’t be left alone for five minutes. Denied. Think about Oregonians with limited computer or English skills, or who are ill, exhausted or daunted by complex paperwork. Denied. Think of those who can’t afford a lawyer. Denied. Does this system hope you’ll give up and/or die? How would you feel if told “Sorry, there are glitches in the system?”

Oregon legislators and administrators: please prioritize a state audit to improve training, improve data collection, and establish an accountable review process with skilled staff to eliminate this cruel labyrinth for Oregon’s most vulnerable. Let’s see all the numbers: the nature and number of applications, denials, workarounds, and delays, especially for long-term care applications. And the number and results of administrative hearings and appeals, which typically require a lawyer.

My husband was one of those “not that bad” 12,000. Advice to anyone needing Medicaid long-term care in-home or at a facility: you deserve better. Until this system is fixed, beg or borrow to hire an elder law attorney with Medicaid experience. You can’t do this alone. Shameful.

Mary Orr, Portland