Jahi McMath back in the news - Part 2

[SnazzyNazzy]

I'm a horrible cynic, when it comes to this story. I have thought it was about money, from day 1.

[browncoatslytherin]

I'm a horrible cynic, when it comes to this story. I have thought it was about money, from day 1.

what money, though? obviously they aren't paying rent like they should (i think the lawyer's comment is just damage control, personally, they probably ponied up the cash when the news was released, which is why it's still listed as active). they have another house to maintain back in their home state, too, and other children to take care of. their gofundme has raised a good bit of money, but home healthcare is expensive as hell, even with some insurance, which i'm not sure she has any more because insurance may have terminated at her death. her parents seem to spend money frivolously, but they apparently can't seem to pay their important bills with regularity. that to me just says that they aren't getting any real kind of money from this and they're just being stupid with the money they do have.

[SnazzyNazzy]

It's about the money, because they are going to attempt to sue, every Tom Dick and Harry that has been involved, once she finally passes.

Like I said, I'm a cynic.

[browncoatslytherin]

It's about the money, because they are going to attempt to sue, every Tom Dick and Harry that has been involved, once she finally passes.

Like I said, I'm a cynic.

oh i agree that not everything is on the up and up, and i definitely think the parents are going to try to pull some shady shit...but i'm not sure why they would be dragging this out as long as they have if they want to sue when she "passes"...if they wanted to do a wrongful death suit, wouldn't they have done that when she did actually die? just take her off the life support and then file? it just doesn't make sense, i guess. if that's their plan, they're going about it in the most roundabout way.

[Coconut Flan]

Here I was hoping that seeing this thread again meant that the saga was finally done.

[browncoatslytherin]

Here I was hoping that seeing this thread again meant that the saga was finally done.

i think this exact thought every time :lol:

[bluebird]

Jahi is likely receiving medicaid benefits and could also be receiving social security childhood disability benefits off one of her parents work records depending on what the family income is. Medicare kicks in after 2yrs of receiving SSDI for adults..do not know if different rules apply for children. If she does receive medicaid benefits unless there is a tightly written special needs trust set up any $ that goes directly to the family is reportable income and will affect benefits. If the $ is paid out by a party outside of the family directly to vendors I am not sure if that would affect her benefits. My guess is no because the family would not be directly handling the funds or have responsibility for how the $ is spent. IDK How the family is benefiting at this point. Is there any evidence of new cars, shopping sprees, furniture or other luxury items or life style services to support financial gain by the parents? I am not saying that this is not a goal of the parents but what evidence is there of this today? I had hoped to read that Jahi had been released from her never ending condition too.

[Coco]

This thread is the scariest thing on FJ. Just wanted to please request if anyone finds photos eventually, that they post them under a spoiler bar. Please, please hide any photos.

And, i agree, hopefully soon this poor little girl will be let go.

[DGayle]

Since New Jersey allows brain death to be rejected as death, she's probably getting SSDI, Medicare, and other benefits, and I suspect her parents thought that the pro-life crowd would bankroll them for a few years, but at this point, I think pride is stopping them from letting her go. If they pull the plug, they'll be saying that the rest of the world was right after all.

Once she's too decomposed to get any nurses to go near her, then I think that they'll sue and claim that she died because of delayed care from the hospital, and hope for a settlement on their frivolous case.

[silverspoons]

I saw the family posted a picture today on the Keep Jahi Mcmath on life support facebook page. Her head/face looks very swollen to me. Are there any experts on here that can look at the picture and tell what it means?

This whole situation is so sad. A medical mistake was made to my father 20 years ago and he ended up brain dead. It was only a week before we took him off life support but by the end of the week I was so upset seeing the changes in my daddy(especially his skin), I can't imagine months or years of changes that Jahi is going through.

[Coconut Flan]

I don't see how Jahi could receive benefits even in NJ. Cali issued a death certificate. The Social Security Administration would run with that unless it was reversed by a Cali court.

[Toothfairy]

I think the family's original plan back fired on them. Now they're left picking up the pieces.

[DGayle]

I don't see how Jahi could receive benefits even in NJ. Cali issued a death certificate. The Social Security Administration would run with that unless it was reversed by a Cali court.

Because religion. New Jersey has a religious exemption. If the SS won't pay, the state probably is. Otherwise what's the point of letting people say no?

I really think they had a plan in mind, and now have to try saving face.

[Coconut Flan]

Religion won't matter. Social security won't pay as she has a death certificate. I'm not sure how NJ would handle that since another state declared her dead. The state law might allow them to keep her on a ventilator but might also not force the state to pay for it. Medicaid's overarching rules are federal so Medicaid would more than likely view her as deceased. I expect they've been covering things with donations which are drying up.

[browncoatslytherin]

I saw the family posted a picture today on the Keep Jahi Mcmath on life support facebook page. Her head/face looks very swollen to me. Are there any experts on here that can look at the picture and tell what it means?

not an expert, but i looked at the picture and it looks like there may be some swelling there. jahi was a larger girl, but it looks like she maybe has some edema? i would pretty much expect that, though. i also have to wonder what kind of makeup they're putting on her before they take pictures, because there's no way her skin looks that nice and smooth on its own. looking at pictures of her before she died, her skin was nice but still had a little unevenness to it (not a knock at her, uneven skin tone is pretty common. i have it, too.) and that smooth look to me looks like some foundation has been slathered on. it doesn't look cakey, but it doesn't look completely natural, if ykwim.

[salex]

oh i agree that not everything is on the up and up, and i definitely think the parents are going to try to pull some shady shit...but i'm not sure why they would be dragging this out as long as they have if they want to sue when she "passes"...if they wanted to do a wrongful death suit, wouldn't they have done that when she did actually die? just take her off the life support and then file? it just doesn't make sense, i guess. if that's their plan, they're going about it in the most roundabout way.

I think they were either greedy, or being used by their attorney, or both. Nolan, their attorney, was pretty active in the dog and pony show with Jahi's mom last fall when he was also promoting passage of Proposition 46, which would have increased or removed the cap on how much people could sue for medical malpractice. The bill didn't pass, and there has been little news that included Nolan and Jahi's family together since then.

And, per her uncle, she was worth more in lawsuits if she was alive and disabled than if she was dead-- and New jersey has looser definitions of who is dead, so they moved her their-- pending lawsuits, at least so it seemed.

But, the laws weren't changed, the attorney may already have invested more in this than he can get back under the existing rule, and despite cleanining their social media from time to time, they don't seem all that lovable a family. Even if jahi is getting some kind of benefits in New Jersey, it is not likely enough for half her family to live on while maintaining households in two states.

ETA

mercurynews.com/ci_27499889?source=infinite It looks like the apartments where they are living only offer 1 and 2 bedroom units.

The article says

Her mother, Nailah Winkfield, and her stepfather, Marvin Winkfield, and Jahi's younger sister, along with nurses, have lived in the home, where Jahi is hooked up to various machines to feed her and keep her organs functioning. The rest of the McMath family remains in the family's home in Oakland.

so, that means she is in the living room and the mom and dad have a room and the sister has a room and who knows if ./where the nurses are--or maybe they have her sharing a room with her younger sister. :shock:

But, the rent has been paid, and all is well, and the valentine post on facebook kindly gave the po box where people could send valentines... etc.

[Arete]

Because religion. New Jersey has a religious exemption. If the SS won't pay, the state probably is. Otherwise what's the point of letting people say no?

I really think they had a plan in mind, and now have to try saving face.

She is not receiving SSDI. That is a Federal program and she was issued a death certificate. She is also not receiving Medicare, another Federal program tied to SSDI.

There is no way in Hell-O Kitty she is getting Medicaid, which is a State program. NJ has very strict and draconian laws for eligibility that comes down to residency. Jahi was never a resident of NJ, and she has a CA death certificate. Whatever NJ laws are in granting death certificates, it cannot void a death certificate issued in another state and decide she is alive. The CA death certificate is legally binding in all 50 states. Dead people cannot establish residency.

I suspect some crackpot right to life group is at least partially financing this travesty.

[Catlover43]

Jahi is likely receiving medicaid benefits and could also be receiving social security childhood disability benefits off one of her parents work records depending on what the family income is. Medicare kicks in after 2yrs of receiving SSDI for adults..do not know if different rules apply for children. If she does receive medicaid benefits unless there is a tightly written special needs trust set up any $ that goes directly to the family is reportable income and will affect benefits. If the $ is paid out by a party outside of the family directly to vendors I am not sure if that would affect her benefits. My guess is no because the family would not be directly handling the funds or have responsibility for how the $ is spent. IDK How the family is benefiting at this point. Is there any evidence of new cars, shopping sprees, furniture or other luxury items or life style services to support financial gain by the parents? I am not saying that this is not a goal of the parents but what evidence is there of this today? I had hoped to read that Jahi had been released from her never ending condition too.

Over the summer before her mom made her Instagram private there were pictures of her with a huge Tattoo of Jahis face on her upper arm,expensive dinners,and new Michael Kors handbags.

[BrownieMomma]

Just happened to see this

sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Jahi-McMath-s-family-has-paid-back-rent-6076633.php#photo-5641251

A civil complaint had been filed against Marvin and Nailah Winkfield for non payment of Dec and Jan rent $3,375. It's been paid.

The bad news:

Dolan said the family is “still planning on seeking to have the death certificate rescinded.â€

[Buzzard]

Over the summer before her mom made her Instagram private there were pictures of her with a huge Tattoo of Jahis face on her upper arm,expensive dinners,and new Michael Kors handbags.

Omari has been out of the country atleast twice in the past year to a tropical looking place.

[DGayle]

I really want to know who is funding this. It's sick, and at this point, Omari is evil and using her daughter.

[Mitz_]

Jahi can't get any type of government assistance but her parents and little sis certainly can, not enough to keep them in the style to which they have become accustomed but they can get Medicaid, food stamps and AFDC or whatever they are calling those programs now. Churches might still be giving some support, family members and a few other individuals and the Schiavo foundation could still be in it. I think that the "Brain Institute" is providing care and whatever therapies they have dreamed up. Jahi is an unusual case study and they probably consider her to be a great subject their research.

We don't know how recent are any of the pictures we have seen, I would expect her to at least have less body fat than she appears to have in the pictures. They might be pictures taken early on, but we have to consider that Jahi's body is still very much alive thanks to mechanical support.

There were some high old times before the much misused GoFundMe money ran out but they are in a dilemma now, still banking on that death certificate being revoked , getting the the benefits that would bring and suing whoever they can think of to file suit on. They don't want to file a wrongful death suit because chump change. Dolan has said from the beginning that he will not be representing the scamfam in a suit against CHO. He recently commented that this is because he refuses to profit from this family's situation. If that was the case he could do it pro bono like everything else he has done for them, but I think he won't touch that case because he knows it's a losing endeavor. Medical malpractice cases are very expensive to put together and I'll bet he knows what really happened that day, for sure he knows more than has been released in the news. No way is he going to touch that and it will be very difficult to find a lawyer that would. I don't believe there is any chance that CHO will settle out of court because 1) they don't think there was any wrongdoing and 2) settlements are usually done because a court battle is expensive or to keep things quiet and this settlement would be anything but quiet and this case being so high profile any money spent on winning a case would probably be worth it to them.

I think they could at least move her back to Oakland and keep her at home, the home they OWN, if they could get the money and permits to move a body across state lines. California is not going to unplug her, but they don't have to admit her to any hospital should something go "wrong" . Thing is, New Jersey hospitals don't have to admit her either. Probably the only thing keeping them where they are is that Brain institute and the Frankenstein Dr.'s.

Jahi isn't the first brain dead person to last a long time, this could go on and on. But it won't bring her back and there won't be any profit from it.

[DGayle]

Mitz, Jahi is dead. Using medical support to stave off decomposition doesn't mean someone's alive. For her body to be alive, her brain has to work. It doesn't. She's dead.

You can take a person and pump the full of IV fluids, and they can look plump. When I had surgery a couple years ago, my husband was startled when he got to see me. I looked like I gained at least 10 pounds from all the fluid I was given. That didn't mean I gained fat, just fluid filling me up like a water balloon.

I really do think the state should be able to step in and say enough's enough. This is a macabre, real-life Weekend at Bernie's situation

[Mitz_]

Mitz, Jahi is dead. Using medical support to stave off decomposition doesn't mean someone's alive. For her body to be alive, her brain has to work. It doesn't. She's dead.

You can take a person and pump the full of IV fluids, and they can look plump. When I had surgery a couple years ago, my husband was startled when he got to see me. I looked like I gained at least 10 pounds from all the fluid I was given. That didn't mean I gained fat, just fluid filling me up like a water balloon.

I really do think the state should be able to step in and say enough's enough. This is a macabre, real-life Weekend at Bernie's situation

Yes, Jahi is dead. But the person that was Jahi is not the body she used to live in. We still call this body "Jahi" because it sounds nicer than other things we could call it. I guess we could just say that at least some of her organs are still alive (heart, lungs, skin) meaning they are still made up of living cells. Dead bodies don't get hooked up to ventilators and dead bodies don't host live organs. Jahi's body, minus her brain, is still composed of living cells. Unplug her and all that changes.

[DGayle]

Turn the machines off, and nothing will go in her body. Pushing a car without an engine doesn't make for a running car.