Newest information from our end: Sun Herald just now published a "letter to the editor" several days after it was presented. Newest figures show that Mississippi has filed only 37,000 bp claims, 5.8 denied for a denial percentage of 40%. Of the resolved Mississippi bp claims, 40% are denied. AL, FL, and LA combined have a denial rate of only 13% WTF?
We have sent new emails to Gov. Haley Barbour and others
Will be back with more soon.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Casino BP Claims
Ok, Folks, the very excellent reporters of our own Sun Herald have really gotten behind this thing. Anita Lee and Mary Perez deserve huge credit from all of us. I'm sure most of you know that Friday morning's paper featured a front-page article about new state-wide involvement. "State House of Representatives Gaming Committee chairman Bobby Moak said he'll go to bat for casino employees whose oil spill damages claims were denied." He's written to Feinberg on our behalf. The same Feinberg lack-of-response drivel has been printed on the Front Page two days in a row now. This whole thing has appropriately taken on a great momentum of it's own. Michael Cavanaugh, a Biloxi casino attorney is speaking up on our behalf. Linda Hornsby, director of the Mississippi Hotel and Lodging association will meet with Mr Feinberg to explain the impact of the blowout, very knowledgeably talking numbers. Very importantly, Beverly Martin, Executive Director of the Mississippi Casino Operators Association is also scheduled to meet with Feinberg. She makes an extremely intelligent, informed, cogent, and very much appreciated argument on our behalf. Hopefully, after the elections, Gene Taylor and Haley Barbour will help us out, too. No word from either of them so far, even though we are a huge bloc of votes.
You know, the buzz I'm hearing is that hundreds of us have come up with an income shortage of about $6000-$8000 for this year. We are not a conspiracy, guys. We're all independently coming up with very similar numbers. Shouldn't that be apparent to the GCCF? Or, wouldn't that be apparent if our claims were actually worked instead of being categorically denied?
Looks like we may have this ball rolling in the right direction. However, time is short. This is all supposed to be wrapped up before November 23. Don't really see how that's going to happen. New claims seem to be outstripping resolved claims daily by about four to one. There is some talk about GCCF opening a special program to look at claims for casino folks. Let's hope. Please stay in touch. Let's share all the info we can.
Many heartfelt "Thanks" to Anita Lee, the first to break this news, Mary Perez, Stan Tiner, Beverly Martin, Linda Hornsby, Michael Cavanaugh, and especially Bobby Moak for going to bat for us...
You know, the buzz I'm hearing is that hundreds of us have come up with an income shortage of about $6000-$8000 for this year. We are not a conspiracy, guys. We're all independently coming up with very similar numbers. Shouldn't that be apparent to the GCCF? Or, wouldn't that be apparent if our claims were actually worked instead of being categorically denied?
Looks like we may have this ball rolling in the right direction. However, time is short. This is all supposed to be wrapped up before November 23. Don't really see how that's going to happen. New claims seem to be outstripping resolved claims daily by about four to one. There is some talk about GCCF opening a special program to look at claims for casino folks. Let's hope. Please stay in touch. Let's share all the info we can.
Many heartfelt "Thanks" to Anita Lee, the first to break this news, Mary Perez, Stan Tiner, Beverly Martin, Linda Hornsby, Michael Cavanaugh, and especially Bobby Moak for going to bat for us...
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Casino BP Claims
OK, Guys and Girls, here's whats new. The Sun Herald made our BP-GCCF situation headline news today. Good. Even better, the online site has over 200 "Comments" following the article. Very interesting reading, and very good to see such amazing interest. There have been calls to "organize". Seems to me that it would be even more powerful if everyone would individually write or call any of those who might be able to help. We've included emails for some of these people on previous posts. Here's a new one: Amy Weiss, who's public affairs firm represents Feinberg. She was quoted in today's paper with some pretty nonsensical stuff. "It's an issue of proof of damage." and "...casinos depend less on the beach and Gulf than some other industries do." Wow. Really? How much proof of damage are the servers, cooks, and dishwashers in New Orleans submitting to be compensated up to $25,000? Credit the Mississippi Business Journal in Jackson for reporting that. Looks like the Business Journal picked up the story from the Sun Herald. We can all thank Anita Lee, Mary Perez, and Stan Tiner of our local paper for making this front page news.
Here's most of my email to Amy Weiss:
Here's most of my email to Amy Weiss:
"Amy, PLEASE read this personally. We are hard-working, self-reliant people in Mississippi. We have filed fewer BP claims than any other state in our region. Yet we are being denied at a statistically abhorrent rate. Our four Gulf Coast states have all been damaged economically, and our economies are all interrelated. Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana's resolved claims are running at single digit percentage denial. Today's figures show Mississippi claims being denied at over 30%.
Today's newspaper piece quoted "...proof of damage." and "...casinos depend less on the beach and Gulf than other industries do." The Mississippi Business Journal reports that servers, cooks, and dishwashers in New Orleans are being compensated, and with no beaches at all. Of course, we are all equally dependent on our beautiful Gulf. Our main industry here is hospitality and tourism. Guests come here for the great combination of beaches, fishing, golf, and casinos. If you will please read the headline piece, and maybe check the GCCF website, you will see that many, many claims being paid have nothing directly to do with the beach or the Gulf. The point here is that we have all been damaged economically.
BP has committed a certain amount of compensation to help rebuild all of our economies. Let's look for ways to get this thing moving forward. Any money that comes in to perhaps thousands of households on our beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast will directly be spread across thousands of service and retail businesses who have been hurting for some time.
HELP! ---(signature)..."
Oh, yeah, her address...
Amy Weiss, Principal, Point Blank Public Affairs, http://www.pointblankpa.com/
5309 Cushing Place, N W
Washington, DC 20016
office: 202-203-0448
fax: 202-237-2692
Casino BP Claims
Hey, Folks, lots of news today, hopefully mostly good. A Sun Herald reporter, Anita Lee called me today in response to my letters to the local newspaper. Because of our emails, she had spoken to Kenneth Feinberg on the phone today to discuss our huge disparity of payment rates for Mississippi. Ken told her that it was because of our lack of documentation. Really? Hey, Ken, lack of documentation goes into the "lack of documentation" file, not "denied"! She ran the numbers and called him back, but has been stone-walled. The better news is this: now when I click "Check Claim Status", no longer do I get "under review", I now get a completely new message "Claim Under Detailed Compensatory Review". I have just spoken (4:30am CDT) with a GCCF representative in Ohio who assures me that our claims are actually back in action. Hopefully, Ken has seen the light, and we will be recognized as a driving force in our Gulf Coast economic engine. Look for Anita's story in the Sun Herald Thursday 10/27.
According to the GCCF website, there were over 20,000 new claims made overnight. There were about 2500 more paid and about 2500 more denied. Good news, bad news? I'm thinking that with twenty new and five resolved that these people are back-logging really fast. What the heck is going to happen between now and their announced November 23 deadline for "final offers"?
We are having some trouble dealing with the accuracy of the GCCF website. Here's why: every states' stats are OK except Louisiana's (imagine that!). LA's total number of claims went up, but their "Paid" went down! How does that happen? Mississippi is still being treated WAY worse than our neighbors. Mississippi's denial rate now shows at over 30%. Our three neighbors combined are denied at 8%. Maybe we should all move to Florida, which had very little oil and are being denied at only 4%.
Hey, let me know if you you have any new info. We've gotta get our local leaders going on this...
Haley Barbour: governor@governor.state.ms.us
Gene Taylor: http://www.taylor.house.gov/
Fox News: newsmanager@foxnews.com
Sun Herald: calee@sunherald.com (Anita Lee)
Sun Herald: letters@sunherald.com
WLOX: agiardina@wlox.com
According to the GCCF website, there were over 20,000 new claims made overnight. There were about 2500 more paid and about 2500 more denied. Good news, bad news? I'm thinking that with twenty new and five resolved that these people are back-logging really fast. What the heck is going to happen between now and their announced November 23 deadline for "final offers"?
We are having some trouble dealing with the accuracy of the GCCF website. Here's why: every states' stats are OK except Louisiana's (imagine that!). LA's total number of claims went up, but their "Paid" went down! How does that happen? Mississippi is still being treated WAY worse than our neighbors. Mississippi's denial rate now shows at over 30%. Our three neighbors combined are denied at 8%. Maybe we should all move to Florida, which had very little oil and are being denied at only 4%.
Hey, let me know if you you have any new info. We've gotta get our local leaders going on this...
Haley Barbour: governor@governor.state.ms.us
Gene Taylor: http://www.taylor.house.gov/
Fox News: newsmanager@foxnews.com
Sun Herald: calee@sunherald.com (Anita Lee)
Sun Herald: letters@sunherald.com
WLOX: agiardina@wlox.com
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
BP casino claims Mississippi
Hey, Folks. We will be talking about our on-going dealings with the BP oil blowout and Gulf Coast Claims Facility's handling of the money BP has designated to regenerate our four (five?) state coastal economy. We will keep up with daily stats and daily buzz. Hoping to hear from as many of you as possible. Definitely want this to be a useful forum to rebuild our economic engine.
Let's talk pure GCCF numbers today. As of yesterday, Alabama has resolved over 18,000 emergency claims with 6% denied. Florida has resolved over 35,000 with 4% denied. Louisiana has resolved over 57,000, also with only 4% denied. Mississippi has processed only 11,000 with 27%!!! denied. WTF? If this were all else equal, it would be a galactic disparity, MANY standard deviations from the mean. We are right slap dag in the middle of our region geographically and economically. Our stats should be within 1-2% of our neighboring states. Who the heck is stomping on Mississippi and WHY?
I have personally called GCCF @ 1-800-916-4893 a number of times, and have never received a call back. There is apparently no accountability at all. Paid claims seem to happen within 4-6 days. Many, many of us remain in limbo after four to six weeks. Compounding the mess is this: when I click on "Check My Claim Staus" I see I am "under review"; when I click on "GCCF Program Statistics" and look up my claim, it shows "claimant denied". WTF? ...and no one is available to discuss it.
I haved emailed Haley Barbour, Gene Taylor, Fox News (oh, by the way, recommended to me by a GCCF employee), the Sun Herald, and WLOX, particularly A J Giardina, our "Action" reporter twice each, and plan to send regular emails to all until we have some kind of answer for this clear discrimination against our great State of Mississippi.
Haley Barbour: governor@governor.state.ms.us
Gene Taylor website: http://www.taylor.house.gov/
Fox News: newsmanager@foxnews.com
Sun Herald: letters@sunherald.com
WLOX: agiardina@wlox.com
Let's talk pure GCCF numbers today. As of yesterday, Alabama has resolved over 18,000 emergency claims with 6% denied. Florida has resolved over 35,000 with 4% denied. Louisiana has resolved over 57,000, also with only 4% denied. Mississippi has processed only 11,000 with 27%!!! denied. WTF? If this were all else equal, it would be a galactic disparity, MANY standard deviations from the mean. We are right slap dag in the middle of our region geographically and economically. Our stats should be within 1-2% of our neighboring states. Who the heck is stomping on Mississippi and WHY?
I have personally called GCCF @ 1-800-916-4893 a number of times, and have never received a call back. There is apparently no accountability at all. Paid claims seem to happen within 4-6 days. Many, many of us remain in limbo after four to six weeks. Compounding the mess is this: when I click on "Check My Claim Staus" I see I am "under review"; when I click on "GCCF Program Statistics" and look up my claim, it shows "claimant denied". WTF? ...and no one is available to discuss it.
I haved emailed Haley Barbour, Gene Taylor, Fox News (oh, by the way, recommended to me by a GCCF employee), the Sun Herald, and WLOX, particularly A J Giardina, our "Action" reporter twice each, and plan to send regular emails to all until we have some kind of answer for this clear discrimination against our great State of Mississippi.
Haley Barbour: governor@governor.state.ms.us
Gene Taylor website: http://www.taylor.house.gov/
Fox News: newsmanager@foxnews.com
Sun Herald: letters@sunherald.com
WLOX: agiardina@wlox.com
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