By David Chesanow, JTNews Correspondent
The results of an ongoing survey in Washington State will determine the home and health care needs of Holocaust survivors. It may also form a basis for requesting more funds from The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, also known as the Claims Conference.
The survey is a joint effort of the Jewish Family Service and the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner’s Holocaust Survivors Assistance Office. According to the cover letter by Marvin Stern, manager of the Holocaust Survivors Assistance Office who compiled the survey, “if we are able to make a stronger case for the needs of our survivor population, we may be able to access additional funds from organizations that are making distributions to communal organizations which provide direct service to Holocaust survivors.”
In a recent interview, Stern said the Claims Conference currently sends $30,000 annually to Seattle’s Jewish Family Service for casework involving Holocaust survivors. The Claims Conference has earmarked an additional $12,000 for Seattle from the Humanitarian Fund of the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims, which the Claims Conference is distributing on ICHEIC’s behalf.
“We wanted to do a needs assessment to see whether the combined $30,000 and $12,000 is a realistic amount to meet the present and future needs of local Holocaust survivors,” Stern said, “or whether we should make a proposal based on real numbers to the Claims Conference saying, ‘Thank you for the additional $12,000, but in fact the real local need is $20,000 or $50,000.’”
The Claims Conference, comprised of 24 Jewish organizations and individuals worldwide, “works to secure compensation and restitution for survivors of the Holocaust and heirs of victims,” according to its Web site (www.claimscon.org).
Stern estimated there are approximately 200 Holocaust survivors in the state, based upon information compiled by various organizations, including synagogues and a Claims Conference list of former slave laborers in the state who currently receive assistance. To date, there have been 130 non-duplicate replies — a response of over 60 percent. Stern termed this “pretty extraordinary,” because a 10–15 percent response rate would have been considered good for a survey of this type, he said.
However, Stern pointed out, “It’s possible, maybe even probable, that the people we haven’t heard from are more important in terms of need than the people we have heard from.”
He suggested that while some may not know enough English to fill out the surveys, others may not have the strength or ability. It may come down to finding and helping the survivors fill out the survey on a case-by-case basis.
The survey includes such questions as whether or not respondents need assistance with daily tasks, home medical care, levels and quality of health insurance, and whether respondents are receiving Holocaust restitution payments. Most of the questions require merely yes-or-no answers or have boxes to check.
Because of the language barrier, a Russian-language cover letter and an offer to assist in completing the form was added, said Alesha Durfee, a research assistant at the University of Washington School of Social Work, who is helping to compile and analyze the results.
Based on the first 83 responses through May, Durfee found that the age of survivors in the state ranges from 65 to 93 years, with an average age of 78.
One question dealt with specific illnesses. Durfee indicated the preliminary report focused on whether respondents perceived they needed care or are receiving care, rather than on their particular health conditions. Of the initial respondents, 77 percent do not receive any type of care at all; 23 percent said they need some type of care; 21 percent said that they need home care — especially help with dressing, bathing and/or shopping; and seven percent said they require home health care, such as occupational therapy, physical therapy and/or nursing care)
Of the seven percent of respondents who need home health care, how many are not receiving it?
“Relatively few said that they need it but that they’re not currently receiving any,” Durfee said. “Only five percent said that they need home health care but that they’re not getting the care that they need” — a very low percentage, given survivors’ ages — leading Durfee to reiterate Stern’s suggestion that survivors who are in ill health may be unable to participate in the survey without help.
“This is one of our concerns, and why we’re doing outreach — and something that we obviously need to investigate: you would assume that the population that are going to need more care are not going to be responding to the survey.”
Durfee also observed that the average age of the Washington State survivor community, 78 years, is an important turning point, because the average age of those who do not require home care is 77.
“Most of the people who need the care are over 78,” Durfee said, surmising that as the survivor population ages, this foreshadows “a lot greater need very shortly.”
Once the results of the survey are assessed, Marvin Stern said, other programs might be created to benefit Holocaust survivors:
“For example, rather than providing $1,000 of assistance to a survivor, it might be better to pool these funds to be used for prescription drug subsidies,” he said. “If we are able to create a pool that every survivor who needs prescription drugs can use to get a $50 rebate or a $50 discount on his or her medication, that might be a good thing that would help more people for a longer period of time.”
Stern maintained that the Claims Conference can do more for survivors by using more of its funds for survivor home and health care.
“Holocaust survivors in the U.S. presently have a $30 million unmet need,” he said. “The Claims Conference says, ‘Well, that’s the responsibility of the Jewish community in general.’”
While Jewish organizations acknowledge a responsibility to meet those needs, they have questioned why the Claims Conference, which was established to assist Holocaust survivors, is not using the money for that purpose, Stern said.
The Claims Conference also attaches stipulations to its disbursements, which affect how survivors’ needs are addressed.
“We are currently managing five different grants that we have received from the Claims Conference, and the eligibility and the amount of money that is allocated through each of those grants is different,” explained Donald Armstrong, director of aging and disabilities services for Jewish Family Service in Seattle. Some funds are needs-based; others are not. “We are hopeful that as more money becomes available through the Claims Conference, if we have any local options — that is, if we have the discretion to decide how that money is used — then we can direct more to home care and home health care,” Armstrong added.
To participate in the Holocaust Survivor Survey
Holocaust survivors living in Washington State are urged to participate in the Holocaust survivor survey.
Please call Marvin Stern at 206-464-6828, or toll-free at 1-888-606-9622 for information. Assistance in completing the survey can be provided.
Holocaust-era insurance claims deadline extended
The International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims has extended the deadline for filing claims to Dec. 31, 2003.
To see the latest list of policyholders, updated Sept. 30, 2003, visit www.icheic.org.
For information on filing a claim, visit the Office of the Insurance Commissioner’s Holocaust Survivor Assistance Web page at www.insurance.wa.gov/industry/holocaust/holocaust.asp or call the Holocaust Survivors Assistance Office at 206-464-6828, or toll-free at 1-888-606-9622.