Usually I come for advise and opinions, today I just want to vent! Something has been irritating me and I just have to vent to someone who knows where I am coming from! It may get long if it does my apologies!
I enrolled 2 new kids almost 3 months ago. DCM tells me the boy is lactose intolerant and needs pediasure. She says she gets 72 cans a month from WIC. OK so I give her the required form to have the Dr fill out so that I can serve the Pediasure instead of milk. She also says he is to have a FULL bottle each meal! (Food Prog rules are 4 oz per meal but she insists) I tell her I don't think I am required to supply that much but I will buy some and if she wants to help with the extra 4oz with the bottles WIC gives her that would be fine. I go out and buy this expensive Pediasure because she tells me he can't have the store brand for some unknown reason. She brings 4 8oz cans and says she will bring more on Monday. She NEVER brings anymore!!! So I am giving this kid 8oz of Pediasure every meal! Thats about $4 per day! I remind her I am only required to give the 4oz. Ok she says she will bring more...BUT doesnt...
Almost 3 weeks later she finally brings the form back from the Dr. It's not even filled out!! All he wrote was in the comments "needs pediasure" and signed it. I know it wont fly but I have to submitt it to the Food Program. I get a call a week later saying it needs filled out and she is sending me a new 1. OK So I pass along to the DCM telling her the Dr MUST fill out the info. The program director has highlighted every spot! DCM is irritated and says she will take it to the dr in a few days when she has time. I told her we need it back ASAP! She just looks at me like I am speeking greek! So I say ok take the few dys BUT have the doctor mail it directly to me! (i have a fax but its not working)
DCM tells me a few days later she turned it in. OK great! Now another 3 weeks go by I finally get the form. It states there is NO medical problem with this child!! Under allergies to food it had a huge ZERO! Under medical conditions requiring suppliments NOTHING! All of the health matter questions were circled NO! Then in comments it said again "Pediasure" What in the hell??? I show the Mom and she shrugs. Fine!!
I turn it in and sure enough a week later the food program director is calling me. We are both at a loss now! She says she does not understand why the DCM is saying he needs pediasure or why the Dr write it in the comments when there clearly is not health matter with this child! She says according to the form there is NO reason for me to have to supply pediasure in place of milk. She says the form will have to be submitted AGAIN and this time a letter will go with it asking for detailed explaination.
I inform the DCM and she is mad! She said "Just forget it give him milk" WTH??? He can't have milk u said!! She says "yes he can we have been giving it to him for a while now and he's fine" I couldnt wrap my head around this! I reminded her of our convo at enrollment! She said "well he must have gotten over it because we wanted him to have real milk and so we started slow no problems he just gets a runny nose" I said why would the Dr write Pediasure in the notes then? She said oh because it helps them get the nutrition and weight gain that he needs. OMG
@$#*&!!!
"I have been supllying this MYSELF out of MY pocket for weight gain???" She just sits there. I tell her "fine I will put milk on the table tomorrow morning I hope he doesn't have a reaction!"
I call the director back and we are just at a loss. She is fed up with this parents stories and the Dr forms so she says according to the form I am NOT required to give the pediasure and I do have to put milk on the table! She said she was calling the parent herself because this makes no sense but by law we now have to give that child milk and pray he doesn't have a reaction and that the weight gain is the only need for it.
She calls me back and says "I spoke with THAT PARENT!" I said ok and? She is very frustrated and goes on to say she said all the same things I told her right down to DCM contradicting herself! The parent told her it is ok for me to give her kid milk! The director told me she is documenting everything and strongly suggests I do the same. I said ok so I never had to give this Pediasure in the 1st place? She said "according to BOTH Dr forms NO! And I am so sorry u have wasted YOUR money all along! If the parents wants him to have it SHE must supply it and I told her that. So don't buy this child anymore Pediasure!" She asked that I keep a close eye on him and I of course planned to. Breakfast no reaction but he only drank 2 ox or so. Lunch NO reaction!
So what a flipping waste!! Not only did the kid not need it BUT I could have bought the store brand!! I feel like DCM should have to reimburse me for all those bottles because the food program reimbursment doesn't touch it PLUS she told me I had to give double the requirment on top of that! I did some rough calculations and I figure I spent at least $80 in Pediasure for that child over a 2 month period. That's $80 of MY heard earned money flushed down the toilet!
I enrolled 2 new kids almost 3 months ago. DCM tells me the boy is lactose intolerant and needs pediasure. She says she gets 72 cans a month from WIC. OK so I give her the required form to have the Dr fill out so that I can serve the Pediasure instead of milk. She also says he is to have a FULL bottle each meal! (Food Prog rules are 4 oz per meal but she insists) I tell her I don't think I am required to supply that much but I will buy some and if she wants to help with the extra 4oz with the bottles WIC gives her that would be fine. I go out and buy this expensive Pediasure because she tells me he can't have the store brand for some unknown reason. She brings 4 8oz cans and says she will bring more on Monday. She NEVER brings anymore!!! So I am giving this kid 8oz of Pediasure every meal! Thats about $4 per day! I remind her I am only required to give the 4oz. Ok she says she will bring more...BUT doesnt...
Almost 3 weeks later she finally brings the form back from the Dr. It's not even filled out!! All he wrote was in the comments "needs pediasure" and signed it. I know it wont fly but I have to submitt it to the Food Program. I get a call a week later saying it needs filled out and she is sending me a new 1. OK So I pass along to the DCM telling her the Dr MUST fill out the info. The program director has highlighted every spot! DCM is irritated and says she will take it to the dr in a few days when she has time. I told her we need it back ASAP! She just looks at me like I am speeking greek! So I say ok take the few dys BUT have the doctor mail it directly to me! (i have a fax but its not working)
DCM tells me a few days later she turned it in. OK great! Now another 3 weeks go by I finally get the form. It states there is NO medical problem with this child!! Under allergies to food it had a huge ZERO! Under medical conditions requiring suppliments NOTHING! All of the health matter questions were circled NO! Then in comments it said again "Pediasure" What in the hell??? I show the Mom and she shrugs. Fine!!
I turn it in and sure enough a week later the food program director is calling me. We are both at a loss now! She says she does not understand why the DCM is saying he needs pediasure or why the Dr write it in the comments when there clearly is not health matter with this child! She says according to the form there is NO reason for me to have to supply pediasure in place of milk. She says the form will have to be submitted AGAIN and this time a letter will go with it asking for detailed explaination.
I inform the DCM and she is mad! She said "Just forget it give him milk" WTH??? He can't have milk u said!! She says "yes he can we have been giving it to him for a while now and he's fine" I couldnt wrap my head around this! I reminded her of our convo at enrollment! She said "well he must have gotten over it because we wanted him to have real milk and so we started slow no problems he just gets a runny nose" I said why would the Dr write Pediasure in the notes then? She said oh because it helps them get the nutrition and weight gain that he needs. OMG


I call the director back and we are just at a loss. She is fed up with this parents stories and the Dr forms so she says according to the form I am NOT required to give the pediasure and I do have to put milk on the table! She said she was calling the parent herself because this makes no sense but by law we now have to give that child milk and pray he doesn't have a reaction and that the weight gain is the only need for it.
She calls me back and says "I spoke with THAT PARENT!" I said ok and? She is very frustrated and goes on to say she said all the same things I told her right down to DCM contradicting herself! The parent told her it is ok for me to give her kid milk! The director told me she is documenting everything and strongly suggests I do the same. I said ok so I never had to give this Pediasure in the 1st place? She said "according to BOTH Dr forms NO! And I am so sorry u have wasted YOUR money all along! If the parents wants him to have it SHE must supply it and I told her that. So don't buy this child anymore Pediasure!" She asked that I keep a close eye on him and I of course planned to. Breakfast no reaction but he only drank 2 ox or so. Lunch NO reaction!
So what a flipping waste!! Not only did the kid not need it BUT I could have bought the store brand!! I feel like DCM should have to reimburse me for all those bottles because the food program reimbursment doesn't touch it PLUS she told me I had to give double the requirment on top of that! I did some rough calculations and I figure I spent at least $80 in Pediasure for that child over a 2 month period. That's $80 of MY heard earned money flushed down the toilet!

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