<div><strong>Emergency Appeal for Support – Helping Ms. Junko Kobayashi (78, Dementia)</strong>
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<div>Thank you very much for visiting this page. We are urgently seeking your support to help Ms. Junko Kobayashi (78 years old), an elderly woman living with Alzheimer’s dementia, continue to receive the care she needs.
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<div><strong>Background</strong>
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<div>In 2022, Junko lost her husband and began living in a care facility in New Jersey, USA. With no close relatives, my wife and I have been supporting her in her daily life.
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<div>For her long-term care at the facility, support from Medicaid (the U.S. public health care program) was essential. We therefore entrusted a reputable friend in the Japanese community, who claimed to be qualified as a Medicaid planner and knowledgeable in legal and welfare matters, with Junko’s asset restructuring and Medicaid application process required for eligibility.
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<div>This friend reported in April 2023 that the Medicaid application had been submitted, and in November 2023 told us it had been “approved.” However, benefits never began, and from September 2024, contact with this person was lost.
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<div>When we inquired with the office of social services, we learned that no application had ever been filed. Furthermore, the Medicaid-Compliant Annuity that was supposed to have been purchased for eligibility purposes was confirmed by the financial institution to be non-existent.
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<div>In addition, approximately USD $330,000 entrusted to a financial advisor (introduced to us by this friend) for the Medicaid annuity purchase and asset restructuring has remained unaccounted for. The individual presented as a financial advisor later explained that he was actually a loan broker, and that the funds had been lent out as a business loan with the friend listed as debtor. However, no confirmation or proof of this has been obtained.
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<div>In January of this year, we briefly heard back from the friend and received a document acknowledging responsibility for repayment. However, despite our repeated urgent requests, no repayment has been made. More recently, we even received an intimidating notice from a U.S. attorney claiming to represent this friend that stated “I would highly suggest you refrain from future activities against our client as this could be a long and expensive road for you in defending your actions.”
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<div><strong>Junko’s Current Situation</strong>
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<div>We are now working with an elder law attorney to prepare a new Medicaid application. However, Junko’s remaining funds will run out in about one month. It is expected that the Medicaid application process will take 3 to 6 months before approval, leaving a gap during which her facility expenses cannot be covered.
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<div><strong>Our Appeal for Support</strong>
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<div>In Bergen County, New Jersey, the average monthly cost of a dementia care facility exceeds $10,000. Junko’s facility charges $10,500 per month. This amount is far beyond what we can cover on our own. We are therefore asking for your kind support to help cover the following urgent expenses:
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<li>Up to 6 months of facility expenses until Medicaid is approved
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<li>Legal fees for the Medicaid application process (approx. $14,000)
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<div>Fundraising Goal: USD $77,000
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<div>*Depending on the outcome of the Medicaid review, there is a possibility that a penalty period (a waiting period before benefits begin, due to the missing funds) may be imposed. If this occurs, we may unfortunately need to request additional support to cover the living expenses or legal costs during that period.
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<div><strong>To Our Supporters</strong>
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<div>All funds raised through this campaign will be used directly and only for Junko’s facility expenses and the legal costs necessary for her Medicaid application. If the missing funds are ever recovered in the future, we will make every effort to refund donors who wish to be reimbursed (details will be arranged individually).
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<div><strong>In Closing</strong>
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<div>We sincerely ask for your cooperation so that Junko can continue to live safely and with comfort. Even if you cannot contribute financially, sharing this or sending an encouraging message would mean so much to us. Thank you very much for your kind support.
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<div>in Japanese:
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<div><strong>小林順子さん（78歳・認知症）を支えるための緊急支援のお願い</strong>
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<div>皆さま、このページをご覧いただきありがとうございます。私たちは今、アルツハイマー型認知症の高齢女性 小林順子さん（78歳） を支えるための、切実なご支援をお願いしています。
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<div><strong>背景</strong>
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<div>順子さんは2022年にご主人を亡くし、アメリカ・ニュージャージー州の介護施設で生活を始めました。身寄りはなく、私たち夫婦が身近でお世話をしています。
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<div>介護施設での長期生活には、アメリカの公的医療制度「メディケイド（Medicaid）」による支援が不可欠でした。そこで、私たちは日本人コミュニティの友人で、法律と福祉に詳しくメディケイド・プランナーの資格を持つとされていた方に、メディケイド適格化のための資産整理と申請手続きを依頼しました。
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<div>友人からは、2023年4月にメディケイド申請を開始し、同年11月に「承認された」との報告を受けていました。しかし、その後も受給は開始されず、2024年9月からは友人との連絡がしばらく途絶えました。
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<div>福祉事務所へ問い合わせたところ、申請は一度も行われておらず、また、適格化のために購入したとされていたメディケイド適格年金（Medicaid Compliant Annuity）についても、金融機関に確認した結果、存在しないことが分かりました。
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<div>さらに、メディケイド適格年金の購入と資産整理のために、友人から紹介されたファイナンシャル・アドバイザーに託した約330,000ドル（日本円で約5000万円相当）の資金については、現在も使途が不明です。アドバイザーとされていた人物の説明では、自分は実際は貸出ブローカーで、資金は友人を債務者とするビジネスローンとして貸し出されたとのことですが、確証は得られていません。
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<div>今年1月、友人から応答があり、一旦は資金に対する返済責任を認める文書を受理しました。しかしその後は、こちらが繰り返し求めてきた至急返済に応じる姿勢は見られず、最近では代理人を名乗る米国人弁護士から「I would highly suggest you refrain from future activities against our client as this could be a long and expensive road for you in defending your actions」 という、威圧的な通知を受け取りました。
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<div><strong>現在の順子さんの状況</strong>
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<div>現在は高齢者法務専門の弁護士に依頼して、改めてメディケイドの申請を準備しています。しかし、順子さんの残り資金は あと1ヶ月分ほど で底をつく見込みです。メディケイドの申請が受理され承認されるまでには、3〜6ヶ月程度 を要する見込みで、その間の施設費用が不足する状況です。
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<div><strong>ご支援のお願い</strong>
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<div>私たちが住むニュージャージー州バーゲン郡地域周辺の認知症介護施設の費用は月額1万ドル以上で、順子さんの施設費用は 月額10,500ドル です。私たち個人の負担ではまかないきれず、皆さまのお力をお借りして以下の費用の支援を募らせていただきます。
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<li>メディケイド申請が承認されるまで、最大6ヶ月間の施設滞在費用
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<li>弁護士費用（メディケイド申請手続き費用14,000ドル）
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<div>目標金額：77,000ドル
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<div>※メディケイドの審査結果によっては、行方不明資金に関連するペナルティー期間（支給が開始されるまでの留保期間）が課される可能性があります。 その際には、該当期間の生活費や追加の弁護士費用について、改めてご支援をお願いせざるを得ない可能性があります。
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<div><strong>ご寄付いただいた方へ</strong>
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<div>このクラウドファンディングで集まった資金は、すべて順子さんの施設費用およびメディケイド申請に必要な法的費用に充てさせていただきます。また、将来的に失われた資金が返還された場合には、ご希望の方へ返金できるよう対応する予定です（方法については個別にご連絡いたします）。
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<div><strong>最後に</strong>
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<div>どうか一人でも多くの方のご協力をいただき、順子さんが安心して生活を続けられるよう、心よりお願い申し上げます。シェアだけでも、励ましのメッセージだけでも構いません。皆さまのお力をお借りできることを願っています。どうぞよろしくお願いいたします。
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Kanghee Lee

Emergency Support for Ms. Junko's Long-Term Care

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Emergency Support for Ms. Junko's Long-Term Care

Still $55,400 to go. Help us build momentum.