HHS secretary Leavitt visits Nashville shelter

Many of the eligibility and enrollment requirements normally needed to apply for federal benefits would be stripped away to avoid any government red tape, according to Leavitt, who visited a shelter at Crievewood Baptist Church in Nashville.

The process will allow states to enroll evacuees without requiring certain documents such as proof of residency for programs such as Medicaid, child care support, foster care assistance and substance abuse treatment.

When asked by reporters to comment about widespread criticism the federal government was too slow in its response to hurricane victims, Leavitt said: “Disasters are chaotic. The aftermath is never pretty.

“It’s always awkward and difficult. And the communications are never what we’d hope they’d be. They’re improving.”

Before visiting Tennessee Saturday afternoon, Leavitt stopped by the Dallas Convention Center as part of a two-day trip to states helping Katrina victims. He visited Georgia and Arkansas on Friday.

Officials with Tennessee Emergency Management Agency say 7,882 people or families have registered as evacuees with the Federal Emergency Management Agency although TEMA estimates over 15,000 evacuees have sought shelter in Tennessee through National Guard Reserve evacuations or on their own.

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Information from WSMV-TV, Nashville, http://www.wsmv.com