To the Editor:

In response to Ms. Ringer's editorial regarding the lack of medical assistance funding for her daughter's drug rehab treatment, allow me to make a few comments.

Drug and alcohol funding to addicts is not an entitlement, especially to repeated recipients like Ms. Ringer's daughter, whom she had stated, "since 2009 went to several rehabs."

Ms. Ringer states her family " has paid into the system many years, never used it and her Grandfathers both fought in WW II" and felt there was "nothing wrong with her getting assistance."

Most of us are tax- paying citizens who have "never used it" as well, but in Ms. Ringer's case, her daughter has used and benefited, several times, by very limited county and state funded subsidies, regardless how long her treatment stays lasted.

Although I am eternally grateful towards both her grandfathers for fighting for our country, this has no relevance to her receiving medical assistance.

If her daughter was an ex-veteran who needed drug treatment, she could access it through the VA Administration, as could any veteran who served our nation.

If Ms. Ringer felt her daughter was short-changed in the amount of rehab days she received, she very easily could have appealed this decision by DPW, by filing a grievance against them or the Managed Care company. All 67 counties in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have this procedure in place, and her daughter signed a waiver explaining this to her, I'm sure.

It sounds to me the problem lies on Ms. Ringer's daughter's failure to utilize community resources, ie,

NA/AA meetings, Al-ANON meetings, outpatient counseling, community-base recovery centers, etc, in her failed attempts at sobriety.

Don't blame state and county funding blocks for reduced assistance, Ms. Ringer. Your daughter has "used the system" often, and benefited more than most people, and " the system" has given back to you and your daughter.

So now it's time for you and her to take ownership for it!

Gary Sauka