Frequently Asked Questions

About our program . . .

How do patients find out about your service?
We receive most of our referrals from social workers at area hospitals and medical offices. Other applicants are referred by former grantees, oncologists, directly from the web site, through support groups, and by word of mouth from family and friends.

How did you get started?
We founded the organization based on the experience of one woman, Donna Rogers. You can read more about this story under "About Us: History."

How much of your budget goes directly to patient services?
We make every attempt to dedicate at least 80 percent of our budget to grantee services; this includes moneys paid directly for grantee needs, staff and administrative time and resources, and expenses related to fundraising for programmatic needs. The Board of Directors has stipulated for the last five years that this minimum of 80 percent must be met.

Are there similar organizations in Colorado or in the U.S. that do what you do?
There are no organizations in Colorado that currently provide the breadth of services that Sense of Security provides for breast cancer patients. Some organizations in Colorado do exist to provide transitional housing, emergency assistance, housekeeping, support for alternative treatments, pleasurable outings, one-time stipends of aid, or prepared food if you are unable to cook for yourself. Visit Financial Resources for a listing. There are a handful of like-organizations around the country as well.

Regarding your criteria, what treatment procedures do you consider "active treatment?"
Sense of Security defines active treatment as conventional chemotherapy treatments, radiation treatments, or gene therapy when it is "first line therapy" for active disease; most often this is the receipt of the drug Herceptin. We also assist patients who are within 2 months of a cancer-related surger (reconstruction and related complications do not qualify). Hormonal therapies when administered alone do not qualify for our program. If they are administered in conjunction with a qualified treatment, one could medically qualify for our program.

How many people have you helped?
Through December 2005, Sense of Security provided aid to more than 250 grantees who finished the program. More than 60 continue at any one time in the program.

How much assistance in dollars have you provided to grantees?
Through December 2005, Sense of Security committed over $600,000 in funding. Support levels depend on the specific individual circumstances and needs of each applicant. See "Services: Statistics" for additional information on applicants and grantee statistics.

For how long do you assist grantees?
Grantees are eligible for assistance as long as they remain eligible on treatment and financial criteria. The maximum duration of support for any grantee is 12 months per stage of diagnosis.

I don't live in Denver or in a major metropolitan area in the state, would you be able to help me?
Sense of Security will assist any resident of Colorado. Our service is not dependent upon a physical location; you do not need to come into an office for an interview or have any face-to-face meeting with our staff and you do not have to reside in a metropolitan area of the state to qualify for aid. Most communication is done by telephone and everything a grantee needs can be sent in the mail, found on this web site or faxed. Our criteria has been established to be county specific, so your personal situation will be compared to those who reside in your home county, not to the state as a whole or to others in a metropolitan county. Also, if you live outside of the 303-area code, feel free to call us on our toll-free line: 866-736-3113.

What has been the most requested form of assistance?
Sense of Security has provided the majority of its aid for mortgage and rent payments-over 47 percent.

Should I apply to Sense of Security as soon as I am diagnosed?
Sense of Security is a provider of last resort. This means that we expect you to explore and exhaust all other forms of financial assistance-including but not limited to state and federal government aid programs-before we can process your application. But we can help you with this!! See the extensive listing of financial resources at "Services: Financial Resources" for all the known financial aid organizations in Colorado.. You can also use FAST™, our Financial Assistance Screening Tool and answer 10 easy questions to receive a list of Colorado agencies and organizations for which you might qualify for aid. Click here to use FAST™ and let us narrow down the list for you!

In addition, FASTrack, a service for Sense of Security applicants who are not working with a patient navigator and social worker, can help streamline the application process to the community agencies to which you should apply. Once you have applied to Sense of Security our staff can assist you with these applications if you would like. All we need is your written permission.

The reason we have this requirement is that we believe everyone eligible should seek out all the aid they could qualify for, whether public aid or community aid. Keep in mind that we only require you apply to these programs before applying to Sense of Security; as long as you document your applications to the aid programs, Sense of Security can begin processing your application to us..

How do you decide who to help?
You must meet our criteria: be a resident of Colorado, be in a qualified treatment for breast cancer, and have a household income less than the median per capita personal income for the county in which you reside (Sense of Security has this information, don't worry!). After that, we do an analysis of your actual income and expenses and determine if there is a reduction in income and an income shortfall. In other words, if your income is greater than your expenses, you have no need for financial assistance. But, if your expenses are greater than your income, we will consider providing assistance based on the amount of your shortfall. Of course this varies from person to person, so every applicant will be confidentially interviewed by telephone to determine his/her financial need. If you are requesting assistance with your mortgage payments, you need to meet one additional criterion: the value of your home cannot exceed the median value for the county in which you reside (again, Sense of Security has this information). If you would like assistance with your mortgage payment, you are required to submit with your application a copy of your current year's property tax assessment.

How exactly do you provide your assistance? Will I get a check every month?
Sense of Security provides its aid in the form of payments made directly to your vendors. We never make a payment directly to you. For example, if we are paying your monthly rent and utility bills, you are responsible for sending complete invoices/bills to us and we will pay them directly to your landlord and utility company. Grantees are required to provide the full, original bill so that we can accurately make payments on their behalf; faxes or photocopies of bills are not acceptable. Grantees will be notified by mail when payments have been made.