MAHONING COUNTY MRDD joins suit against state

The board approved a contract with a private agency for adult client services.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR HEALTH WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- The Mahoning County Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Board has joined a lawsuit against two state agencies, hoping to recover between $1.5 million and $2 million in federal funds it says it should have been paid for Medicaid services.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Cleveland by the Cuyahoga County MRDD board against the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and the Ohio MRDD department, contends that between $80 million and $100 million is owed to county MRDD boards across the state under the Community Alternative Funding System for services provided from 1993 to 2002.
The CAFS program is supposed to reimburse MRDD boards for services they provide such as speech-language therapy, occupational and physical therapy, psychology, nursing, social work and transportation. For every dollar of local money spent on these services, the federal government reimburses 58 cents through Medicaid. The federal government will not make the reimbursement until state agencies have completed necessary audits and requested the money on behalf of the county board of MRDD.
In its suit, Cuyahoga County MRDD said the state has failed to take the necessary steps to recover the money.
The Mahoning County MRDD approved becoming part of the suit at a special meeting Thursday. Larry Duck, superintendent of the local MRDD, said the agency is owed $1,512,255 for 1999 to 2001. He estimated that an additional $500,000 could be owed for 1993 to 1996. Duck said the Mahoning MRDD received settlements for 1997 and 1998.
Service contracts
In other business Thursday, the board approved contracts with Iron and String Life Enhancement, a private agency, to provide day services such as job skills and arts education for mentally retarded adults, and with Help Hotline to provide guardianship oversight for MRDD clients.
The MRDD board's $110,140 contract with ISLE is the first of its kind for Mahoning MRDD, one in which services are provided by a private organization. These services previously were provided under MRDD programs, such as the sheltered workshop. The contract runs Aug. 1 to Dec. 31.
James Sutman, ISLE executive director, said his organization provides an alternative to the MRDD sheltered workshop program. Sutman said the program will concentrate on more specific vocational skills and arts training. At present, the ISLE facility at 117 S. Champion St., has eight MRDD clients.
The MRDD board will pay a maximum of $5,000 to Help Hotline to provide guardianship services from Aug. 1 to Dec. 31. Guardianship services can include handling financial matters such as paying bills and handling assets, and personal matters such as medical care, burials and advocacy, Duck said.
alcorn@vindy.com