Auditors: Millions go uncollected at HHS

Auditors: Millions go uncollected at HHS

http://www.northplattebulletin.com/i...04 &pageID=24

A family that received welfare owned more than $750,000 in real estate
plus seven motor vehicles, and still received mental disability
treatment for free from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human
Services.

That was one of many accounting problems inside the Health and Human
Services at the three state regional centers and another center in
Beatrice, all of which treat people with mental disabilities, state
auditor Mike Foley reported Monday.

Auditors estimate that $18 million went uncollected in 2006 from people
who could have afforded to pay. HHS accountants prematurely wrote off
the bills.

Gov. Dave Heineman ordered the audit in July. He joined Foley in calling
for reforms, and recently appointed HHS chief of operations Christine
Peterson said billing would improve.

"Any time concerns are identified, they need to be addressed,� Heineman
said.

Sen. Tom Hansen has been concerned about some HHS practices for a long time.

�Sometimes at the client level, it seems they either over-provide or
under-provide services,� Hansen said.

After months of investigation, auditors found the HHS department has
been providing services but not collecting the bills.

Under Nebraska law, individuals and families receiving services are
billed according to their ability to pay. Their Nebraska taxable income,
assets and liabilities determine their ability to pay.

�My audit team found widespread confusion and inadequate accounting
procedures,� Foley said.

In numerous instances, HHS personnel wrote-down or wrote-off balances
due without properly verifying the overall ability to pay of clients.

HHS has said that nearly $38 million might never be collected from clients.

Nearly all the problems were in the three regional centers in Hastings,
Norfolk and Lincoln, plus the Beatrice center, which treats patients who
are mentally disabled because of developmental problems, HHS spokeswoman
Kathie Osterman told the Bulletin.

The accounts at those three regional centers were adjusted by more than
$18 million during 2006 with little justification, Foley said. Some of
that money was lost because insurance and Medicaid claims were not filed
on time.

Also, auditors found that clients who did not provide financial
information had their account balances adjusted all the way to zero,
which is a direct violation of Nebraska regulations.

One family owned more than $750,000 in real estate as well as seven
vehicles.

In another instance, an Omaha family owned an expensive home plus
several vehicles, including two large motor homes. Their Nebraska
taxable income was more than $829,000. That family sent a payment to HHS
for services but HHS declined the check and returned it un-cashed to the
family, saying the family had an undue hardship.

�The investigation findings released today are deeply troubling to me
and to the taxpayers of Nebraska,� Foley said.

Nevertheless, Foley expressed gratitude to Gov. Heineman and HHS CEO
Christine Peterson for an action plan that will put this matter in
proper order, and which involved regular audits from his office.�

Region II Human Services Kathy Seacrest of North Platte said this is
about state-run facilities, not about local programs Region II delivers
in west central Nebraska.

Hansen: looking at other issues

Hansen was one of three freshman senators last February who said they
would learn all they could about HHS and see the system run better.

Hansen said it is a formidable task. HHS has hundreds of departments and
spends $1.14 billion every two years � the biggest budget of any state
agency.

�Their financial responsibility is a little out of whack,� Hansen said.
�For instance, the Governor recently cut their budget by 2 percent, but
one of the things that was eliminated was background checks of employees
at nursing homes. We don�t want to compromise safety or care for nursing
home patients. We need to increase the department�s efficiency. We�re in
the process of looking into it.�

Also, a private accounting firm is reviewing other HHS internal
accounting, and their report is expected in March.







CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NATIONAL
SECURITY AGENCY/CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WIRETAPPING PROGRAMS....

CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.

every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com

Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS

*Perpetrators of Maltreatment*

Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5

Imagine that, 6.4 children die at the hands of the very agencies that
are supposed to protect them and only 1.5 at the hands of parents per
100,000 children. CPS perpetrates more abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse
and kills more children then parents in the United States. If the
citizens of this country hold CPS to the same standards that they hold
parents too. No judge should ever put another child in the hands of ANY
government agency because CPS nationwide is guilty of more harm and
death than any human being combined. CPS nationwide is guilty of more
human rights violations and deaths of children then the homes from which
they were removed. When are the judges going to wake up and see that
they are sending children to their death and a life of abuse when
children are removed from safe homes based on the mere opinion of a
bunch of social workers.


CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT
FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON...


BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...