In response, the state Department of Social Services agreed to repay $957,943 to the federal government. But the agency said it does not believe that it should refund the other $23 million.
Department of Social Services
Posted inHealth
Still on hold: A solution for long DSS call-wait times
It took an average of 54 minutes for callers to reach a Department of Social Services worker by phone last month. That’s an improvement over February’s 70-minute average, and one of the lower average monthly wait times in the past year. But client advocates say it’s long past time things be improved in the phone system, which launched in July 2013 as part of a highly touted “modernization” initiative.
Posted inHealth, Politics
After providers complain, lawmakers consider changes to Medicaid audits
Legislators are considering changes to the way the state audits Medicaid payments to health care providers, who have complained for years that the process penalizes honest errors and can lead to costs dramatically higher than any identified mistakes. One independent pharmacist got involved in pushing for change after an audit of his drug store found $268 worth of problematic prescriptions — and he faced a penalty of $144,814.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Proposed cut in dental reimbursement could jeopardize children’s care
Gov. Dannel Malloy’s proposed budget charges the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS) with achieving $90 million in savings through a reduction in provider rates. A conservative estimate of the impact of reducing dental fees by 5.6 percent indicates that 24,000 fewer HUSKY-insured young people under 21 years of age would have access to a dental visit in each of the next two fiscal years.
Posted inHealth
Advocates: Medicaid’s autism coverage plan would keep kids from services
Advocates say the state’s proposed regulations for autism treatment coverage contain so many potential barriers that many children would be unlikely to get services, face major delays in treatment or struggle to find a provider who could meet the requirements.
Posted inHealth
DSS said to have continued thousands on Medicaid without ensuring they were still eligible
The state Department of Social Services continued providing Medicaid coverage to thousands of people for more than a year without checking whether they remained eligible, as is federally required, according to a contractor who recently left the department.
Posted inHealth
Food stamp backlog could cost Connecticut federal money
Connecticut could lose up to $3.7 million in expected federal funding because of continued problems in handling food stamp cases.
Posted inHealth
DSS phone wait time drops (to 66 minutes)
Nearly two thirds of callers who wanted to speak to a worker at the state Department of Social Services hung up before getting through, but that, too, was an improvement over previous months. In September, 64 percent of callers who wanted to reach a worker hung up first, compared to 71 percent in August and 75 percent in July.
Posted inHealth
Need to reach a DSS worker? Can you hold for 78 minutes?
More than a year after the state Department of Social Services changed its phone system, people who rely on it say it remains unacceptably difficult to reach a worker. Last month, callers looking to speak to a person waited on hold an average of 78 minutes. And 71 percent hung up first.
Posted inHealth
Legislators say DSS hearing rules must change for ‘fundamental fairness’
They’re called fair hearings — the chance people get to appeal decisions made by the state Department of Social Services, such as denials of applications for benefits or being turned down for Medicaid coverage of a certain treatment. But some legislators say the way the department handles the hearings makes them anything but fair.
Posted inHealth
CT Social Services chief withdraws from Fort Worth job search
Social Services Commissioner Roderick L. Bremby has withdrawn his name from consideration to become city manager of Fort Worth, Texas, according to local media reports.
Posted inHealth
DSS Commissioner Bremby a finalist for Texas job
Social Services Commissioner Roderick L. Bremby confirmed Monday that he is one of three finalists for the city manager job in Fort Worth, Texas.
Posted inHealth
DSS call center wait times drop, but two-thirds of callers still hanging up
Callers who wanted to talk to a Department of Social Services worker by phone last month had to wait an average of 39 minutes and 29 seconds to do so. That’s down from one hour and 13 minutes in February. Social service officials say that’s progress, but client advocates say another figure gives more cause for concern.
Posted inHealth
Proposed settlement reached in DSS Medicaid application delay lawsuit
The Department of Social Services is seeking approval to hire dozens of additional workers to comply with a proposed settlement to a class action lawsuit alleging that delays in processing Medicaid applications have left poor state residents waiting months to get coverage and care.
Posted inHealth
For some new Medicaid clients, delays getting care, prescriptions
People who are deemed eligible for Medicaid get a letter to use as proof of coverage until their insurance ID cards arrive, but some have found that pharmacies and doctors won’t accept it, leaving them unable to get care or medication.