Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Over Billing Granted To Therapists? State Auditor Will Investigate

A comment from a PRR reader. Truly great stuff! You read it first at PRR.

"Accountability is a big deal and the only way to keep the system honest. I just found out that an agency that is contracted with CPS over billed for services by a huge amount with my family. I just brought the info to the State Auditor. This contracted agency is MAMMOTH and a major player. The investigation is going to have a very interesting outcome.

Intensive Family Preservation Services has two components. The first is therapy and the second is paraprofessional services. Each home visit costs the tax payer $500. Imagine, then, over billing 15 or more hours for therapy and about 40 hours of paraprofessional activities. Then there are all the phone calls and paperwork that get billed separately.
They can do it and get away with it because the client never sees billing that goes to the State. It is the perfect crime.
In my opinion all state billing should get signed by the client, that way they can't bill for services not rendered.

The therapist they sent to our home was slightly whacked. He spoke to us about his problems and barely listened to ours. He came out to our home a couple of times and on the last visit, gave us a duck caller. He said we should use it if we start feeling things escalating. Well, at the billing rate of $500 a visit and all the fake billing that went along with this and the headaches I now face with false statements this duck caller has to be the most expensive duck caller ever in history and purchased by the taxpayer. Is corruption escalating in our government and in particular with CPS stakeholders? QUACK QUACK"

(I will print a response by the department. DSHS...I know you are reading this. Is there a response?)
Let me answer that. I asked Sharon Gilbert a long list of questions. Once this year and also last year at this time. They don't answer questions. It is time for the AG to investigate the agency that the state defends! Thank you dear reader.
Posted by Anonymous to Pam Roach Report at September 1, 2009 2:38

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Senator, we had a little guy in our care and after his mom had no visits with him for 7 months, he started peeing all over the bedroom and smearing feces all over the walls. Counseling was denied for him but FPS came out and the lady told me to put a potty training chair by his bed.He was 8 years old at the time and by all means, potty trained. It was negative behavior because of not seeing his mom. It didn`t take a genious to figure it out. They were not addressing the issue at all. She also told him to express his anger in other ways and got him so riled up that he was punching the bedroom door until he punched a hole in it.I asked her to leave and told her she would not be welcome in my home again.

Anonymous said...

In response to the above post:

And to think the department doesn't traumatize kids.

Anonymous said...

Is the AG the right one to investigate? It seems to me that investigation needs to come from an objective group who isn't a state stakeholder. How can they both defend the State and at the same time investigate? Its impossible.
This is why the general public SHOULD NEVER vote in an elected official from the AG office. They support the State interests, not the public. An outside investigative committee is the only solution.

Anonymous said...

"He was 8 years old at the time and by all means, potty trained."

Yet another $500 per visit of tax dollars well spent.

One needs to understand the mission of CPS version of family preservation. They want to preserve the families with difficult to place children if called upon to do so. This includes rebellious teens and children with behavior problems. Child and family safety is not a priority in these cases. It is about managing funding while at the same time having the appearance of addressing the issues at hand, and don't we just want to keep up appearances!

Anonymous said...

Can the OP clarify if the child in question had some diagnoses like autism and whatnot...that sounds pretty extreme for a mentally "healthy" child. Plenty of kids play the fecal game..but they do it also when the dont want to eat or when they dont get their way..not just when they want to see their bio-parent. Dealing with poo on your walls is part of raising a special needs kid.

While you may not be getting services - spreading fecal matter isnt an "extreme" behavior for certain conditions. It seems like you are using it for shock value to promote you own needs. Which is laudable but dilutes the arguments of folks like me with "normal" kids that are being damaged by the system. Try volunteering at Ryther, secret harbor or the kiddy prison in kent..Throwing poo is practically a scheduled activity since its going to happen anyway.

If you child doesnt have a diagnoses..is it possible he or she feels imprisoned?

strawberryblonde said...

This happens to persons in special needs trusts and guardianships, too!

The court will not address expenditures by the professionals and allow the guardians and trustees to have their attorney fees approved in advance in case a person questions their billings.
It is a "Good Ol' Boys" relationship with bankers and lawyers.

Family members must hire an attorney with their own funds while their loved one is being represented against the person bringing billing issues to the attention of the courts.

Anonymous said...

Actually, the 8 year old did not do that the first 2 years of being in our care and the caseworker of the child said it was common for a child to act out like that because of not seeing his mom. It would seem to me that a mentally healthy child playing with their crap because they didn`t want to eat would suggest more of a problem than a child doing it because of feeling like they`ve lost a parent. He is very mentally healthy and when his mom finally got her act together and got him back he stopped after he was home for 4 months.