Friday 6 June 2003

Commissioner Nancy Atkins
Bureau for Medical Services
350 Capitol Street Room 251
Charleston WV 25301-3706

Commissioner;

    The West Virginia Medicaid Recipients’ Union is writing on behalf of hundreds of MR/DD waiver recipients who receive services through Valley HealthCare System (VHCS).

    As you are no doubt aware, VHCS recently notified its clientele that it would no longer be providing the Medicaid service of level I respite care (W0106).

    As a direct result of this administrative decision, VHCS is herding all of its MR/DD waiver clientele through rushed interdisciplinary team (IDT) meetings solely to modify their individual program plans (IPPs) to reflect this policy change.

    The West Virginia Medicaid Recipients’ Union feels very strongly that VHCS should not be permitted to bill Medicaid for any aspect of these meetings, including scheduling, preparation, and paperwork. These meetings are being held at the behest of VHCS to implement a change in their policy. As such, VHCS should be required to shoulder the full financial burden for its implementation. It is hardly legitimate to tally the expenses related to these meetings against the estates of those Medicaid recipients when said expenses would not have been incurred but for VHCS’ change in policy.

    We request that the Department of Health and Human Resources issue an immediate program instruction to VHCS and the other MR/DD waiver providers that all expenses arising from any such change in policy are the sole fiscal responsibility of that agency, and that they are not billable to Medicaid.

With all due respect,

Debi Lewis, founder

cc:    West Virginia Advocates, Inc.
        Commissioner Jerry Lovrien, BHHF
        George Lilley, CEO Valley HealthCare Systems