State should intervene in CDR contract termination

Needed to review Monroe’s abruptly announced actions.

Democrat and Chronicle, August 11, 2010

Did the Center for Disability Rights’ mismanagement and ineptness, as alleged by Monroe County, compel the county to terminate its taxpayer-funded contract? Or was the county simply tired of the advocacy agency being a thorn in its side?

Because it looks like there may be some validity to both propositions, it’s reassuring that a local court may intervene later this month to settle whether the county’s actions were warranted.

Meantime, the state Health Department and state Comptroller should review the county’s abruptly announced decision.

Millions of Medicaid dollars, which the state pays out in exchange for Monroe County’s sales tax revenue, are involved. The state must ensure that those Medicaid funds are spent efficiently.

The county makes a strong argument in pointing out CDR’s checkered safety record in helping provide personal services to disabled clients. Most recently the county found negligence involving 12 cases that it investigated. But what about the other 300-plus clients served by CDR attendants? A county spokesman said abuses were “rampant,” but where is the evidence?

And to what extent were corrective remedies sought before the county decided to terminate CDR? Besides possible client inconveniences, plans to switch to for-profit personal-care providers could increase Medicaid costs by an extra $2 million.

As for CDR, it contends it was rebuffed numerous times over the past year in efforts to meet with the county. The county said communication was never a problem.

The county also insists CDR’s resistance to a voice recognition system to better track attendants’ work and the agency’s strong, sometimes prickly, advocacy on behalf of disabled clients didn’t factor into its decision.

A court ruling is welcome. So are reviews by state agencies on behalf of weary New York taxpayers.