A few weeks ago, Governor Jim Justice, who is running for a seat in the U.S. Senate, asked the public should “stay tuned” in funding programs to support people with disabilities.
West Virginia’s low Medicaid reimbursement rate has resulted in a shortage of staff to assist people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) with eating, bathing and living in a home environment.
As The Republican governor and the Department of Human Services have not yet addressed the rates, and a residential home in Martinsburg for about a dozen people with disabilities is being closed due to a lack of staff.
“It is terrible. The people we care for may have to settle hours away from their family or move to live with someone they don’t know,” said Ray Ratke, CEO of enCircle. The Virginia-based company operates the residential communities under the name Steinbrook.
Half of those affected have no family members to care for them, he added, meaning they could end up in state institutions that never meant that way to accommodate individuals on a long-term basis.
Ratke said the closure, scheduled for Nov. 1, was due to the state’s failure to resolve the Medicaid reimbursement rate issue and raise workers’ wages.
The people we care for may have to settle hours away from their family or move in with someone they don’t know.
– Ray Ratke, CEO of enCircle
Brad Story, CEO of the West Virginia Behavioral Healthcare Providers Association, said it is unlikely other providers will be able to take in the displaced patients from Martinsburg because they are all struggling with staff shortages due to the issue of reimbursement rates.
“To relocate or transfer a client, you need another [provider] ready to offer this service. No one I know is ready to take on customers at the moment. It will be very, very challenging,” Said the story.
There is a waiting list of more than 700 people for the state IDD Waiver Programwhich enables them to access services such as home care. A DoHS guide said in April that around 6,000 people had benefited from the program.
Legislators increased IDD funding during the special session of Parliament in May, but it did not specify how the Ministry of Health should spend the money. Many argued that the ministry already had the money for the boost but had not decided to do so.
West Virginia Watch contacted the Department of Health foror this story and asked if the closure was related to the state’s Medicaid reimbursement rate issue.
In an email, Whitney Wetzel, communications director for the Department of Health, said, “The West Virginia Department of Human Services is aware of the closure and Cindy Beane, commissioner of the department’s Bureau for Medical Services, has met with the facility.”
“We recommend contacting the facility if you have any questions about the business decision to close.”
There could be a rate hike this fall, but is that early enough?
The state uses state and federal Medicaid funds to reimburse private companies that employ caregivers.
Nurses currently earn about $11 an hour. study Last year it was suggested that the salary range should be closer to $15.50 to $18.60 per hour.
Ratke said his company, which plans to lay off about 65 employees, is struggling to employ home workers and pay them an hourly wage of $13.66 – especially in the Eastern Panhandle, where people can easily drive to nearby border states for higher wages.
In April he was in Senate Hall before legislators and DoHS leaders and pleaded for an boost in the reimbursement rate. He warned that without an adequate solution, closure could occur.
“It is very frustrating and discouraging that we have been working for two years to educate lawmakers and the governor’s office on this issue,” Ratke said Monday.
After drastic cuts in IDD funding During the regular legislative session, lawmakers passed a The invoice The DoHS received around 180 million as a reserve that department heads can draw on in narrow cases when needed. It could be used for Medicaid reimbursement rates.
Lawmakers were cautious about giving DoHS money for the reimbursement rate after learning in April that the department previously issued Millions of dollars are earmarked for people with disabilities, including for home Covid-19 testing and the salaries of contract nurses.
Health department officials told lawmakers, lobbyists and West Virginia Watch that they are considering an boost in reimbursement rates that would take effect in October.
Story expressed the hope that providers would boost their tariffs.
“We are grateful that they will give us this, and [DoHS Secretary] Cynthia Persily has attended every meeting we have requested,” he said.
Under current rules, private companies would not be required to spend the money from the wage boost on staff increases, although many have committed to doing so. Other providers, including those that serve older residents Through the state Compulsory exemption programme for the elderly and disabledhave also said they need an interest rate hike.
For Ratke and the people he cares for, the possible boost could come too overdue. He stressed that these people receive necessary state-funded care through no fault of their own.
He pointed out that placing people in institutions would cost the state far more than adequately funding community-based services, such as those he wants to close.
“Either you serve people and serve them well, or you get into trouble and have to pay a lot more,” he said.
