MILTON — Attorneys representing the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration and the Arc of Santa Rosa have until Jan. 6 to present viable solutions for the Arc’s $315,000 debt to the state Medicaid agency.
The nonprofit Arc, operated by Arc of the Emerald Coast, provides day activities, education and workforce-entry programs to individuals with developmental disabilities who can no longer attend school.
The Arc of the Emerald Coast, based in Fort Walton Beach, took over the Santa Rosa location in May 2015. That was when the parent organization, the Arc of Florida, discovered that "the local Arc chapter in Santa Rosa County did not properly document services, comply with staff training guidelines and, in fact, two staff persons were not background-screened in a timely manner," a letter from Arc of Florida Chief Executive Officer Deborah Linton to Gov. Rick Scott states.
"These services are provided through the Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services waiver. As a result, the Medicaid program imposed financial penalties and sought to recover payments made for services which were, in fact, provided but lacking proper paperwork. The aggregate amount of the payback and penalties were well beyond the organization's ability to pay."
The letter states the Arc of Santa Rosa owes $315,474, but the Arc of Santa Rosa has only $100,000 to pay the AHCA.
Linton said negotiations with the AHCA to keep the local Arc open have been unsuccessful, so she turned to local officials.
"There was no decision," Linton said Dec. 19 following a court session.
While the attorneys have more time to find an amicable solution, "in the middle all these families are caught," Linton said.
"We still have an Arc program for the time being," said Bill Hayden, whose sister-in-law, Vicki Nunley, is an Arc client. Hayden said he believes the court will handle the matter fairly. However, his concerns also lie with Arc clients.
"I'm concerned about a human aspect that doesn't have any legal standing: the 81 special needs people,” Hayden said. “They have no voice."
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Arc of Santa Rosa remains open — for now