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Saturday, April 17, 2010
Ind. Decisions - More on: Clay County woman wins Medicaid suit against state
Updating this ILB entry from March 25, 2010, supplemented by this ILB entry from April 1, 2010, Jason Moon of the Brazil Times reported yesterday under the heading "FSSA appeals decision in Chadwell case." Some quotes:
Despite a recent court ruling, a local resident isn't out of the woods yet.In 2008, Clay County resident Edna Chadwell, along with seven others, waged a legal battle against the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA).
The suit specifically targeted the FSSA's Aged and Disabled Waiver Program.
In early March, a decision by Clay County Superior Court Judge J. Blaine Akers ruled that caps on services through the program were "permanently enjoined."
The Aged and Disabled Waiver Program permits Medicaid recipients who "otherwise required institutionalization for their conditions -- whether that be in a nursing home, a hospital or another facility -- to receive services in their homes or a community-based setting," according to American Civil Liberties Union Of Indiana Attorney Gavin Rose, who represents Chadwell.
According to Rose, the waiver program had to be renewed by the FSSA every five years and the renewal then goes through an approval process by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
However, Rose said when the renewal process came up in 2008, the FSSA included a limitation on the number of "attendant care" hours that enrollees may receive.
Following Akers' court ruling, Rose told The Brazil Times the state of Indiana had 30 days to file an appeal or file a Motion to Correct Errors. If neither was filed, the court decision would be declared final.
But earlier this week, the state filed an appeal to the ruling. * * *
Rose [said] the appeal process can take a while.
"I hate to guess at how long any appeal will take because it varies so much between cases," he said. "I think somewhere between six and eight months is usually a good guess for the time between the filing of an appeal and a decision by the Court of Appeals, but it is just a guess."
In late 2008, Rose said the FSSA received a preliminary injunction, which stated it had to continue providing the maximum amount of care hours for those in the program. Since the injunction, FSSA has complied with the order.
He said trial court orders remain in "full force-and-effect," pending appeals. But the party appealing could seek what Rose called a "stay" from the trial court, which is an order stating the trial court's decision will not be in effect during the pendency of the appeal.
Rose said the state asked for a "stay" in this case, which has been denied.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 17, 2010 10:41 AM
Posted to Ind. Trial Ct. Decisions