The school hires clerical staff to bill Medicaid, but the money goes to the town's general fund. That's not fair, said Susan Hatfield, chairwoman of the Barnstable Special Education Parent Advisory Committee. In fact, Hatfield wants to make a statement to press the issue. The money will just go to fill potholes and not into special education. Schools officials are considering asking Town Manager John Klimm to put that Medicaid money in escrow, so that some of it could be used to cover special education shortfalls, Michael said.
Schools can get that money, if towns agree.
The town of Sharon, for example, divides the Medicaid money 60-40 with the school department, Hatfield said. The notion that boosting the quality of care at the state's nursing homes could be accomplished by simply passing a law or two encountered a reality check recently. Legislative investigators called for tougher staffing standards at nursing homes across Connecticut, but critics on both sides of the issue swiftly scored the report, calling it impractical on one hand and inadequate on the other. The reaction highlighted just how tricky it may be under current conditions to try to ensure quality care in nursing homes by boosting mandatory staffing levels. The report, drafted by staff members on the legislature's program review and investigations committee, recommended increasing the minimum staffing level at the state's 250 or so nursing homes to 2.75 hours per resident a day over the next two years, a level based on a report by federal health-care officials.