Ombudsman addresses billing issue with local social service agency

A building on West Monument Avenue that houses the Dayton-Montgomery County ombudsman's offices. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

A building on West Monument Avenue that houses the Dayton-Montgomery County ombudsman's offices. CORNELIUS FROLIK / STAFF

Editor’s note: The Dayton Ombudsman Office provides weekly columns to the Dayton Daily News to bring awareness to issues it sees in the community.

Recently a woman contacted the Ombudsman with a complaint about a local social service agency billing matter for services provided to her parents. The funding for the home health care services is funded through Medicaid, and the services are provided to support her parents to remain in their own home and to not move into an institution. She believes that she has not been billed correctly, because the charges are irregular. The daughter initially contacted her case manager at the agency, who referred the daughter to the agency’s finance office. She contacted the finance office and was referred back to the case manager. The woman felt that she was getting “the run-around.” After attempting to gain an explanation for her billing questions and having no success, she contacted the Ombudsman for help.

The Ombudsman contacted the agency about the daughter’s billing questions. The staff agreed to examine the woman’s complaint. The Ombudsman followed up with the daughter and learned that she had received a call from the agency staff to report they were looking into the billing and would call her after researching the matter. The Ombudsman followed up with the agency and learned that the agency had, in fact, made billing errors amounting to several hundred dollars, and that a reimbursement was being prepared for the daughter.

The daughter later called to report the reimbursement had been received. She was grateful for Ombudsman intervention and didn’t think the corrections would have been made had we not become involved.

The Ombudsman Column, a production of the Joint Office of Citizens’ Complaints, summarizes selected problems that citizens have had with government services, schools and nursing homes in the Dayton area. Contact the Ombudsman by writing to us at 11 W. Monument Ave., Suite 606, Dayton 45402, call 937-223- 4613, or by electronic mail at ombudsman@dayton-ombudsman.org.

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