Court Orders Discovery in EPSDT Lawsuit

In a recent decision, the U.S. District Court in Columbus ordered the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) and the county departments of JFS to comply with OLRS' request for records and documents from those departments. The departments had denied OLRS' request for records based on their concerns about confidentiality.

The Court determined that OLRS, as Ohio's federally designated Protection and Advocacy system, is entitled to access confidential information when necessary to protect the rights of people OLRS serves and to move the lawsuit forward.

The decision is the latest development in a class action lawsuit OLRS filed in 2005. OLRS represents over a million Ohio children who are eligible for, but being denied the benefits of Medicaid's Early and Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) program.

For more information: EPSDT court opinion and order (PDF file)

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Article posted August 20, 2007