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OLRS has been conducting discovery in the case against the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), including depositions of county Healthchek coordinators, ODJFS employees and the review of numerous documents. OLRS has filed a motion with the court to ensure access to all information needed to represent the class. OLRS has also been working with ODJFS on a possible settlement of the case.
This case began on October 26, 2005, when OLRS filed a lawsuit in federal court against ODJFS on behalf of children in Ohio who are eligible for Medicaid and are not able to access necessary services through Healthchek, Ohio's Early and Periodic, Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) program.
EPSDT is Medicaid's comprehensive and preventative child health program for individuals under the age of 21. It is designed to address physical, mental, and developmental health needs through screening services to detect physical and mental conditions, and to provide diagnostic and treatment services. Any Medicaid service must be provided if medically necessary, even services that the state has chosen not to provide to adult Medicaid recipients.
On December 21, 2005, OLRS filed a motion with the court asking for the case to be certified as a class action. A class action is a lawsuit brought by one or more plaintiffs on behalf of a large group of others who have a common interest. Any judgment in a class action benefits all of the members of the class. The motion has not been decided.
Through this lawsuit, OLRS is working to ensure that the Healthchek program in Ohio complies with federal Medicaid requirements and that all children in Ohio who are eligible for Medicaid have access to the services they need.
Article posted April 2007