Dear Friends of the Ventura County Ombudsman Program

I am posting an email from our funding workgroup leader, and I am asking for your support.  You helped us so much last year to get legislation (AB392)  passed that provided funding for the local ombudsman programs statewide.  This funding made the difference for some of our local ombudsman programs to keep their doors open.

Her letter explains where we are today with our AB 392 funding.  Please see Joan’s letter below and support our efforts to have the source of our funding – the federal citations penalty account audited.

We thank you so much for standing with us,

Sylvia

Sylvia Taylor-Stein

Executive Director

Long Term Care Services of Ventura County, Inc.,

~~~~~~~~~~~ THE LETTER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TO:

Ombudsman Funding Workgroup
Ombudsman Support Network – Co-Sponsors AB392
Ombudsman Coordinators

FROM: Joan Parks & Mike Connors
RE:       Status of Ombudsman Funding – FY2010-2011

DATE:  January 28, 2010

Dear Friends,

We need your immediate help to obtain an audit of the DPH citation penalty accounts in order to ensure that moneys in the accounts are available to help fund the local long term care ombudsman programs.

Before explaining how you can help, here is a very brief update on plans for ombudsman funding legislation this year.

Assembly Member Mike Feuer is considering our request to carry a bill that would replicate AB 392 by seeking a $1.6 million appropriation in FY 10/11 for local ombudsman programs from the citation penalty accounts. He is concerned about the availability of funds in the citation accounts and has been seeking updated information from DPH. We hope to learn his decision soon and to schedule a call with all of you to discuss plans for moving forward.

There are strong signs that the Administration and Department of Public Health will oppose continuation of the AB 392 funding. The money is not in the Governor’s budget. Additionally, DPH wrote key legislative budget officials earlier this month reporting that the federal citation penalty account is virtually bankrupt. The Department’s documentation shows a retroactive $2.6 million offset to this account but doesn’t explain the disappearing funds.

Thus the need for an audit. Fortunately, Mike Feuer and several other legislators wrote the attached letter to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) seeking an audit by the Bureau of State Audits. The Committee is scheduled to consider this request during its next hearing on Wednesday, February 17 at 9:30 am in Room 444 of the Capitol. See attached letter.

This is where we need your help. Before February 17th, please send letters of support for the audit to Assembly Member Alyson Huber, Chair of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, and copy your letters to the other members of the JLAC, which includes 7 members from the Assembly and 7 members from the Senate. The Committee Roster is listed at: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/newcomframeset.asp?committee=208

We are in competition for other audit requests and must take this opportunity to share our compelling reasons. The letter to Assembly Member Huber can serve as a guide for your letter.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. Many thanks for your continued support!

Joan S. Parks, Administrator

Ombudsman & HICAP Services of Northern California3950 Industrial Blvd. Suite 500West Sacramento, CA 95691916/375-3307
Fax 916/376-8914

jparks@osnc.net

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