Among all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Kansas has the lowest error rate in the nation for Medicaid payments, according to information provided late last month by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

A congratulatory letter to Acting SRS Secretary Janet Schalansky from Sally K. Richardson, director of the Medicaid Bureau within Health Care Financing Administration, a division of HHS, showed Kansas leads the nation with the lowest error rate after federal calculation of the Kansas Medicaid eligibility quality control payment rates.

Congratulations to you and your staff on your exemplary management of the Medicaid eligibility process," Richardson wrote.

According to HCFA, Kansas had an error rate of .1247 percent, meaning for every $100 in Medicaid payments authorized by SRS economic assistance specialists across Kansas, only about 12 cents was paid incorrectly. The federal review covered federal fiscal year 1993, from October, 1992, to September, 1993, the most recent review period completed. During that time, Medicaid costs in Kansas were about $600 million. States whose error rates were over 3 percent are subject to fiscal sanctions by the federal government.

Medicaid is a joint federal/state program; in Kansas, about 60 percent of the funding in Kansas coming from the federal government and about 40 percent from the state.

Schalansky said the information from federal officials confirms the fact that SRS's economic assistance specialists are a dedicated and hard working group.

Despite increasing caseloads, our economic assistance specialists have continued to do the job professionally and accurately," Schalansky said. This federal review shows we have top-notch staff working with Kansans who come to us for help."

Economic assistance specialists, formerly called income maintenance workers, are usually the first people seen by Kansans seeking assistance when the applicants come to SRS offices. The economic assistance specialists first gather information from prospective clients, then put the information into a computer system which helps determine whether or not applicants are eligible for 24 different programs, each with its own eligibility criteria.

There are 499 economic assistance specialists in Kansas. Presently, each specialist works with an average of 359 cases each month, an average that has increased from 233 families per worker in 1989.

Candy Shively, acting commissioner of Income Support and Medical Services, said results of the federal review are a tribute to hard work and strong efforts to reduce fraud" by economic assistance workers statewide.

They should be proud of their efforts," she said.

Page Last Updated: May 29, 2001