Mark D. Bugher
Secretary
Referred to committee on Ways and Means.
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Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
May 10, 1999
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed an evaluation of community long-term care programs operated by local governments and administered by the Department of Health and Family Services. We focused our analysis on two Medical Assistance waiver programs whose participants are primarily elderly and physically disabled: the Community Integration Program II (CIP II) and Community Options Program Waiver (COP-W) programs, and on participants whose services were funded exclusively through the general purpose revenue-funded Community Options Program (COP-R). In 1997, 15,699 participants received services through these programs, for which reported expenditures were $120,893,900.
Among local community long-term care programs, we found significant variation in the amount of time individuals wait for program services. As of June 1998, approximately 11,000 individuals statewide were waiting to receive program services. However, 11 counties reported no waiting lists, while 12 others had waiting lists of more than 100 individuals. The maximum wait for developmentally disabled individuals was nine years; for elderly individuals, it was four years.
In addition to variation in waiting times, we found variation in the types of services these local programs provide and in the per participant expenditure they report. For example, statewide expenditures averaged $7,701 per participant in 1997, but local programs reported average per participant expenditures ranging from $3,394 to $17,195.
Variation among local programs is possible because community long-term care places primary responsibility for program management with local governments. The Family Care proposal currently before the Legislature as part of Assembly Bill 133 addresses some of the causes of the variation we found. To assist in analyzing the effect this proposal could have on community long-term care, we include questions the Legislature may wish to explore during its deliberations.
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We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the Department and staff of local programs. The Department's response is Appendix IV.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
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Reference Bureau Corrections
Assembly Bill 139
1. Page 2, line 2: delete "15" and substitute "(15)".
2. Page 2, line 6: delete "31," and substitute "31".
Assembly Bill 271
1. Page 2, line 10: substitute "939.62" for "939.626".
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Representative Wieckert moved that the Assembly stand adjourned until 10:00 A.M. tomorrow.
The question was: Shall the Assembly stand adjourned?
Motion carried.
The Assembly stood adjourned.
10:01 A.M.
