County Files Appeal for Health Funds
Ventura County has formally appealed the state’s decision to withhold $5.3 million in annual mental health funding, saying the Department of Mental Health has no legal right to hold on to the money.
In a Sept. 10 letter made public Friday, assistant county counsel William C. Moritz told Department of Mental Health Director Stephen W. Mayberg his department has “no statutory basis, contractual right or other legal authority to withhold such payment.”
The appeal came in response to an Aug. 12 letter in which Mayberg’s office notified the county it might no longer qualify as a “model” provider of mental health services, the designation that earned it the funding.
A state audit earlier this year found a deterioration in services for the mentally ill. But county officials say they are fixing problems identified in the review and that no money should be withheld.
The funding, which amounts to $436,111 per month, has been held by the state since July 1. It has not been reappropriated pending further state review of the county’s troubled mental health system.
County officials hope to reach a compromise with the state, but decided to file the appeal to keep the door open to administrative hearings if necessary, attorneys said.
In the meantime, Mayberg has said he would not make a final decision until the state’s review has been completed, which could take months.
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