Effective April 19, 2022, DSHS should no longer be issuing Vendor Overpayment Notices to adult family home operator. This is a temporary action while DSHS corrects some fundamental flaws in the overpayment process. If you receive an overpayment notice, please contact our office.
Why is this happening?
For more than three years the AFH Council has been advocating for improvements in the overpayment process. We have observed many providers receiving inaccurate overpayment notices. Notices have requested thousands of dollars that providers are not responsible to pay back. The notice itself fails to meet the legal requirements of a vendor overpayment notice. The information provided does not adequately allow a provider to even understand why the alleged overpayment is being issued. DSHS case manager have violated the rights of AFH operators when insisting on repayment, without providing the opportunity for an appeal. Through the administrative appeal process, we have been successful at getting these overpayments dismissed. However, we believe they never should have been issued.
We are grateful to the member who brought these issues to our attention. Through our work on your behalf, we have been able to hold the state accountable to develop a fair and transparent process. We will keep you up to date with changes in the process as they develop.