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Illinois Criticized for Long-Term Care Spending
As Social Security payments increased every year, state government was grabbing that money too quickly. That's the claim by a new audit.

The review of nursing home costs by the Illinois auditor general shows that instead of calculating how much of a Social Security increase could be given to a spouse, the agency relied on nursing home patients to complain if the money wasn't properly adjusted. The audit says most of the increase decisions were wrong.

Agency spokeswoman Annie Thompson, however, says some of the information in the audit is inaccurate and misleading, but says the agency will review its system and try to make it easier to understand. She says one problem is a computer program that was written in the 1970s. Thompson says the agency may have to ask state lawmakers to fund a new one.

The Illinois House ordered the audit after one client's cost of care tripled, while income had barely changed. The audit found that one senior citizen's case wasn’t rectified for two years, and another was overcharged more than $9,000.

(Illinois Radio Network)
09 11 09 by Newsroom
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