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| Birthing costs expunged |
admin writes, "By Joe Morey
After a claim was made by the Forest County Potawatomi Tribe that the federal government has the responsibility to provide health services to American Indians, which would include birthing costs, the Bureau of Child Support (BCS) and the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) have both agreed to expunge arrearages on birth cost orders paid by Medicaid.
The Lac Courte Orielles Tribe also asked for the same recognition in Sawyer County."
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On June 9, 2008, the Potawatomi’s provided a list of cases to the BCS in which birth cost judgments were entered for tribal members in seven counties of northern Wisconsin.
In a letter to Child Support Agency Directors, dated June 25, the DWD stated that any payments that were applied to birth cost debts in these cases since the June 9, 2008 notification date, will be adjusted off of the birth cost debt and reapplied, or refunded to the individual if there are no other debts.
“BCS will make these adjustments and close the birth costs sub-account so no additional payments will be applied to the birth costs,” the letter said.
The seven counties concerning the Potawatomi cases were instructed to enter satisfactions of judgments and expunge the balances.
Brian Bisonette, LCO Tribal Council Secretary Treasurer, said that the same will now pertain to Sawyer County birthing cost judgments. Bisonette said there is a huge list of tribal members who will be affected by this case.
“The Potawatomi’s got the federal government to expunge birthing costs,” Bisonette said. “They had a responsibility to Indian Health Services.”
The letter also stated that any income withholding in place with a birth cost amount must be amended.
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Posted on Oct 24, 2008 15:37pm.
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