COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland is proposing that 529 people who need home and community-based health services be removed from waiting lists and given care.
Strickland's plan would eliminate the waiting lists for the PASSPORT, Assisted Living and PACE programs by the end of March and through June.
He says $4.8 million can be transferred from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to the Ohio Department of Aging if approved by the Controlling Board on March 1.
The Department of Aging started the waiting lists to balance the current two-year budget that runs through June 2011.
The state says the waiting lists generally mean Job and Family Services pays more for nursing home and Home First at-home or assisted-living placements. The state says $490,000 can be immediately transferred to pay for Home First care.