The amount reported the previous year was $153.5 million.
The bulk of the dollars for public assistance $141,876,592 was through the Medicaid program, according to the report by Teresa Brubaker, the Job and Family Services department director. She shared the report and its numbers with the county commissioners in June.
Total 2016 expenditures were listed at $158,904,271.
That was broken down into administrative costs ($3,173,673), Public Assistance and Workforce Investment Act Program ($154,108,119) and Contracted Services ($1,622,478).
The next largest amount spent to Medicaid was for food stamps at $10,566,828 followed by the contracted services at $1,622,478. That would include tax money going to Children’s Services, transit, youth work contracts and other services.
The department’s services and some highlights for the year were listed as follows:
- Family Services Unit, which assesses eligibility for public assistance such as food stamps, Medicaid, disability assistance. Last year, 1,960 cases of families with a minor child were served
- Child Support Enforcement Agency, which collects and enforces court ordered child support. A total of $19,745,820 was collected and $84,155 seized from bank accounts. Twenty-three cases were sent to county prosecutors for criminal non-support charges. “Staff works diligently to get those payment in for those families to help in raising the children,” Brubaker said.
- Adult Unit, including adult protective services; Medicaid for the Aged, Blind and Disabled; food assistance and disability assistance. These services were for those over age 60. In 2016, 104 adult protective services investigations were completed.
- Benefit Recovery Unit, which recovers public assistance money paid in error or through fraudulent means. In 2015, 200 fraud complaint investigations; $41,615 collected in food stamp overpayments; $2,884 in Ohio Works First overpayments; $585 in Medicaid overpayments; and $585 in child care overpayments.
- Employment and Support Services Unit, with job placement, prevention, retention and contingency and child care services for public assistance recipients to work toward long-term economic self-sufficiency. And, Ohiomeansjobs Miami County, which works to provide knowledge and ability to obtain employment. Last year, 99 participants were in training through Workforce Investment Act; serviced 10,776 job seekers; and assisted nine in youth summer employment.
- Employer Services through the jobs center, hosted more than 533 hours of recruiting activities along with reverse job fairs and open hours for employers at center.
Brubaker said the department “has a lot of programs and things going on for us.”
“ We keep moving forward,” she said.
