Kurt Waltz, who identified himself as a Saint Lawrence County resident, told the Jefferson County Health and Human Services Committee that a child protective services investigation involving his wife and grandchildren lasted about 10 months and left the family fearful and aggrieved. He said Jefferson County DSS/CPS caseworker Caitlin Rasmussen and a supervisor, Erica Whitmore, never met the family, did not review medical records or seek other documentary evidence and treated his wife as "guilty from the moment the case went to Jefferson County." "We were never allowed to give a statement or present any evidence," Waltz said.

Waltz said an administrative review in Albany later moved the matter to a hearing and that, ultimately, DSS lawyers sealed and unfounded the case for lack of evidence. He recounted that, before the seal, an attorney asked that his wife take a four-hour parenting course as a condition to seal the record, a step Waltz called "a twist of the knife." He said his grandson has since recanted to a counselor but that the family continues to feel the consequences of the investigation.

Waltz urged greater triage and scrutiny of repeat or allegedly false reporters, suggested that some CPS investigations were not following required procedures, and called for accountability and retraining within the department. He said he provided committee members a packet of documents, including a Saint Lawrence County CPS caseworker report and what he described as an altered report from Jefferson County CPS. "If any employee is that cynical, they need to find another job," he told the committee.

The committee did not record a departmental response during the public comment period. The transcript includes Waltz’s assertion that there is a law requiring a written report within 60 days; he said the family was told an adverse finding at 78 days. The committee did not take a formal vote or issue a finding at the end of the public comment segment; chair thanked Waltz and moved to the scheduled presentations.