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Administration committee amends community services contract language and community services says it will stop taking workers' comp referrals
Summary
The administration committee approved a technical amendment to a community services resolution to clarify which 2026 budget lines fund a consultant contract. Community services director Jeanette told the committee the county will stop accepting workers—comp claims because approvals are rare and reimbursements are low.
The Otsego County Administration Committee on July 23 approved a change to a community services resolution to specify the 2026 budget lines that will pay for a consultant contract and was told that community services will no longer accept workers—competation referrals for client services.
Jeanette, who presented the items for community services, asked the committee to amend Resolution No. 185-2026 to indicate funds are in the 2026 mental health budget and the 2026 ARS service budget consultant line. The committee voted to approve the amendment with no substantive debate.
Jeanette also reported four individuals were seeking county-provided services under New York State workers' compensation for claims totaling "$8,396.46." She said the county has none of those clinicians approved or authorized through the workers' compensation process and described the authorization sequence as "a very lengthy process" with low approval and low reimbursement rates. "So we've decided to let the individuals know we will not be taking workman's comp," Jeanette said. She added staff remain willing to bill private insurance and the department will revisit the decision next year if claims or reimbursement conditions change.
Committee members urged staff to prioritize higher-revenue administrative work and to revisit the workers' compensation decision if staff capacity or reimbursement rates improve. The committee chair thanked Jeanette for the overview and moved on to the next agenda item.
