LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Michigan House Republicans are blowing the whistle on the Whitmer administration’s alleged mishandling of an expanded child care program.
State Rep. Matt Hall described the program as a literal “mess.”
The Whitmer administration worked with Republicans on a bipartisan plan to expand the state’s child care coverage to an additional 150,000 children.
But according to the Detroit Free Press, House Republicans claim the administration has botched the program, which is leaving some parents with huge day care bills.
Eligibility for the program is determined by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The Michigan Department of Education and the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs are also involved in the program.
“Families are told they are eligible for a certain number of months and they go in there and they find out, after the fact, that they have been cut in their benefits,” said Rep. Matt Hall. “They get hit with a bill for thousands of dollars they cant afford for a program they were told they were eligible for.”
Republicans want state Auditor General Doug Ringler to look into the program.
“So we have a program administrated by DHHS that determines eligibility, the Department of Education and LARA is involved,” said Rep. Tom Kunse. “Who’s surprised when we take the three biggest bureaucracies in state government and then it doesn’t work?”
What Republicans want is to speed up the notification process, which is currently done by mail.
Hall said the notifications should be sent out via email to avoid parents who have paid out of pocket only to find the state has pulled the plug.
