State’s Costs for Services to Develop.mentees Soar; Refunds Lack Control

• Key Points:
  • State’s costs for services to the developmentally disabled have surged over 20 years.
  • Private company, Ecura, receives at least 18 million NOK annually for services to Marita and Anita.
  • Refusals must cover direct user contact, but control is inadequate.
  • Herøy municipality hasn’t checked if this criteria is met.
  • Both Marita and Anita may not have received promised services.
  • Ecura lacks detailed interaction records, making control challenging.
  • Helsedirektoratet is aware of the issue but relies on municipalities’ calculations.

VG can reveal that state costs for services to the developmentally disabled have increased significantly over the past 20 years. A key player in this sector is the private company, Ecura, which receives a minimum of 18 million NOK annually for its services to two women, Marita and Anita.

Ecura’s contract specifies that refunds should only cover direct user contact. However, a lack of control mechanisms has allowed the company to bill for services that do not meet this requirement. This has been confirmed by reviews in both Herøy and Siljan municipalities.

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Marita, from Herøy, and Anita, from Siljan, have both been moved away from their families. Ecura is paid to provide services to both women, but whether they have received these services cannot be verified due to poor record-keeping.

In theory, municipalities are responsible for ensuring that Ecura’s bills reflect direct user contact. However, in both Herøy and Siljan, revisors have not investigated whether this is the case. Instead, they trust that Ecura complies with the contract terms.

Helsedirektoratet, the agency overseeing these services, acknowledges that there are challenges in ensuring that refunds cover only direct user contact. However, the agency relies on municipalities to submit accurate calculations.

Experts, such as firstamanuensis Tarjei Ellingsen Røsvoll at the University of Innlandet, argue that the current system incentivizes municipalities to shift costs to the state instead of controlling them.

Moreover, Røsvoll believes that without adequate controls, municipalities can bypass service quality checks and receive funds for subpar services.

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Control Inefficiencies and Cost Implications

Despite the known inefficiencies, municipalities and service providers have not taken adequate steps to address these issues. The lack of control and transparency in the refund system enables Ecura to bill for services it may not have provided.

The lack of detailed records also hinders municipalities from investigating suspected mismanagement or fraud. This dependence on the service provider’s honesty creates an environment where abuse can go undetected.

In this context, both Marita’s and Anita’s families may have reason to suspect that their loved ones are not receiving the promised services.

The question remains: How many others in similar situations are being let down by a system that fails to ensure accountability and transparency?