Fraud or Incompetence @ Health Department?

[GratefulMeds]

Dear Representative,

How Can Anyone in the Legislation Vote yes on 1284 with this kind of Fraud in the Health Department.
CALL7 Investigation: State Has Millions In Uncashed Checks - Denver News Story - KMGH Denver (http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/23488571/detail.html)
To have over 5 million in funds laying around in unopened envelopes, funds that are supposed to be used to fund the State's Medical Marijuana Registry Exclusively! I believe this has been a conscious attempt by the directer of the Health Department to portray the Medical Marijuana Registry Program a Failure, to influence policy to fit his own political & moral agenda. I believe all involved in this should resign immediately. Again I urge you to urge your fellow Representatives to Vote No on HB-1284, you obviously do not have all the facts.

Sincerely,

Mark Rose RPSGT
Grateful Meds
Nederland Colorado
[email protected]


:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Adamkadmon]

Very nice. I think I'll use that as a template if you don't mind.

[HighPopalorum]

OK. I'll bite. What evidence do you have that the director of CDPHE is sabotaging the program to fit her own moral and political agenda? She's only been on the job a few months. I've neither read nor seen anything that would indicate her views on this issue, much less to indicate she's organizing a conspiracy of failure. On the contrary, the simple explanation that the MMJ registry is understaffed seems a more reasonable explanation for the backlog.

[copobo]

getting 5 million in uncashed checks into the bank would be top priority in any other agency or business. there is no way anyone, on either side of this issue, can trust the DOH.

1284 is a bad bill that puts authority and responsibility in the hands of an agency that is failing its role now. This regulatory framework will crumble FAST to the embarrassment of the state.

[GratefulMeds]

OK. I'll bite. What evidence do you have that the director of CDPHE is sabotaging the program to fit her own moral and political agenda? She's only been on the job a few months. I've neither read nor seen anything that would indicate her views on this issue, much less to indicate she's organizing a conspiracy of failure. On the contrary, the simple explanation that the MMJ registry is understaffed seems a more reasonable explanation for the backlog.

What do you attribute it to? laziness not enough staff to open letters to pay for more staff? stupidity? I am all ears.:wtf:

[GratefulMeds]

. On the contrary, the simple explanation that the MMJ registry is understaffed seems a more reasonable explanation for the backlog.

over 5 million in backlogged funds, hire some staff, they have kept it understaffed by design, we called for more staff 2 years ago and again in July of 2009. Maybe that emergency meeting back in July of 2009 should have been to address the staffing shortage in the department instead of trying to limit the numbers of patients one can be a caregiver for.
:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[HighPopalorum]

What do you attribute it to? laziness not enough staff to open letters to pay for more staff? stupidity? I am all ears.:wtf:

I attribute it to not enough staff, underestimation of demand and the newness of the program. Government hiring is significantly more complicated than you believe; it isn't a matter of opening envelopes, cashing checks and hiring people. The const. restrictions on that money further complicate the problem of hiring. FWIW, the account is flush with money, much of which will now go to the DoR to administer the new dispensary regs. (I also believe our patient fees will drop sixteen or seventeen bucks this year.)

[GratefulMeds]

I attribute it to not enough staff, underestimation of demand and the newness of the program. Government hiring is significantly more complicated than you believe; it isn't a matter of opening envelopes, cashing checks and hiring people. The const. restrictions on that money further complicate the problem of hiring. FWIW, the account is flush with money, much of which will now go to the DoR to administer the new dispensary regs. (I also believe our patient fees will drop sixteen or seventeen bucks this year.)

Having worked for the VA for several years I am aware of the process on a federal level. You forget the program has been going for 10 years and always had problems that should have been addressed like 24 hour access for law enforcement to verify cards, they have always had a fat budget since the program pays for itself. It's incompetence on managements part not to address these issues until they are over run. These folks need to be replaced and get a real management team in there to clean up this mess.:D

[HighPopalorum]

These folks need to be replaced and get a real management team in there to clean up this mess.:D

There will be in July; most of that new bill is devoted to setting it up and funding it. It just takes regulatory law a while to catch up to reality. I've been on the registry off and on for years, but there was never a backlog problem until last year when dispensaries appeared. Clearly, the state wasn't ready for dispensaries (from the standpoint of regulatory framework, not cultural acceptance etc etc.) and wasn't prepared administratively to address the much higher demand for cards. That's changing, thankfully.

[throatstick]

OK. I'll bite. What evidence do you have that the director of CDPHE is sabotaging the program to fit her own moral and political agenda? She's only been on the job a few months. I've neither read nor seen anything that would indicate her views on this issue, much less to indicate she's organizing a conspiracy of failure. On the contrary, the simple explanation that the MMJ registry is understaffed seems a more reasonable explanation for the backlog.

you mean to tell me there is not a person ther that can collect the ck's/cash that came in that day and drop it off to the bank?better yet make the bank come pick it up as does normal biz does??

[throatstick]

getting 5 million in uncashed checks into the bank would be top priority in any other agency or business. there is no way anyone, on either side of this issue, can trust the DOH.

1284 is a bad bill that puts authority and responsibility in the hands of an agency that is failing its role now. This regulatory framework will crumble FAST to the embarrassment of the state.\

yes and i do recall a time limit to cash ck's? what a nice way to void your card for non payment???glad i paid cash in the office instead of mailing it in.

[throatstick]

I attribute it to not enough staff, underestimation of demand and the newness of the program. Government hiring is significantly more complicated than you believe; it isn't a matter of opening envelopes, cashing checks and hiring people. The const. restrictions on that money further complicate the problem of hiring. FWIW, the account is flush with money, much of which will now go to the DoR to administer the new dispensary regs. (I also believe our patient fees will drop sixteen or seventeen bucks this year.)

roflmao"drop" roflmao.

[throatstick]

Having worked for the VA for several years I am aware of the process on a federal level. You forget the program has been going for 10 years and always had problems that should have been addressed like 24 hour access for law enforcement to verify cards, they have always had a fat budget since the program pays for itself. It's incompetence on managements part not to address these issues until they are over run. These folks need to be replaced and get a real management team in there to clean up this mess.:D

yea try that anywhere else and your gone in a hurry.what a nice way for money to go missing.

[TheReleafCenter]

Having worked for the VA for several years I am aware of the process on a federal level. You forget the program has been going for 10 years and always had problems that should have been addressed like 24 hour access for law enforcement to verify cards, they have always had a fat budget since the program pays for itself. It's incompetence on managements part not to address these issues until they are over run. These folks need to be replaced and get a real management team in there to clean up this mess.:D

How could the management of the registry have seen this coming? And if they had, they would still have to go through the same channels that they have multiple times to request more staff. I think this is misdirected.

[michaelnights]

I believe the State Legislature sets the number of employees, wages paid, etc. by the DPH&E. In January the DPH&E pleaded with the state to allow them to access the mmj fund to hire more full time and part time employees to process mmj applications. Since then the number of applications received per day has dramatically increased. It is unclear if the legislature approved the DPH&E's request, and if so, has the DPH&E has started the public notice for hiring, background checks, training, etc.?

I am no friend of the DPH&E. I feel their "public health" backgrounds cause them to be strongly anti-mmj. However, in this case, I believe it's as much the fault of the CO GA as the DPH&E.

A pox on both their houses!

[denverbear]

So if they can't hire full time very easily why then can't they just go hire some temps for a couple of months to help the situation...it's not like they don't have the money... and the goverment does in other dept's hire temps in need by need situation. !!!: mad:

[HighPopalorum]

The article says they already have ten temps in addition to three full-time employees.

[copobo]

if you can hire 10 temps, you can hire 30.

Why would 12 people only be able to process 300 a day?

that works out to about 3.1 per hour, per person. How long does it take to plug a name and address in and verify a doctor against a list?

are they having a party down there or what?

[Adamkadmon]

The article says they already have ten temps in addition to three full-time employees.

What are those numbers supposed to show? Yep, ten temps...well they did all they could obviously. :postexcuseme: I think it's pretty obvious this was mismanaged by the people who were supposed to be making it work. Or we can just keep passing the buck along, I'm sure someone will eventually take responsibility. If this was a business there would be lawsuits.

[throatstick]

if you can hire 10 temps, you can hire 30.

Why would 12 people only be able to process 300 a day?

that works out to about 3.1 per hour, per person. How long does it take to plug a name and address in and verify a doctor against a list?

are they having a party down there or what?

it takes along time to do all of that when you sit around grab assing all day. dmv?lmao all gov workers drag ass all day most of em are lazy and paid to be that way too.

[throatstick]

i bet when it comes to busting passive going small caregivers/patients they won't be slow about it.......

[stuartambient]

i'm in agreement with both reasons, by design and sheer incompetence. I know you would think they are mutually exclusive but that's the sheer beauty of it.

They put certain types in certain places , you can call it gravitational pull maybe but either way you wind up with an ineffective system. I'm noticing that with Comcast even. It's like this is just too difficult to believe that any group of people can all be that incompetent at once.

Anyone in business would absolutely be getting the money into the bank accounts. That isn't even something that's second guessed, it's SOP. Shoot I've seen companies have some odd months even with 32 , 33 days in it :)

Stuart

[headshake]

let me start my comment with the preface that i'm not fully aware of the laws and fights currently going on in ya'lls state (i hope to be a state resident within the year, so i try to at least follow along a bit).

with that being said, how could they have not been ready for the dispensaries that didn't start appearing 'til last year (the programs been around for 10 years?) but be ready to try to capitalize on them (albeit after the fact) and get rid of the mom and pops aspects of the whole thing with HB1284?

not to mention, MILLIONS of dollars sitting around an office is a severe saftey concern! not to mention a huge liabilty. if these were medicare apps or something similar everyone would be pitching a bitch.

again, excuse my ignorance, just trying to sort through all the bullshit.


-shake