Ward v. Keller

774 F. Supp. 439, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12755, 1991 WL 179768
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Ohio
DecidedSeptember 5, 1991
DocketNo. C2-87-1448
StatusPublished

This text of 774 F. Supp. 439 (Ward v. Keller) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ward v. Keller, 774 F. Supp. 439, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12755, 1991 WL 179768 (S.D. Ohio 1991).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

GEORGE C. SMITH, District Judge.

I.

This case is before the Court pursuant to cross-motions for summary judgment filed by plaintiffs, Adam Ward, et al. (“plaintiffs” or “the Wards”) and the state defendants, the current director of the Ohio Department of Human Services and the Deputy Director for family, children, and adult services within the Ohio Department of Human Services (“ODHS”). At the time the state defendants’ cross-motion for summary judgment was filed, those positions were occupied by Pamela Hyde and David Schwertfager, respectively, although others persons may now occupy those positions. The issue presented is whether federal law requires ODHS to provide an administrative “fair hearing” to persons who are affected by actions taken by a county children’s services agency even when such actions relate solely to non-monetary service issues, as opposed to financial matters such as foster care maintenance payments or adoption assistance payments. For the reasons which follow, the Court concludes that state administrative hearings on the issues raised in this case are not mandated by the 1980 amendments to the Social Security Act or regulations adopted thereunder.

II.

The facts relevant to this motion are set forth in plaintiffs’ first amended complaint, which was filed on June 10, 1988, and a subsequent stipulation of facts filed on October 15, 1990. Although the complaint contains allegations common to all the defendants in this case, including not only the state defendants but various county officials, the stipulation was designed to address solely the fair hearing issue. The facts material to the resolution of the issue presented by the cross-motions for summary judgment are not disputed.

According to the amended complaint, plaintiffs Adam and Tamara Ward are the parents of a daughter, Erica. Erica was born with an esophageal problem which subsequently required surgery and which, prior to that surgery, made it hard for her to eat. She did not gain much weight during her first months of life and, at some point, the Jackson County Children’s Service Agency was advised that she was a possible victim of “failure to thrive” syndrome. After her surgery, she was required to be fed for approximately five months through an abdominal tube, which contributed to her difficulties.

According to the Wards’ complaint, although their family was eligible for various supportive and protective services to assist them in dealing with Erica’s problems, the services were not provided by Jackson County. Rather, the Wards alleged that Jackson County inappropriately provided only home monitoring, contributing to the stress of Erica’s home life, and ultimately intervened by removing Erica from her parents on October 30, 1987 without justification. The Wards alleged that Jackson County Children’s Services failed to explore less drastic forms of intervention and failed to provide other supportive and protective services which might have eliminated the need for Erica’s removal, all in violation of federal guidelines which govern the provi[441]*441sion of services to children who may candidates for removal from the parental home. be

The complaint contains a number of claims against Jackson County Children’s Services, the Jackson County Commissioners, and the Jackson County Juvenile Judge. In addition, the complaint alleges that ODHS did not carry out its statutory duty to supervise the activity of Jackson County Children’s Services. Finally, the complaint alleges the issue presented by this summary judgment motion, asserting that ODHS had adopted a policy which prevented the Wards from being able to raise these issues in an administrative hearing to be held by ODHS. The Wards allege that ODHS, in order to comply with federal law, was required to provide a fair hearing mechanism for persons like themselves who claim to be aggrieved by the failure of a county children’s service agency to provide non-tangible benefits such as supportive and protective services.

Although the first amended complaint named only one state official as a defendant, that being Daisy Alford, identified as the Chief of the Division of Family and Children Services, ODHS’s director was added as a defendant through a stipulation filed on June 24, 1988. That stipulation also changed the title of defendant Daisy Alford to Deputy Director for Family, Children and Adult Services within the Ohio Department of Human Services. Thus, the state defendants involved in the instant summary judgment proceedings are the successors to the Director and Deputy Director who were made parties to this action through the first amended complaint and subsequent stipulation.

The stipulation filed on October 15, 1990 is intended to explain the hearing policy adopted by ODHS. The parties agree that ODHS is responsible for administering those programs which receive federal funding through Titles IV-B and IV-E of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 620-628 and 42 U.S.C. §§ 670-676. Those two titles cover a myriad of services and benefits made available in the area of children’s services. ODHS provides notice to aggrieved individuals, and the right to a “fair hearing,” with respect to matters covered by Title IV-E only when applications for and receipt of foster care maintenance payments or applications for and receipt of adoption assisted payments are at issue. ODHS provides such hearings with respect to services provided under Title IV-B only when some service is funded jointly by Title XX of the Social Security Act and Title IV-B. As more fully set forth on page 3 of the parties’ stipulation, such hearings are provided only when an agency acts to reduce, suspend, terminate or withhold social services, refuses to provide such services in the first instance, or provides social services in a manner that the affected individual believes to be incorrect or under circumstances where the individual does not believe that social services should be provided. Moreover, ODHS does not provide any fair hearings in these areas if either the local children’s services agency or the affected individuals are parties to a state juvenile court hearing. Thus, the parties agree that, with respect to many of the alleged violations of federal law which the Wards claim were committed by Jackson County Children’s Services, no hearing would have been available from ODHS had one been requested.

Although it is difficult to tell from the pleadings whether the Wards ever requested such a hearing, it is apparent from the exhibits attached to the parties’ stipulation that, in similar circumstances, other persons have been refused such a hearing by ODHS. Since this action was filed as a class action, and because the defendants apparently do not consider as significant the question of whether the Wards did or did not request such a hearing, the issue of the lawfulness of ODHS’s hearing policy is properly at issue in this case and is adequately presented by the summary judgment motion.

Before turning to the merits of the motion, one additional matter should be clarified. The parties agreed that this issue was to be presented to the court through the Wards’ summary judgment motion. Subsequently, the state defendants sought and were granted permission to cross-move [442]*442for summary judgment, although, of course, Fed.R.Civ.P.

Related

Blue Chip Stamps v. Manor Drug Stores
421 U.S. 723 (Supreme Court, 1975)
International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. Daniel
439 U.S. 551 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Southeastern Community College v. Davis
442 U.S. 397 (Supreme Court, 1979)
United States v. Ron Pair Enterprises, Inc.
489 U.S. 235 (Supreme Court, 1989)
In Re Arnett
731 F.2d 358 (Sixth Circuit, 1984)
Melamine Chemicals, Inc. v. The United States
732 F.2d 924 (Federal Circuit, 1984)
Mitchell v. White Motor Credit Corp.
627 F. Supp. 1241 (M.D. Tennessee, 1986)
Deukmejian v. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
751 F.2d 1287 (D.C. Circuit, 1984)
United States v. Underhill
813 F.2d 105 (Sixth Circuit, 1987)
Bradley v. Austin
841 F.2d 1288 (Sixth Circuit, 1988)
Rayburn v. United States
482 U.S. 906 (Supreme Court, 1987)
Rayburn v. United States
482 U.S. 906 (Supreme Court, 1987)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
774 F. Supp. 439, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12755, 1991 WL 179768, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ward-v-keller-ohsd-1991.