Mental health agency will get COA allocation

St. Joseph County Commission on Aging officials stated last week they will continue to allocate nearly $17,000 for senior mental-health services next fiscal year.
But, they told the county’s mental health agency not to count on any additional funding.
Lynn Coursey, COA executive director, said her agency’s 2015-16 budget continues the mental-health-services allocation despite recent concerns over St. Joseph County Community Mental Health billing practices.
CMH had requested additional money from COA for this fiscal year when it believed it had run short of money to pay for the specialized mental health services it provides to senior citizens under the interagency contract.
COA denied the additional appropriation, later discovering CMH had double-billed COA for some client services.
Kelly Norris, CMH program services manager, said COA funding pays for more intensive senior mental health services than those covered by Medicare.