Pittsburgh-area parents say they didn't see money from their disabled son's rent rebate check
Pennsylvania's rental rebate program expanded last year, allowing more people to apply, but KDKA Investigates uncovered that not everyone who is getting those checks is actually seeing the money.
After bringing the issue to the attention of a local lawmaker this past fall, KDKA Consumer Investigator Meghan Schiller learned state Rep. Dan Deasy is now drafting legislation that will demand more transparency around the state's rental rebate program.
Bill Wells first reached out to KDKA's Meghan Schiller this past fall with questions surrounding his son Mike's rental rebate checks.
Wells says he'll never forget meeting his son many years ago. Instead of meeting him in a hospital, he said it happened in a classroom.
"He was a student in my classroom, and he needed a home for 90 days, so he came and he came for 90 days, and then 180, and then 360," said Wells.
The Wells family eventually adopted Mike, giving him a stable home. Now that he's grown, the family landed Mike a spot in a Dormont group home run by the nonprofit Supportive Concepts for Families, Inc.
"Well, the county and the state give them because he has what they call waiver funding. They probably give them close to a half million dollars to keep him in this home," said Wells.
Because of those challenges, Wells and his wife handle their son's finances. When they learned their son's signature wound up on the back of a rental rebate check, they started asking questions.
"He can sign 'Mike' on the back of it. But he'd have no idea what the check is for. He might not even know it's a check," said Wells.
Wells believes the facility applied for the state's rental rebate program on his son's behalf but never alerted them when the checks started coming in.
KDKA-TV called and emailed Supportive Concepts for Families asking for information on how it handles rent rebate checks for its clients but didn't hear back.
"I'm not saying someone is absconding with his funds but I'm saying he doesn't have the capabilities to understand if they were, so at the very least, my wife and I should have been notified," said Wells. "If it's not legal, that's a sad state of affairs if you're taking advantage of someone with a mental disability. It's kind of sour. And if it's legal, why not tell me?"
KDKA Investigates learned from the Department of Human Services that Pennsylvania code allows providers to help individuals apply for things like rent rebates, but if received, they should deduct that money from the person's room and board cost.
Wells says Mike's funding pays $673 per month towards his room and board and that one signed rental rebate check totaled $770.
State Rep. Dan Deasy, who represents the state's 27th District, says his office learned someone applied on Mike's behalf for four years for a total of $3,025 worth of assistance.
"I appreciate you bringing that to our attention a few months back and you know, obviously, Mr. Wells, a great guy, just wants to look out for his son, and the whole process has been pretty enlightening for us to see that that the money's not going back to where it should be, to those who need it most," said Deasy.
Deasy said he's turned the case over to the attorney general's office and flagged the Department of Revenue, which oversees the program.
"You know, in the past, we've had some constituents come into our office, and their landlord would want them to split the check with them and that's not right. The money's meant for seniors, those with disabilities," said Deasy.
He's now writing new language about how group homes handle this money into a proposed bill he hopes will soon gain traction.
"And what we like to do this session is codify into that bill that group homes are required to provide documentation to, in this case, a parent of a disabled individual, and show them how exactly they're spending that money just for accountability's sake and transparency's sake," said Rep. Deasy.
He tells KDKA that Wells' fight for answers will hopefully lead to more transparency in a growing state program.
"He wasn't getting answers, and obviously that this check has been dispersed for a few years now for his son, and he kind of stumbled upon it," said Rep. Deasy. "And that's kind of disturbing how many other families are out there in this particular case that aren't aware of that money that has been out there for their family members. And frankly, it is, it's concerning."
KDKA Investigates will continue to try to reach Supportive Concepts for Families. The nonprofit's website says it's one of the state's leading agencies for helping those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It runs 131 locations across the state, according to its website.
