Kentucky dispute headed to court over access to database that tracks handling of abuse cases

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s auditor asked a court on Monday to resolve a dispute over access to a database that tracks the state’s handling of abuse and neglect cases involving its most vulnerable citizens.

In her lawsuit, Republican state Auditor Allison Ball requested a court order to restore a government watchdog’s access to the information. Ball accused Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s administration of putting “unworkable and unlawful constraints” on the watchdog’s ability to review the information.

Beshear’s administration said it tried to work out a solution that would provide the “maximum access” allowed under current law but was rebuffed by the auditor’s office.

The dispute stems from action by the state’s GOP-led legislature that shifted an ombudsman’s office to the auditor’s office, effective last month. The ombudsman’s office — tasked with overseeing the Cabinet for Health and Family Services — was previously attached to the cabinet. The ombudsman’s role includes investigating complaints about protective services for children and elderly Kentuckians.

Supporters said shifting the ombudsman to the auditor’s office will help guarantee independent oversight of the cabinet, a massive agency that administers programs and services meant to protect and promote the health and well-being of Kentuckians. Access to the database was available to the ombudsman staff prior to the switchover. The governor allowed the legislation to become law without his signature.

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When lawmakers approved transferring the ombudsman, they made it “clear that everything associated with the office was to be transferred along with it,” Ball’s lawsuit said.

“There is simply no legitimate reason for the cabinet to refuse to allow the office to have full, direct and real-time access” to the information being sought, the suit said. “That access is necessary for the office to ensure that Kentucky’s most vulnerable children and adults receive the care they need from the cabinet.”

The auditor’s lawsuit was filed in Franklin County Circuit Court in Frankfort. Both sides in the dispute pointed to efforts to resolve the matter but blamed the other for a failure to reach an agreement. The dispute ultimately revolves around conflicting interpretations of applicable law.

Beshear spokesperson Crystal Staley said Monday that the governor supports changing the law when the legislature reconvenes early next year to provide the full access being sought by the auditor.

The administration points to another part of state law that it says puts limits on sharing the information with officials outside the health and family services cabinet.

“In the meantime, the administration has tried to work with the auditor’s office to provide them with the maximum access allowed under the current law, but they have refused,” Staley said in a statement. “On numerous occasions the cabinet believed a resolution had nearly been reached, only to find the auditor’s office had changed its position.”

The lawsuit indicates the auditor would “rather play politics” than work out a solution with cabinet officials, Staley said.

Ball said in a statement that her office “tried everything in our power” to reach an agreement to have access to the information restored, but said the governor and cabinet officials were “more interested in placing unworkable and unlawful constraints on our access.”

The auditor’s lawsuit said the “time has now come for the judiciary to step in and end” the obstruction.

The suit said that without full access to information about abuse and neglect cases, the ombudsman’s office has “no way of knowing whether it is conducting a complete, accurate and productive investigation that protects Kentucky’s most vulnerable.”

Jonathan Grate, who has extensive experience in state government, was appointed as the ombudsman by Ball, who is in her first year as auditor after serving two terms as state treasurer. Grate is a plaintiff in the lawsuit along with Ball. Defendants include the governor and state Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander.