ZOOM PUBLIC HEARING TODAY ON PROPOSED REGULATIONS

ZOOM PUBLIC HEARING TODAY ON PROPOSED REGULATIONS

The Mississippi State Department of Health will be holding a virtual public hearing today to receive public comment on the proposed emergency child care regulations.

Many have already sent in written comments and you may still do so by writing to Melissa.Parker@msdh.ms.gov .

You may also present comments during the public hearing by joining here:

MISSISSIPPI STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

ZOOM PUBLIC HEARING 

AUGUST 7, 2020

11:00 AM

LINK
https://zoom.us/j/95513859355?pwd=V2FncEJyWnJyQ0xBZk9PcVluOEhRdz09

Password: 077132

Or Telephone:
Dial:
USA 713 353 0212
USA 8888227517 (US Toll Free)
Conference code: 540839

Governor’s Executive Order & Found Infrared Thermometer!

We found an infrared thermometer at CVS! They had placed it under the counter just in case critical operations needed one! They sold it to us for $25! It makes screening a snap! Check out your CVS!

Governor Tate Reeves has issued an Emergency Executive Order identifying essential workers and critical infrastructure including child care, grocery stores, the military, utilities, heath care services, flow of supplies, mail and more. It is very enlightening to see all that he must consider, protect (nuclear power plants) and ensure for us to continue to function peacefully including many services we likely take for granted every day.

Click on the link below to read EMERGENCY EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 1463:

Emergency – EO – Gov – MS – #1463 – Essential Businesses list – 2020-03-24 (1)

Department of Human Service Responds to Coronavirus State of Emergency and CCPP Payment Only

Department of Human Service Responds to State of Emergency and CCPP Payment Only

The Mississippi Department of Human Services cannot answer for the Mississippi Department of Health and has no authority over child care center closures.

The Mississippi Department of Health does not recommend closure of child care facilities at this time and simply refers all contacts to its website.  (Click here.)

The Mississippi Coronavirus HOTLINE (8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday):

877-978-6453

Fortunately, we have heard from DECCD since the Governor’s Proclamation of Emergency on Saturday…specifically regarding payment for days closed and/or absentees and what they are doing to secure payments for closure IF MDHS DETERMINES CLOSURE WAS WARRANTED.  However, due to Technical Difficulties, IT at the Mississippi Department of Human Services has made three attempts to send out this Email without success. (You should have received it by now (?). Check your Email.) Please be advised:

From: CC Notices <CCNotices@mdhs.ms.gov>
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2020 10:49 AM
To: CC Payment <CCPayment@mdhs.ms.gov>
Subject: COVID-19

Dear Providers,
The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has become a source of great concern for everyone, especially those that serve children and families. MDHS is taking this rapidly changing situation seriously and will continue to provide updates as timely as possible. Here are the most recent developments, as well as some guidance and resources that are available during this time.

Child Care Payments/Certificate Program

Our office is working with the Office of Child Care to determine what options are available for the use of CCDF funding during this emergency. An emergency waiver is being submitted to address situations such as interruption of services due to child care center closures and excessive absences as families begin to keep children at home. The waiver also includes a request that child care payments be made to providers based on enrollment instead of attendance. If the waiver is approved, our office will notify all providers as soon as possible.

Child Care Licensure

MDHS is in contact with the administration at the Mississippi State Department of Health. As of now, the Health Department is not recommending the closure of child care programs. The Health Department is recommending that child care centers follow the same CDC guidelines included below. If at any time, Child Care Licensure does recommend closure, MDHS will notify providers as soon as possible. Our office recommends keeping open communication with your licensing official regarding any decisions that the Health Department may make. If you decide to voluntarily close your center, please send an email to tell us you are closing at ccpayment@mdhs.ms.gov.

COVID-19 Information & Recommendations

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has a list of guidelines that child care centers can use. Please bookmark this link. The CDC continues to update this link as more information becomes available.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Guidance for School & Child Care

This link includes information about:

Disinfecting and protecting against COVID-19 spread and infection
Guidelines for excluding any potentially ill children and/or staff members and how to create an absentee policy
How to communicate with families and communities about COVID-19
What to do if there has been a case of COVID in your area

Thank you for dedication to Mississippi’s children especially during this difficult time.

Kristi McHale

Division Director of DECCD

UPDATE to the UPDATE: Jacob Black implicated in USM Welfare Vollyball Ruse. See § 215.45 Cost and price analysis required for allowability.

State Auditor Issues Civil Demand on Former DHS Deputy Director

May 26, 2022

JACKSON, Miss. – Today the Office of State Auditor Shad White served a civil demand for $3,648,557.60 on former Deputy Director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services (DHS) Jacob Black. The demand requires Black to repay misspent Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (commonly called “welfare”) money.

Black was served with this demand based on audit findings from the Office of the State Auditor and new findings released in April 2022 by an independent CPA firm reviewing DHS spending. The audits found Black assisted a vendor, NCC Ventures, in violating procurement procedures. (To read in full, click here.)

It is not clear why there has been no arrest given the magnitude of Jacob Black’s involvement in this, the most recent MDHS Embezzlement Scheme, compared to a much less positioned Latimer Smith … or why Nancy New was arrested but not Christi Webb … but what is clear is that State Auditor Shad White is continuing work to bring civil action against those who obstructed the governmental intention of federal block grants.

It will be interesting to see what action, if any, will be taken by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. After all, approximately $93,000,000 was stolen and/or misused (this time) all while under the watchful eye of Region IV HHS federal monitors (just as always). (Click here to read, “Misuse of welfare funds nothing new in Mississippi”.)

In the meantime, some Mississippians are now considering filing a complaint against Jacob Black with the Mississippi Bar.

Hass, 216 U.S. at 479-480. In Hammerschmidt, Chief Justice Taft, defined “defraud” as follows:

To conspire to defraud the United States means primarily to cheat the Government out of property or money, but it also means to interfere with or obstruct one of its lawful governmental functions by deceit, craft or trickery, or at least by means that are dishonest. It is not necessary that the Government shall be subjected to property or pecuniary loss by the fraud, but only that its legitimate official action and purpose shall be defeated by misrepresentation, chicane or the overreaching of those charged with carrying out the governmental intention.

April 12, 2022, Anna Wolfe of Mississippi Today revealed the following:

With the help of a deputy director named Jacob Black, who also attended the April 24 tour, Davis found the funding workaround. The day of the visit, Davis texted Bryant, saying he had “FOUND A WAY TO FUND THE T.K. Martin Center you ask me about.”

Later that day, Black texted Davis, recommending they add T.K. Martin into its application for renewed federal preschool funding, which was set to open in a few months. The federal agency eventually rejected Mississippi’s application and the state never got that funding.

“I think we can bridge the gap until that funding starts next spring. I will make that happen,” Black wrote.

Davis thanked Black for “always thinking ahead.”

“I am just tying to keep up with my teacher,” Black responded. “Thank you for being that teacher.”

Davis relied on Black, who is an attorney, to provide legal advice and ensure the agency was complying with the law. Their communication suggests Black knew how to get creative with funding. Once, when Davis asked Black by text if he could find $2.5 million to shore up New’s nonprofit, he agreed to find a way.

“Let me figure out how to do it without creating an audit finding,” Black wrote.

Jacob Black demonstrated what I consider to be aspirations of being appointed as the Executive Director of MDHS.

Jacob Black claims to be the innocent Whistleblower fingering John Davis and others of the largest State embezzlement in Mississippi history. He is one of the employees who took information about Davis’ alleged misspending to Phil Bryant’s office in late June of 2019, according to a former agency spokesperson.

Further, because child care providers have inquired, allegedly, as Dana Kidd expressed concern that CCDF vouchers were not being processed as they should be again in 2019 (only one year after she researched and designed the process to release the funding expeditiously following my post on the Family Resource Center and Families First) she was suddenly denied access to all child care data systems at MDHS.

Months later, after thirty-two years of unblemished and dedicated service to Mississippi and under threat of termination, Mrs. Kidd retired.

After Davis was ousted, Black remained a top agency official and even became interim director for about a month in early 2020 before current Gov. Tate Reeves replaced him with former prosecutor Bob Anderson. Soon after, Black left MDHS to take a staff attorney job at Medicaid.

To date, Jacob Black remains in good standing with the Mississippi Bar as he continues to serve as legal advisor to Medicaid.

Shad White’s office and the FBI have not yet brought any charges of conspiracy against Jacob Black.

As Mississippi low-income child care providers and the working poor were stripped of all resources funding new enrollment in the CCDF for five consecutive years, Jacob Black was the individual who announced even further MDHS Block Grant budget retraints.

Jacob Black was a willing participant who went above and beyond the call of duty to think even ahead of John Davis and make the unallowable diversion of Block Grant Funds “happen” all the while creating havoc in the professional lives of good people at MDHS, unaware, whose job was to actually serve the working poor. (See the comments of MDHS’s Jacob Black as he warns of fewer children to receive child care assistance because of the required increase in market rates SECAC/MDHS has not provided and as he confirms an unprecedented 1.4% percent acceptance rate of those applying for welfare assistance – only 167 of 11,700 approved.)

Scroll down to click on the link for page two.

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