The Washington County Board of Supervisors is spending $4,450 in order to receive about $46,000. 

Through Cost Advisory Services, the county is able to recover costs incurred indirectly through the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. Indirect costs typically include items such as audit fees, insurance costs, building space costs that are not otherwise treated as direct costs, and eligible legal services provided by county attorney offices, among others. These claims are then reimbursed from federal funds based on a formula developed by the central office of DHHS. 

Supervisor Jack Seward explained at Tuesday’s meeting, most of the DHHS costs are billed directly but the county is required to provide some things that have indirect costs, like heat and lights. Through this service some of the funds are reimbursed to the county. An estimated 34-percent of the claims may be reimbursed.

The supervisors unanimously approved the contract to pay Cost Advisory Services for the service. The refund to the county will be paid on a quarterly basis in the next fiscal year and is put into the DHHS line item in the budget. This action is reviewed annually.