New York already spends more per person than any other state to care for individuals with developmental disabilities living in institutions, but now state officials say they want to increase the amount.

A newspaper report earlier this year uncovered expenditures of $4,556 per person daily — or $1.6 million annually — to care for residents of New York institutions. That prompted an inquiry by federal officials from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which contributes half of the funds under a Medicaid matching program.

Now, in a response sent to the federal government, New York officials are not only defending their highest-in-the-nation costs, but say they want to increase per person spending, though it’s unclear by how much.

Though the funding is reported to Medicaid as expenditures for individuals living in institutions, state officials defend their costs by saying that some of the money is actually used for programs benefiting people with disabilities who live in the community, reports the Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Journal. To read more click here.

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