Funds Are Available under the Salazar Class Action for Projects to Benefit Children on DC Medicaid

Approximately $1.2 million is available in the Salazar Penalty Escrow Account Fund to be granted to court-approved projects that will improve the health of Medicaid eligible children and their families in the District of Columbia. 

The Salazar Penalty Escrow Account Fund was set up by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in 2010 with funds deposited by the District of Columbia to pay penalties assessed against it by the Court in Salazar v. District of Columbia, Civil Action No. 93-452.  The funds must be used solely for the benefit of the Salazar plaintiff class, which includes Medicaid eligible children in the District of Columbia.  The court order establishing the fund is available here.  As of April 2018, the fund contains $1,295,279.45. The distribution of the funds is subject to court approval.

In the past, the Salazar Penalty Escrow Account Fund has been used for a project to encourage higher rates of blood lead testing by purchasing point-of-care blood lead testing equipment for pediatric practices and to pay for a report by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) concerning the potential use of national quality child health measures and electronic reporting to track and improve the delivery of health services to Medicaid-enrolled children in the District of Columbia. 

For further information, please contact plaintiffs’ attorney, Zenia Sanchez Fuentes, at zsanchez@tpmlaw.com or at 202-204-8484.