At this point, the focus of the task force shifted as Judge Weissmuller took the initiative to bring up the issue of the payment of forensic evaluations.
Dr. Roeder responded that forensic evaluators will take insurance if the services are billable. Court ordered evaluations are not billable to insurance, however, treatment subsequent to the evaluation is billable. Dr. Roeder is a certified provider for managed care.
Judge Weissmuller then asked whether Dr. Roeder has private paid cases?
Dr. Roeder stated that yes, he has a sliding scale. Also, some people who have insurance may not want to go through insurance.
Judge Weissmuller then asked if Dr. Roeder establishes his rates based upon what the attorney in the case makes--some therapists do.
Dr. Roeder stated that his fee does not have anything to do with the attorney's billing rate.
Dr. Elizabeth Thayer interjected the point that forensic work is not billable to insurance and that if people do bill to insurance that would be insurance fraud. She also stated that only bills with a diagnosable mental illness go to insurance. Dr. Thayer further stated that before therapy is ordered, there must be a diagnosis, not just two parents who don't get along.
Attorney Sue Cousineau contradicted Dr. Elizabeth Thayer and stated that the Statutes in Connecticut allow a judge to order parents into therapy absent a diagnosis.
That is really wild--that a judge can order a person who does not have an illness to go to a doctor to have that non illness treated! Only in America!
Judge Weissmuller returned to the focus of his questions which is billing and asked Dr. Keith Roeder, "What are your rates?"
Attorney Sharon Dornfeld quickly jumped in and stated that it is not appropriate to ask Dr. Roeder about his billing because it may not be representative of other doctors. Also, the compensation for forensic work is not specific and parents choose their mental health professionals and so they have control over the cost.
Rep. Minnie Gonzalez stated "Let Judge Weissmuller ask his question and leave it up to the doctor if he wants to answer."
She also said, "I have been in court where Judges make the decisions regarding which mental health professional parents use."
There was then a big discussion and argument about whether judges order persons to go to specific therapists or not. Sue Cousineau and Sharon Dornfeld were saying that litgants are allowed to choose their own therapists, while other members of the panel said no that isn't true.
Members of the audience, including yours truly, chimed in they knew for a fact Judges assign mental health professionals and they were immediately told to be quiet or else.
Ms. Jennifer Veraneault mentioned that Dr. Sydney Horowitz frequently gets chosen by judges. She stated that it is inappropriate for doctors to bill while taking a shower and thinking about a case. In her view, "that's abuse" of the litigants who are forced to pay that bill.
At that juncture, Elizabeth Thayer intervened stating that they should not make this task force a witch hunt. She stated it isn't right to mention names or single out any particular doctor. She mentioned that Families in Transition is underfunded. Court Family Services is underfunded, so private doctors all have to be used. She further stated, "We are all in the trenches!"
Oh, really, this is not a witch hunt? We are all in the trenches?
Tell me, are these mental health professionals Dr. Thayer is referring to bankrupt because of all the court ordered services they had to pay?
Did these mental health professionals have to pay six digit fees for therapy or visitation just to have the chance to be a parent?
Dr. Elizabeth Thayer is saying we should not single out any particular doctor. Why not?
Why shouldn't wrongdoers be held accountable?
Is there some problem with asking particular doctors who are widely known for graft, corruption and racketeering to please obey the law and their own professional ethics?
In what world, can you call the victims of such activities witch hunters when they are simply trying to fight for their fundamental human rights?
I'll tell you who the real witch hunters are--the real witch hunters are the mental health professionals who target specific litigants and fabricate mental health conditions that don't exist, and that fabricate complicated and convoluted fake narratives in order to justify denying parents their right to see their children.
Those are the real witch hunters.
Give me a break.
"We are in the trenches!"
No you are not in the trenches. We are in the trenches and we are fighting for our children!
You are going on fancy vacations in the Bahamas, to lovely conferences in Sunny California, you are living in beautiful mansions and driving BMWs and all your children are going to private school.
None of you are breaking a sweat and none of you is running out of cash any time soon. So don't waste my time with that nonsense.
But why am I wasting my breath.
The Peace Program--Dr. Elizabeth Thayer--accepts cash only on the line. And she justifies that by saying she has to earn a living!
And give me a break--you have to earn a living? I'd like to earn a living too, but after your individual doctors and the court system trashed my reputation and destroyed my social network, I can't earn a living--not thanks to you!
Your program is a program that will accept a situation where a man with millions and a women with nothing will be ordered to pay for your services 50/50. It is a program where I have heard that abused women have been threatened with physical abuse right in the waiting room.
Tell me something, Dr. Thayer, while you are so interested in protecting the individual doctors who have committed heinous crimes against parents who are seeking redress through this task force, are you interested in taking down the individual memoranda of decision that Family Court regularly publishes on the internet naming individual litigants and their children and indicating publically for the entire world to see what their mental health diagnoses are and what the specific ways are in which those children were sexually abused?
How dare you, Dr. Elizabeth Thayer. How dare you imply wrongdoing on the part of members of this task force who are speaking out, particularly any members of this task force who are not AFCC members, who are defending the rights of parents who have been viciously abused by family court?
We are not the witch hunters. Make no mistake -- you and your AFCC pals are witch hunters and everyone knows it.
(To be continued...)
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