The Associated Press

COLUMBUS - The state has notified all 88 county human services agencies that they likely will receive less money for food stamp, Medicaid and other programs because of an accounting problem.

State Job and Family Services Director Tom Hayes said Thursday that the problem is that his department failed to replenish an account being used to reimburse the counties for mounting increases in the cost of running the food stamp and Medicaid programs.

Hayes said that, as more people have dropped off of welfare rolls and the demand for food stamps and Medicaid increased, counties have been using money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families account to pay for increasing administrative costs.

"What we did not do, and should have done, is a statewide reconciliation to make sure that all of the money is in the right pot," he said.

Now, a reconciliation dating to 2000 is under way, he said.

Hayes said the department will ask state lawmakers to try to identify other sources of money to address the shortfall.

Medina County Commissioner Pat Geissman said the potential loss to the counties is between $57 million and $200 million statewide.