Curt Safranek, an Omaha father seeking answers about how Nebraska funds care for families with disabilities, says the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services answered his public records request with an eye-popping estimate: $976,263.77.
The agency also projected the records wouldn't be ready until Sept. 29, 2076, when Safranek would be 105.
Here's what to know
According to the Nebraska Examiner, the lawsuit centers on a Sept. 23 records request from Safranek seeking communications between DHHS staff and Alvarez & Marsal. DHHS chose the firm on Aug. 18 to independently review how the agency used the interRAI assessment tool.
Since July 2025, Nebraska has used interRAI to determine Medicaid Home and Community-Based Waiver funding for families. The tool is also used in 25 other states.
Under state law, the first eight hours spent on a public records request are free. Even so, DHHS said Safranek's original request would require 26,017.5 hours of work by three employees: 14,475 hours from an attorney, 9,650.3 hours from a paralegal, and 1,892.2 hours from an administrative programs officer.
After seeing the original estimate, Safranek said he was "dumbfounded." He narrowed the request on Sept. 29 to records from Jan. 1, 2026, through the date of the revision, and DHHS cut the estimate by roughly half. The new total was still $474,383.02 and 12,647.2 working hours.
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More background
Safranek helped found Disability Alliance of Nebraska, and his family relies on a Medicaid waiver to help pay for the daily care of his son, Will, who has autism and an intellectual disability.
According to the Nebraska Examiner, Safranek said Will's funding fell under interRAI even though the family was dealing with behavior-related issues and DHHS's crisis team had previously been involved in his case.
That dispute is part of why he wants the records. Safranek said he identified 49 errors, typed them up, and included them in an appeal. In the lawsuit, his legal team argued that "little about DHHS's cost estimate makes sense," particularly because, as the filing states, "DHHS can (and does) run search terms through an automated system that generates responsive documents."
A tool presented as objective can determine whether families receive enough support to safely care for loved ones at home, and a massive public records estimate can place scrutiny out of reach for the people most affected.
What's being done?
In Lancaster County District Court, Safranek is asking a judge to require DHHS to provide a new estimate reflecting the actual added cost of producing the records. His lawsuit also seeks expedited review under Nebraska public records law and asks that DHHS pay attorney fees and legal costs if he prevails.
While declining to comment on the pending litigation, DHHS spokesperson Erin Maier said the interRAI assessments "are standardized and validated tools ensuring Nebraskans objectively receive services based on an accurate review of current, point-in-time, behavioral and health-related needs and that appropriate funding amounts are consistently distributed to participants with similar levels of need." Maier also said DHHS has "proactively strengthened implementation" through training, reviews, documentation, and an external evaluation.
DHHS announced a no-bid, $420,000 contract with Alvarez & Marsal Public Sector on Aug. 18 for "objective recommendations" on interRAI. By the end of August, however, the agency had reversed course and moved to a competitive bidding process after pushback.
Safranek said he also plans to push for changes to public records laws during the 2027 legislative session, which begins Jan. 6.
"I'm obviously fighting for my son, but I'm also fighting for all those others who don't have a voice," he said. "What do they have to hide? This should not be this hard."
Where can I learn more?
The following stories also raise questions about transparency and public access to information. They cover federal warnings over hospital pricing, records revealing weak pollution enforcement, fights for more local-government openness, a right-to-know push over microplastics, and outrage over a Homeland Security jet request.
• In Colorado, five hospitals drew federal warning letters over missing price transparency data.
• At Homeland Security, a request for a new $50 million private jet sparked outrage.
• EPA records showed major enforcement failures let polluters ignore laws without consequences.
• In Minnesota, an environmental group launched a legal battle demanding more transparency from cities.
• State officials asked the EPA to expose troubling information about microplastics in water.
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