Todd Goodwin is CEO of John F. Murphy Homes.

Supporting children and adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities is not just a policy issue. It is a moral commitment.

In Maine, Medicaid-funded disability and autism services were created with an important goal: to ensure that people who are eligible receive early, effective supports tailored to their individualized needs and that those supports evolve as they grow, adapting across each stage of life to promote independence and community integration.

That goal remains essential. Few would question the importance of providing compassionate, evidence-based services that families can rely on not just in moments of crisis, but over the course of a lifetime.

But compassion without accountability is not compassion. It is risk.

The service system that delivers care to these Maine residents has been under significant public scrutiny in recent weeks. First, in late January, a federal audit estimated the state overpaid $45.6 million in MaineCare (Maine’s Medicaid program) reimbursements to providers. At the same time, a local digital media outlet launched an investigation into group homes serving adults with disabilities, raising allegations about safety and oversight.

Then, in his State of the Union Address, President Trump included Maine in a list of states where he claimed “fraud” was occurring, “The kind of corruption that shreds the fabric of a nation.”

It’s important, especially at a time like this, when emotions are running high, to cut through the noise so we understand what’s real, what’s not and what’s at stake.

Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services insists the federal audit identified potential documentation and compliance issues, not findings or even allegations of fraud. There also appears to be a discrepancy between the state and the federal government on how MaineCare regulations should be written.

Whether insufficient documentation was intentional or not matters when some are alleging a statewide “conspiracy.” Either way, compliance is crucial. Documentation matters. Supervision matters. Clear standards matter. Not because they satisfy auditors, but because they protect families, taxpayers and the integrity of care itself.

Evidence-based treatment is not defined by intention. It is defined by structure: individualized plans, measurable goals, documented interventions and ongoing review. When those elements are strong, families can trust that services are real and meaningful. When they are weak, confidence erodes — even among providers doing the work the right way.

Some in local media have jumped on “fraud” headlines, eager to expose other cases of alleged nefarious behavior among the state’s human service providers. While exposing inequities, sub-standard care and legitimate fraud is important, much of what is seen in so-called “investigations” of group homes is on-camera confrontations with direct care professionals (many of whom speak English as a second language) pressed to provide detailed answers in the moment. The inability of frontline staff to provide those answers under those circumstances should not be misconstrued as evidence of systemic wrongdoing in itself.

I have advocated for the disability community my entire career, and I would never defend sub-standard care of our most vulnerable residents. As the CEO of John F. Murphy Homes, Maine’s largest nonprofit human services organization exclusively serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, I’m proud that compassion and accountability are two pillars on which our nearly 50-year-old organization were built.

What I would say to our state legislators, who recently authorized a “risk assessment” for the MaineCare Program Integrity Unit, is this: the vast majority of professionals in Maine’s human services community show up every day with skill, care and dedication. They understand that public funding carries public responsibility. They know that documentation is not bureaucracy, it is proof of care delivered. And they understand that accountability protects the people they serve.

This moment should not become a partisan debate. Nor should it discourage the vital work being done across Maine. Instead, it should reinforce a simple principle: strong systems protect vulnerable people.