Audit 338349

Item 2024-001 – Eligibility: Internal File Audit Review Awarding Agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Pass-through from CA Department of Social Services Federal Program: Transitional Housing Placement – Foster Care (THP-NMD) Federal Award Identification Number: 93.658 Grant Period: July 2023 to June 2024 Criteria: First Place for Youth’s THP-NMD program offers transitional housing to eligible youths through safe, affordable housing and intensive case management. Youths are placed with First Place for Youth by various counties, which perform an initial eligibility review. Various documents are collected to ensure eligibility, but First Place for Youth is still required to independently confirm eligibility. First Place for Youth’s current process is to perform a review of youths’ eligibility during the intake process and complete an internal file audit review to confirm all necessary paperwork is in place when admitting a youth into the program. Condition: During our testing over eligibility, we discovered that internal file audit reviews were either not performed or not performed on a timely basis for numerous youths selected for testing. Cause: First Place for Youth noted this issue is due to insufficient training and monitoring and increases in turnover rate within certain departments of the Organization in the current year. Effect: Although we did not find instances of eligibility non-compliance as documentation is being appropriately collected, the lack of timely review could lead to instances of eligibility non-compliance. Questioned Cost: None Context: Since our testing resulted in multiple instances of non-timely review, the condition appears to be a pervasive issue. Repeat Finding: No Recommendation: We recommend that First Place for Youth implement additional training and internal oversight over the youth internal file audit review process to ensure compliance with all eligibility requirements. Views of Responsible Official: First Place for Youth concurs with this finding and will evaluate process improvements and additional employee training to ensure the youth intake file audit review process is fully implemented and executed going forward.

Item 2024-001 – Eligibility: Internal File Audit Review Awarding Agency: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Pass-through from CA Department of Social Services Federal Program: Transitional Housing Placement – Foster Care (THP-NMD) Federal Award Identification Number: 93.658 Grant Period: July 2023 to June 2024 Criteria: First Place for Youth’s THP-NMD program offers transitional housing to eligible youths through safe, affordable housing and intensive case management. Youths are placed with First Place for Youth by various counties, which perform an initial eligibility review. Various documents are collected to ensure eligibility, but First Place for Youth is still required to independently confirm eligibility. First Place for Youth’s current process is to perform a review of youths’ eligibility during the intake process and complete an internal file audit review to confirm all necessary paperwork is in place when admitting a youth into the program. Condition: During our testing over eligibility, we discovered that internal file audit reviews were either not performed or not performed on a timely basis for numerous youths selected for testing. Cause: First Place for Youth noted this issue is due to insufficient training and monitoring and increases in turnover rate within certain departments of the Organization in the current year. Effect: Although we did not find instances of eligibility non-compliance as documentation is being appropriately collected, the lack of timely review could lead to instances of eligibility non-compliance. Questioned Cost: None Context: Since our testing resulted in multiple instances of non-timely review, the condition appears to be a pervasive issue. Repeat Finding: No Recommendation: We recommend that First Place for Youth implement additional training and internal oversight over the youth internal file audit review process to ensure compliance with all eligibility requirements. Views of Responsible Official: First Place for Youth concurs with this finding and will evaluate process improvements and additional employee training to ensure the youth intake file audit review process is fully implemented and executed going forward.