Finding:
The Department of Children, Youth, and Families did not have adequate internal controls to ensure payments to providers for travel and family visits were allowable and adequately supported for the Foster Care program.
Questioned Costs: Assistance Listing #
93.658
93.658 COVID-19
Statu...
Finding:
The Department of Children, Youth, and Families did not have adequate internal controls to ensure payments to providers for travel and family visits were allowable and adequately supported for the Foster Care program.
Questioned Costs: Assistance Listing #
93.658
93.658 COVID-19
Status: Corrective action in progress
Corrective
Action:
The Department is committed to strengthening internal controls and complying with grant requirements. In response to the prior year audit finding, the Department has taken the following actions:
• Between April and December 2023:
o Filled two vacant contract staff positions dedicated to reviewing child welfare contracts to include family time visit payments.
o Developed compliance audit plans for child welfare contracts and began fiscal monitoring of family time visit payments.
o Implemented a new process for creating Sprout invoices from family time activity data to include the following:
Utilizing algorithms to identify reimbursements outside of reasonable amounts.
Requiring providers to submit additional documentation or explanation for flagged invoices.
Identifying duplicate billings using a re-run process.
Performing additional review and approval of invoices of the Network Administrator in Eastern Washington prior to release of payment.
• Between January and March 2024:
o Identified and implemented regional program approvals for Western Washington providers.
o Implemented fiscal monitoring controls to ensure payments to providers for travel and family visits are allowable and adequately supported.
o Utilized the Plan, Do, Check, Act (continuous quality improvement process) to add additional steps to the process to ensure payments were accurate.
In response to the State Auditor’s Office (SAO) recommendations, the Department will:
• Reconcile the identified payment exceptions and take appropriate action.
• Review the implemented invoice and payment process and update training resources as needed.
• Refine the compliance audit plans and update documentation for the contract monitoring process to ensure that SAO can review documentation for monitoring tasks completed.
The conditions noted in this finding were previously reported in findings 2023-066, 2022-048, and 2021-040.
Completion
Date:
Estimated July 2025
Agency
Contact:
Stefanie Niemela
Audit Liaison
PO Box 40970
Olympia, WA 98504-0970
(360) 725-4402
stefanie.niemela@dcyf.wa.gov