Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Program/Cluster: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children
Federal Assistance Listing Number: 10.557
Pass‐through: California Department of Public Health
Award No. and Year: 22-10294
Compliance Requirement: Eligibility
Type...
Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Program/Cluster: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children
Federal Assistance Listing Number: 10.557
Pass‐through: California Department of Public Health
Award No. and Year: 22-10294
Compliance Requirement: Eligibility
Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance, Material Noncompliance
Views of Responsible Officials and Corrective Action Plan:
Condition #1.
Five (5) instances out of 60 cases were missing all eligibility documentation. This included the documentation of the determination of eligibility and redetermination in the period under audit. The missing documentation included the records to evidence compliance with the eligibility criteria.
Condition #2.
Two (2) instances out of 60 cases were missing the Self Declaration Statement form when the applicant was unable to provide acceptable documentation for proof of income, proof of address, or proof of identification.
Response to Condition #1
Per California Department of Public Health, Women, Infant, Children division (CDPH/WIC), the categories of non-breastfeeding, breastfeeding, and partially breastfeeding women files remain accessible to the local agency. For children five years of age, the files are purged six months after the fifth birthday. The WIC WISE records for the 5 files were not available due to the file purge by CDPH/WIC, therefore the auditor was unable to determine compliance to eligibility requirements for each of the five files. The auditor suggests the local agency retain eligibility documents. According to the California WIC Policy and Procedure Manual, WIC WISE Forms JOB AID section, eligibility documents provided by an applicant or a re-certifying client are not required to be retained by the local agency. The County has communicated this finding to CDPH/WIC and the risk it presents. At this time, the County is working with CDPH/WIC to address this finding.
Specific Corrective Plan Procedures addressing Condition #1
Staff participate in a robust Quality Assurance (QA) plan which involves periodic file reviews and observations as documented in Solano County’s Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Monitoring Plan. Additionally, CDPH/WIC conducts a Program Monitoring Visit (PMV) every two years which includes a random record review of the agency’s compliance to eligibility policies. Solano County WIC program will continue to conduct the QA plan, and participate with the CDPH/WIC PMVs.
Response to Condition #2
Solano County agrees with the finding. This use of the Self Declaration Statement (SDS) is a specific consideration in the QA plan. The WIC Supervisor was aware of the matter as it was discovered that both SDSs were missing from the family file as part of a regular QA review. The error was addressed with the employee shortly after the mistake occurred.
Specific Corrective Plan Procedures addressing Condition #2
Staff participate in a Quality Assurance (QA) plan which involves periodic file reviews and observations as documented in Solano County’s Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Monitoring Plan. Additionally, CDPH/WIC conducts a Program Monitoring Visit (PMV) every two years which includes a random record review of the agency’s compliance to eligibility policies. Solano County WIC program will continue to conduct the QA plan, and participate with the CDPH/WIC PMVs.
Responsible Individual(s):
Christopher Husing, Senior Health Services Manager, Solano Public Health
Anticipated Completion Date:
April 1, 2025