Department: Health and Human Services Title: Internal control over the CCDF Cluster eligibility determination process needs improvement Questioned Costs: None Status: Management?s opinion is that corrective action is not required Corrective Action: DHHS believes the current internal controls that ar...
Department: Health and Human Services Title: Internal control over the CCDF Cluster eligibility determination process needs improvement Questioned Costs: None Status: Management?s opinion is that corrective action is not required Corrective Action: DHHS believes the current internal controls that are in place provide reasonable assurance that DHHS is managing the funds in compliance with all regulations. Reasons include; ? The ongoing quality assurance process is one of the major controls in place. In 2019, the OCFS Quality Assurance (QA) team, separate from the Child Care Subsidy Program (CCSP) team, comprised of 10 staff, began conducting 23 CCSP case reviews per month. This is systematic monitoring. QA uses the initial documentation submitted by the parent (applications, proof of income, etc.) and checks it against the information in the MACWIS system to ensure eligibility is calculated correctly and data was entered accurately. ? A summary of findings from the QA check is provided to CCSP management each month. CCSP management documents the needed remediation plan, with the Financial Resource Specialist (FRS) making the necessary corrections as soon as possible. Additionally, CCSP management conducts internal periodic audits of files and evaluates deficiencies. ? Information Technology Controls minimizes potential errors by utilizing pre-defined drop-down menus of approved entries. Several fields limit the number of characters allowed to be entered or only allow numeric entries. ? The Information Technology system provides an enhanced internal control that provides visual cues to enter dollar amounts. Users receive an error message if data is entered incorrectly. ? The Financial Resource Specialist Staff Manual provides detailed, step-by-step instructions of the process for entering information into the Information Technology system to ensure accuracy and consistency of data entry. Staff are trained using this manual and are provided ongoing access to the manual. Staff undergo regular training on the eligibility determination process. DHHS believes the process and technical solutions in place are a reasonable attempt to assure proper eligibility determination for CCSP funding. Completion Date: N/A Agency Contact: Todd Landry, Director of the Office of Child and Family Services, DHHS, 207-624-7900