Finding 1093562 (2023-003)

Significant Deficiency Repeat Finding
Requirement
E
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2023
Accepted
2024-12-30
Audit: 334996
Organization: Beaufort County (NC)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: There is a significant deficiency in the documentation and verification process for Medicaid eligibility, leading to repeat findings from previous audits.
  • Impacted Requirements: Incomplete documentation and ineffective record-keeping may result in applicants being approved for benefits they are not eligible for, violating Medicaid Manual MA-2230.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Conduct internal reviews, retrain staff on documentation standards, and ensure all files include necessary verifications that align with NC FAST data.

Finding Text

US Department of Health and Human Services Passed through the NC Dept. of Health and Human Services Program Name: Medical Assistance Program (Medicaid; Title XIX) AL # 93.778 Finding: 2023-003 Inaccurate Resources Entry SIGNIFICANT DEFICENCY Eligibility Criteria: This is a repeat finding from the immediate previous audit, 2022-001. We examined 60 cases from of a total of 553,427 Medicaid claims from the Medicaid beneficiary report provided by NC Department of Health and Human Services to redetermine eligibility. These findings are being reported with the financial statement audit as it relates to Medicaid administrative cost compliance audit. The County agrees with the finding. See Corrective Action Plan in the following section. Section III. Federal Award Findings and Questioned Costs (Continued) Files should be reviewed internally to ensure proper documentation is in place for eligibility. Workers should be retrained on what files should contain and the importance of complete and accurate record keeping. We recommend that all files include online verifications, documented resources of income and those amounts agree to information in NC FAST. The results found or documentation made in case notes should clearly indicate what actions were performed and the results of those actions. For those certifications/re-certifications there was a chance that information was not properly documented and reconciled to NC FAST and a participant could have been approved for benefits for which they were not eligible. Ineffective record keeping and ineffective case review process, incomplete documentation, and incorrect application of rules for purposes of determining eligibility. There was no known affect to eligibility and there were no known questioned costs. In accordance with Medicaid Manual MA-2230, Medicaid for Aged, Blind and Disabled case records should contain documentation that verifications were done in preparation of the application and these items will agree to reports in the NC FAST system. In this process, the countable resources should be calculated correctly and agree back to the amounts in the NC FAST system. Any items discovered in the verification process should be considered Condition: Questioned Costs: Context: Effect: Identification of a repeat finding: Cause: Recommendation: Views of responsible officials and planned corrective actions: The County agrees with the finding. See Corrective Action Plan in the following section. This is a repeat finding from the immediate previous audit, 2022-002. Section III. Federal Award Findings and Questioned Costs (Continued) We examined 60 cases from of a total of 553,427 Medicaid claims from the Medicaid beneficiary report provided by NC Department of Health and Human Services to redetermine eligibility. These findings are being reported with the financial statement audit as it relates to Medicaid administrative cost compliance audit. There was no known affect to eligibility and there were no known questioned costs. For those certifications/re-certifications there was a chance that information was not properly documented and reconciled to NC FAST and applicants could have been approved for benefits for which they were not eligible. There were 2 errors discovered during our procedures that resources in the county documentation and those same resources contained in NC FAST were not the same amounts or files containing resources were not properly documented to be considered countable or non-countable. Ineffective record keeping and ineffective case review process, incomplete documentation, and incorrect application of rules for purposes of determining eligibility. Files should be reviewed internally to ensure proper documentation is in place for eligibility. Workers should be retrained on what files should contain and the importance of complete and accurate record keeping. We recommend that all files include online verifications, documented resources of income and those amounts agree to information in NC FAST. The results found or documentation made in case notes should clearly indicate what actions were performed and the results of those actions.

Categories

Eligibility

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 517119 2023-002
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 517120 2023-003
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 517121 2023-004
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 1093561 2023-002
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 1093563 2023-004
    Significant Deficiency Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
93.778 Medical Assistance Program $1.40M
93.658 Foster Care_title IV-E $677,580
93.563 Child Support Enforcement $627,803
10.557 Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children $316,863
21.027 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds $308,768
14.239 Home Investment Partnerships Program $205,359
93.596 Child Care Mandatory and Matching Funds of the Child Care and Development Fund $144,987
93.092 Affordable Care Act (aca) Personal Responsibility Education Program $119,009
10.561 State Administrative Matching Grants for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program $106,395
93.994 Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant to the States $97,359
93.323 Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (elc) $95,409
93.354 Public Health Emergency Response: Cooperative Agreement for Emergency Response: Public Health Crisis Response $95,352
97.036 Disaster Grants - Public Assistance (presidentially Declared Disasters) $72,741
93.268 Immunization Cooperative Agreements $63,850
93.044 Special Programs for the Aging_title Iii, Part B_grants for Supportive Services and Senior Centers $62,278
21.032 Local Assistance $50,000
93.000 Foster Care $46,088
93.568 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance $44,164
93.217 Family Planning_services $42,975
97.042 Emergency Management Performance Grants $39,032
93.069 Public Health Emergency Preparedness $34,719
93.556 Promoting Safe and Stable Families $32,502
93.991 Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant $30,607
93.110 Maternal and Child Health Federal Consolidated Programs $30,000
93.674 John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood $24,780
93.767 Children's Health Insurance Program $21,344
93.667 Social Services Block Grant $19,206
93.898 Cancer Prevention and Control Programs for State, Territorial and Tribal Organizations $19,000
93.053 Nutrition Services Incentive Program $18,513
93.645 Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program $12,859
93.558 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families $8,195
93.659 Adoption Assistance $5,862
93.045 Special Programs for the Aging_title Iii, Part C_nutrition Services $5,782
93.116 Project Grants and Cooperative Agreements for Tuberculosis Control Programs $2,260
93.977 Preventive Health Services_sexually Transmitted Diseases Control Grants $100
12.401 National Guard Military Operations and Maintenance (o&m) Projects $90