Finding 1675 (2023-001)

Significant Deficiency
Requirement
E
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2023
Accepted
2023-11-13
Audit: 2925
Organization: Brunswick County (NC)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: Inaccurate information was entered during eligibility determinations for Medicaid, leading to potential approval of ineligible benefits.
  • Impacted Requirements: Compliance with 42 CFR 435 and 2 CFR 200 regarding documentation and internal controls for eligibility determinations was not met.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Conduct internal reviews of files, retrain staff on documentation requirements, and ensure all files include necessary verifications and clear case notes.

Finding Text

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Passed through the NC Department of Health and Human Services Program Name: Medical Assistance Program (Medicaid; Title XIX) CFDA #: 93.778 Finding: 2023-001 Inaccurate Information Entry SIGNIFICANT DEFICENCY ELIGIBILITY Criteria: "In accordance with 42 CFR 435, documentation must be obtained as needed to determine if a recipient meets specific standards, and documentation must be maintained to support eligibility determinations. In accordance with 2 CFR 200, management should have an adequate system of internal controls procedures in place to ensure an applicant is properly determined or redetermined for benefits." Condition: There were 2 errors discovered during our procedures that inaccurate information was entered when determining eligibility. Questioned Costs: There was no known affect to eligibility and there were no known questioned costs. Context: "We examined 60 cases from of a total of 1,034,423 Medicaid claims from the Medicaid beneficiary report provided by NC Department of Health and Human Services to re-determine eligibility. These findings are being reported with the financial statement audit as it relates to Medicaid administrative cost compliance audit. " Effect: 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. Cause: "Ineffective record keeping and ineffective case review process, incomplete documentation, and incorrect application of rules for purposes of determining eligibility. " Recommendation: "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. " Views of responsible officials and planned corrective actions: The County agrees with the finding. See Corrective Action Plan in the following section.

Corrective Action Plan

Finding 2023-001 ELIGIBILITY - INACCURATE INFORMATION ENTRY Name of contact person: "Catherine Lytch, DSS Director" Corrective Action: "The department will conduct refresher training on reading and reviewing electronic sources. Additionally, the department will conduct targeted case reads for the next three months to ensure the agency is following policy. " Proposed Completion Date: 1/31/2024

Categories

Eligibility Internal Control / Segregation of Duties

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1676 2023-002
    Significant Deficiency
  • 1677 2023-003
    Significant Deficiency
  • 1678 2023-004
    Significant Deficiency
  • 578117 2023-001
    Significant Deficiency
  • 578118 2023-002
    Significant Deficiency
  • 578119 2023-003
    Significant Deficiency
  • 578120 2023-004
    Significant Deficiency

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
14.871 Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers $2.00M
10.557 Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children $647,697
93.558 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families $513,170
93.243 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services_projects of Regional and National Significance $382,159
20.106 Airport Improvement Program $276,254
66.468 Capitalization Grants for Drinking Water State Revolving Funds $211,330
20.600 State and Community Highway Safety $204,960
93.596 Child Care Mandatory and Matching Funds of the Child Care and Development Fund $193,838
93.323 Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (elc) $126,437
15.226 Payments in Lieu of Taxes $106,337
21.027 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds $89,046
12.107 Navigation Projects $82,087
93.767 Children's Health Insurance Program $74,466
93.568 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance $73,086
97.036 Disaster Grants - Public Assistance (presidentially Declared Disasters) $68,213
93.268 Immunization Cooperative Agreements $63,140
93.217 Family Planning_services $55,652
21.032 Latcf $50,000
93.994 Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant to the States $41,913
93.556 Promoting Safe and Stable Families $41,863
93.069 Public Health Emergency Preparedness $39,296
93.898 Cancer Prevention and Control Programs for State, Territorial and Tribal Organizations $38,000
16.606 State Criminal Alien Assistance Program $34,885
93.991 Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant $30,607
93.645 Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program $27,024
16.738 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program $17,378
93.674 John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood $15,421
93.667 Social Services Block Grant $13,071
93.778 Medical Assistance Program $10,133
10.561 State Administrative Matching Grants for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program $9,458
93.116 Project Grants and Cooperative Agreements for Tuberculosis Control Programs $3,769
93.658 Foster Care_title IV-E $1,221
93.566 Refugee and Entrant Assistance_state Administered Programs $1,135
93.659 Adoption Assistance $117
93.977 Preventive Health Services_sexually Transmitted Diseases Control Grants $100
93.563 Child Support Enforcement $5