Finding 32366 (2022-004)

Significant Deficiency Repeat Finding
Requirement
E
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2022
Accepted
2022-12-19
Audit: 27610
Organization: Beaufort County (NC)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: Inadequate information was requested during Medicaid applications and redeterminations, leading to potential eligibility concerns.
  • Impacted Requirements: Compliance with 42 CFR 435 for documentation and electronic matches was not met, resulting in a repeat finding from the previous audit.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Conduct internal reviews of files, retrain staff on documentation standards, and ensure all necessary verifications and case notes are complete and accurate.

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) CFDA# 93.778 Finding: 2022-004 Inadequate Request for Information 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. Electronic matches are required at applications and redeterminations. Condition: There were 7 errors discovered during our procedures that inadequate information was requested at applications and/or redeterminations. Questioned Costs: There was no known affect to eligibility and there were no known questioned costs. Context: We examined 60 of a total of 592,659 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 applicants could have been approved for benefits for which they were not eligible. Identification of a repeat finding: This is a repeat finding from the immediate previous audit, 2021-004. 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.

Corrective Action Plan

Finding 2022-004 Name of contact person: Amy Alligood, Income Maintenance Administrator Corrective Action: Supervisors will be second partying records internally to ensure accuracy of cases. Applications will be reviewed and recertifications will be monitored on a rotation basis. Findings from second party reviews will be reviewed with the worker to monitor a pattern for errors and will review policy guidelines to ensure worker is knowledgeable of policy requirements. Training will also be provided to ensure all files include online verifications, work number searches, register of deeds search, documented resources of income, and ensure those amounts agree to information entered in NCF AST. Supervisors will provide training to ensure workers are aware of proper documentation required to support eligibility decisions. Proposed completion date: Training will be provided the week of November 7, 2022, to review findings and corrective action items. Trainings will continue every week to review policy changes, NCF AST updates as well as common errors that may be found during second party reviews. There were four (4) technical errors cited with a review date from a prior fiscal year.

Categories

Eligibility

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 32363 2022-001
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 32364 2022-002
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 32365 2022-003
    Significant Deficiency
  • 608805 2022-001
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 608806 2022-002
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 608807 2022-003
    Significant Deficiency
  • 608808 2022-004
    Significant Deficiency Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
21.027 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds $5.15M
93.778 Medical Assistance Program $1.56M
93.563 Child Support Enforcement $582,664
93.658 Foster Care_title IV-E $568,589
93.323 Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (elc) $350,380
10.557 Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children $300,201
93.596 Child Care Mandatory and Matching Funds of the Child Care and Development Fund $141,039
93.092 Affordable Care Act (aca) Personal Responsibility Education Program $109,017
14.239 Home Investment Partnerships Program $90,888
93.994 Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant to the States $90,286
93.268 Immunization Cooperative Agreements $84,555
93.000 Foster Care $61,621
93.045 Special Programs for the Aging_title Iii, Part C_nutrition Services $56,179
97.036 Disaster Grants - Public Assistance (presidentially Declared Disasters) $51,087
93.568 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance $46,984
93.556 Promoting Safe and Stable Families $43,949
93.667 Social Services Block Grant $39,243
93.217 Family Planning_services $39,130
93.069 Public Health Emergency Preparedness $34,719
97.042 Emergency Management Performance Grants $32,124
93.991 Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant $30,607
93.898 Cancer Prevention and Control Programs for State, Territorial and Tribal Organizations $26,000
93.354 Public Health Emergency Response: Cooperative Agreement for Emergency Response: Public Health Crisis Response $22,247
10.561 State Administrative Matching Grants for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program $19,529
97.067 Homeland Security Grant Program $16,242
93.645 Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program $14,997
93.767 Children's Health Insurance Program $14,526
93.674 John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood $10,823
93.558 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families $8,195
93.044 Special Programs for the Aging_title Iii, Part B_grants for Supportive Services and Senior Centers $7,722
93.659 Adoption Assistance $5,799
93.977 Preventive Health Services_sexually Transmitted Diseases Control Grants $100
12.401 National Guard Military Operations and Maintenance (o&m) Projects $87
93.116 Project Grants and Cooperative Agreements for Tuberculosis Control Programs $50