Finding Text
Program(s) Affected AL #93.558 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, passed through Maine Department of Health and Human Services, agreement period January 1, 2021 - September 30, 2022. Criteria Per Rider A of the contract, the provider must ensure the following occur: ? Referrals must assign a Visit Support Worker (VSW) to the family within 3 business days of referral ? First visit must occur within 7 calendar days of the referral date Condition and Context Of the 25 selections made from a nonstatistical sample, the following did not have auditable documentation to support the completion of certain steps in line with the contract timeline. Our testing identified: ? 7 of 25 selections did not have evidence of being assigned within 3 days of the referral date. ? 8 of 25 selections did not have evidence of the first visit occurring within 7 days of the referral date. Questioned Costs None noted. Cause and Effect A lack of policies and procedures, in addition to a significant staff shortage, resulted in this new program not complying with the contract terms. Further, noncompliance with this contract criteria could subject the families to greater potential risk of unsafe environmental conditions. Repeat Finding? Yes, Finding 2021-003 Recommendation In addition to addressing the staff shortage, we recommend the Organization institute procedures, such as a checklist, to ensure staff are appropriately addressing the contract requirements on a timely basis. Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Actions: Management agrees with finding. See attached Planned Corrective Actions.