Open Recommendations

New Mexico Human Services Department should identify and share information about strategies to improve care coordination.

New Mexico Human Services Department should expand initiatives to integrate behavioral and primary healthcare.

The Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement should develop Service-wide processes and procedures to ensure that all operating divisions suppress the issuance of nonstatutory notices to taxpayers that have a UD mail indicator on their account; suppress the issuance of correspondence when a taxpayer's address of record is an IRS campus; and research and update taxpayer addresses for which the USPS returns undeliverable mail with a yellow label that provides a more current address.

The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should install and use hygiene software to perfect taxpayer addresses on the Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) RTS system.

Remove any of the approximately $540 million in remaining underpayments that are not payable.

Establish a process to timely remove from deceased recipients’ records any Supplemental Security Income underpayments that are not payable.

Ensures that the Council complies with the activities allowed or unallowed requirements.

Recovers $194,821 from the Council, if applicable.

Ensures that the Council complies with the procurement and suspension and debarment requirements.

Recommendation 1 - We recommend the State agency refund $180,288 ($118,990 Federal share) for duplicate Title IV-D MPRs.

Recommendation # 5 - We recommend the State agency develop policies and procedures to prevent incorrect rates from being paid and ensure supporting documentation and invoices are reviewed and approved prior to the payment to the court administrator’s office and strengthen internal controls to ensure these invoice-review processes are followed.

Recommendation # 2 - We recommend that the Vermont Office of Child Support refund $48,891 ($32,268 Federal share) for Title IV-D MPRs, which were reimbursed at the incorrect county rate.

Recommendation # 4 - We recommend the State agency work with the court administrator’s office to improve the MPR processing system and establish policies and procedures and application controls to ensure duplicates can be prevented or detected or establish policies and procedures to ensure a manual review of all MPRs is performed .

Recommendation # 6 - We recommend the State agency develop policies and procedures for allocating salaries to the individual family courts which ensures the allocation is supported and accurately reflects the relative benefits received. Specifically: • ensure the courts report their Title IV-D activities each pay period as described within the cooperative agreement, and • ensure the IAG performs its functions as outlined within the cooperative agreement to maintain the key internal control of segregation of key duties by reviewing job positions, employee activity, and interviews managing supervisors and staff to determine the reasonable amount of resources (time and effort)…

Recommendation # 3 - We recommend the State agency work with ACF to determine what portion of the $1,374,320 ($907,051) for unsupported salaries allocated represents Title IV-D eligible costs or refund the entire amount.

Reimburse HUD $30,037 from nonproject funds for the overpayment of housing assistance and utility allowances due to incorrect calculations.

Support or reimburse HUD $159,938 from nonproject funds for the unsupported payments of housing assistance cited in the finding.

Pursue collection from the applicable household or reimburse HUD $26,915 from nonproject funds for the overpayment of housing assistance due to unreported income.

Implement adequate quality control procedures to ensure that housing assistance payments are appropriately calculated and supported. These procedures and controls should ensure that $54,257 in program funds is appropriately used for future payments.

Ensure that third-party verifications, such as tax returns provided by the applicant, are from the source by obtaining certified tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service.

Ensure that the management agent's staff is properly trained and familiar with HUD's and the project's requirements regarding housing assistance payments calculations.

Conduct criminal record background checks in accordance with the project's policies and procedures to ensure that adult members of all households, including the 11 households for which HUD made housing assistance payments totaling $239,500, were eligible to participate in the program. If the participants are deemed ineligible, the owner should follow applicable regulations to terminate or modify assistance and reimburse HUD from nonproject funds for those housing assistance payments deemed ineligible.

ACF’s ORR should develop and implement strategies to assist care provider facilities in overcoming obstacles to hiring and retaining qualified mental health clinicians

ACF’s ORR should identify and disseminate evidence-based approaches to addressing trauma in short-term therapy