Report 2015-503 Recommendation 9 Responses
Report 2015-503: Follow-Up—California Department of Social Services: It Has Not Corrected Previously Recognized Deficiencies in Its Oversight of Counties' Antifraud Efforts for the CalWORKs and CalFresh Programs (Release Date: June 2015)
Recommendation #9 To: Social Services, Department of
To make certain that counties receive the greatest benefit from the resources they spend on antifraud efforts related to CalWORKs and CalFresh cases, Social Services should address and promptly act on the four remaining recommendations that its steering committee provided in 2008.
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From November 2020
The Department has refocused its efforts into the development of a Statewide Verification Hub that will house all of the Recipient IVES matches. This multi-agency project will create a more streamlined approach to verification of eligibility for social service programs. The estimated implementation of this new Hub is 2024. However, work continues to refine IEVS matches. In the last year, we have implemented filters on several of the matches to provide only the most critical information needed to confirm eligibility in the CalWORKs and CalFresh programs.
The cost savings and effectiveness formula and guidance was issued via ACIN I-75-19.
- Completion Date: November 2020
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Partially Implemented
Social Services' response indicates that its efforts are ongoing to implement three of the four remaining recommendations that its steering committee provided in 2008. Further, in its previous response, Social Services indicated that it would not implement the steering committee's fourth recommendation.
- Auditee did not substantiate its claim of full implementation
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From November 2019
1. Will not implement.
2. CDSS is continuing work on eIEVS and expects to have the system fully implemented, pending approval by IRS and SSA, by summer of 2020.
3. CDSS has disseminated a draft Fraud Cost Savings and Effectiveness ACIN to stakeholders. A final letter will be published by March 2020.
4. Fully implemented as of 2018 update.
- Estimated Completion Date: Summer 2020
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Partially Implemented
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From November 2018
See emailed response.
- Estimated Completion Date: June 2019
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Partially Implemented
This recommendation has been outstanding since the release of the original audit in November 2009. Social Services indicated in its emailed response the following as the status of the four recommendations that its steering committee issued in 2008:
-Fully implemented: 1 recommendation
-Partially implemented: 2 recommendations, with estimated full implementation in summer 2019
-Will not implement: 1 recommendation
We are disappointed that Social Services has chosen not to implement one of the steering committee's recommendations, but we are hopeful that Social Services is serious in its stated intent to address the remaining two recommendations by summer 2019.
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From December 2017
See emailed response.
- Estimated Completion Date: June 2019
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending
In response to our inquiry, the department provided additional information that shows it now disagrees with one of the four recommendations from 2008 and that its efforts to implement the other three recommendations are pending. However, it is troubling that the department has taken nearly 10 years to determine how it will implement these four recommendations.
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From November 2016
The Outstanding Steering Committee items are in progress and should be completed by the end of December 2016, with the exception of number three. The CDSS Program Integrity Branch (PIB) and Fraud Bureau are under new leadership as of October 2016. CDSS does not plan to implement this recommendation at this time. Once the new leadership team has evaluated all the priorities of PIB, CDSS will reassess the efficacy for the recommendation to develop a formula to regularly perform a cost-effectiveness analysis.
- Estimated Completion Date: December 2016
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Not Fully Implemented
1-Year Agency Response
Four Remaining Recommendations - Outstanding Steering Committee items:
CDSS/Fraud Bureau should:
1. Revise its county reports to include additional data on the number of investigations in the various types of welfare programs.
CDSS reviewed the Steering Committee's report and documents on file and has not found any specific additional data.
2. Review the cost effectiveness of various data match systems along with county feedback on the usefulness of each type of match.
CDSS conducted bi-weekly meetings with the Recipient IEVS workgroup from December 2015 through May of 2016. County participants identified policy and processing challenges associated with the ten IEVS matches. CDSS will identify and prioritize potential solutions.
3. Provide regular reports for counties to use in monitoring the cost-effectiveness of their program integrity efforts.
CDSS is completing its assessment of cost data to determine if it is sufficient for inclusion in the cost savings methodology.
4. Maintain a central repository of fraud training ideas and materials created by counties and accessible to other counties via the Fraud Bureau.
As material is developed or becomes available it will be posted to the website, including but not limited to, best practices from peer counties, links to other states' anti-fraud initiatives, and pertinent reports on program integrity from federal partners.
- Estimated Completion Date: September 2016
- Response Date: June 2016
California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending
6-Month Agency Response
Four Remaining Recommendations - Outstanding Steering Committee items:
CDSS/Fraud Bureau should:
1. Revise its county reports to include additional data on the number of investigations in the various types of welfare programs.
CDSS continues to review the Steering Committee's proposed additional data.
2. Review the cost effectiveness of various data match systems along with county feedback on the usefulness of each type of match.
On October 28, 2015, CDSS convened the first meeting of Recipient IEVS workgroup. This was a kick-off meeting to assemble the county participants and discuss participants' roles and responsibilities. The purpose of the workgroup is to gather and identify policy and processing challenges associated with the ten Income Eligibility and Verification System matches, and identify and prioritize potential solutions. The workgroup will meet twice a month and review one IEVS match per meeting. The workgroup will develop a list of prioritized solutions for each IEVS match by June 2016.
3. Provide regular reports for counties to use in monitoring the cost-effectiveness of their program integrity efforts.
CDSS gathered sample counties available cost data and is analyzing the data to determine if it is sufficient for inclusion in the cost savings methodology.
4. Maintain a central repository of fraud training ideas and materials created by counties and accessible to other counties via the Fraud Bureau.
A best practices link has been added to the CDSS Fraud Bureau website and the statewide ADH training PowerPoint is posted at http://www.cdss.ca.gov/fraud/res/pdf/ ADH_Training.pdf. Additional materials will be added on a flow basis as they become available. Estimated Completion Date: June 30, 2016.
- Estimated Completion Date: 6/30/16
- Response Date: December 2015
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Partially Implemented
60-Day Agency Response
Four Remaining Recommendations - Outstanding Steering Committee items:
CDSS/Fraud Bureau should:
1. Revise its county reports to include additional data on the number of investigations in the various types of welfare programs.
CDSS has begun to review the remaining Steering Committee's proposed additional data.
2. Review the cost effectiveness of various data match systems along with county feedback on the usefulness of each type of match.
CDSS has solicited county representatives to participate in the workgroup.
3. Provide regular reports for counties to use in monitoring the cost-effectiveness of their program integrity efforts.
CDSS has selected sample counties whose available data will be reviewed to initiate our assessment.
4. Maintain a central repository of fraud training ideas and materials created by counties and accessible to other counties via the Fraud Bureau.
The staff person assigned to this project will return from a leave of absence in October 2015. As a result, CDSS reassessed the workload necessary to complete the central repository and is extending the completion date until June 2016. The extension is needed in order to fully implement the central repository and meet current and new work priorities. However, CDSS will post material in the central repository on a flow basis, as it becomes available.
- Estimated Completion Date: June 30, 2016
- Response Date: August 2015
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Partially Implemented
All Recommendations in 2015-503
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.