SIAC 2003 Annual Report

 

 

 

 

 

NORTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY DIRECTORS

OF SOCIAL SERVICES

 

SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

 

ANNUAL REPORT

 

 

ROLE OF THE COMMITTEE:

 

To serve as liaison between the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the North Carolina Association of County Directors of Social Services (NCACDSS), the North Carolina Social Services Association Program Integrity Chapter, other governmental entities and the county departments of social services in developing policies and procedures affecting the administration of all programs administered in the county departments of social services in relation to all aspects of program integrity. The committee also promotes consistency between programs and professionalism of local program integrity staff. To implement goals and strategies from the NCACDSS Strategic Plan as appropriate to the Committee’s scope of work or as assigned by the President.

 

ISSUES:

 

Among the issues discussed this year were:

 

1. Budget cuts of the Program Integrity Unit in the counties. Many counties lost staff in this area. A survey was done regarding the impact this had on counties.
2. Discussion of Day Care issues regarding how Provider/Recipient Fraud overpayments are collected.
3. Clarify the SIAC Committee Charter and what is a voting member vs. a visitor.
4. Work within the guidelines set forth by the Director’s Association.
5. Began work on short and long term goals for the committee.
6. Become more structured and strategic within the committee and become more Pro-active.

 

SHORT TERM GOALS:

 

•  To assist the Division of Child Development and the State in designing and implementing a mutually agreed upon plan that will ensure program integrity investigations for overpayments in child day care programs. To work together in establishing mutually agreed upon procedures for investigating day care referrals, establishing day care fraud/overpayment claims, collections and incentives; while holding counties harmless for federal disbursement until such time as those claims have been collected.

•  Allow Program Integrity investigators access to the Electronic Parent Locator Network (EPLN). This would be a tool to verify addresses (when parents are in the home together) and give investigators another tool to locate persons in collection status.

•  In as much as program integrity is integral to every program, we advocate that all training and policy be sent to and include program integrity staff at the state and local level.

•  Pursue strategies for increasing collections.

•  Establish and maintain a contact list for all program integrity personnel in each county or a contact in each county.

 

LONG TERM GOAL:

 

Establish and draft a proposed position statement that would be reasonable

program integrity standards for all counties in North Carolina . Recognizing the need that such standards would need to be fair and consistent for all counties and in part funded by county and state funds to match federal funds.

 

 

The SIAC committee works closely with DSS; DMA; USDA; DCD in establishing input on policy that affects Program Integrity. This committee has worked diligently in establishing a good relationship with State Office Staff.

 

The committee’s work will be on-going and will continue into the next fiscal year. We hope to fulfill each of our goals that we have listed and to work closely with the Director’s Association in accomplishing each of these goals.

 

Co-Chairs:

Paul Burge, Director of Burke County

Mandy Stone, Director of Buncombe County