Missing foster care case files and inadequate controls over bank accounts and corporate debit cards made up some of the 373 findings in a state audit released Wednesday of 24 local social services agencies across Maryland.
Of the 373 areas identified as needing oversight, 77 were not addressed after being identified in an audit performed roughly three years ago. The worst offenders were the Departments of Social Services in Prince George’s County and Baltimore, each of which had 40 areas of concern, and Montgomery County, where 45 percent of the 20 findings were repeat findings.
The most prevalent issues involved budgetary problems. The auditors found inadequate controls over items like bank accounts, blank checks, corporate purchasing cards and prepaid gift cards.
In some cases, cash receipts did not match deposits, accounts were not reconciled or former employers were left as administrators on bank accounts. In at least eight departments, potential existed for the misuse of gift cards that were intended to be given as public assistance to individuals and families who have trouble paying for meals.
There were also 101 problems in the counties’ administration of social services. Foster care files were missing documentation, so the auditors could not confirm that measures like caseworker visits and the delivery of medical and educational services were actually being accomplished.
Though the missing documents do not necessarily mean children in the foster care system were not provided with adequate medical and educational services, the possibility exists, said Legislative Auditor Bruce Myers.
The audit also found 79 problems in the state’s Temporary Cash Assistance program, which assists needy families with dependent children, the federal Food Supplement Program, which helps low-income households buy food, and Medicaid. Like in the other problem areas, these programs were fraught with missing case files, potential for payment errors and inadequate controls over missing debit cards that left them open to abuse.
Theodore Dallas, secretary of the Maryland Department of Human Resources, which oversees the local agencies, attributed some of the problems to inadequate staffing, in a written response to the audit. Other problems were due to lapsed record keeping or policies that have not been properly followed.
All high-risk findings will be addressed by July 31, all repeat findings by Nov. 23 and the remaining findings by Jan. 18, 2013, Dallas said.
