Audit questions how Oregon spent some of the $11.6 billion received for federal programs in 2018

The Oregon Secretary of State’s annual financial audit of state agencies that receive federal dollars uncovered a number of concerning issues, including questionable costs and data errors within foster care and other welfare programs.

Instead of the usual deep dive on a specific issue or agency, the audit takes a sweeping look at federally funded programs and in some cases, examines small sample sets in order to determine potential patterns.

Among the findings, audit officials said Thursday that the review of the 2018 fiscal year found Department of Human Services officials had not properly tracked payments to welfare recipients under the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. That problem led to overpayment in some cases, according to the audit. The review also found inaccuracies in identifying who is eligible for assistance, a recurring problem that the state has faced since 2010.

Also, in a review of 60 foster care cases, the audit reported several instances in which the state didn’t complete criminal background checks or properly vet prospective foster homes. In conjunction with those findings, auditors questioned as much as $800,000 in costs.

Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2019/03/audit-questions-how-oregon-spent-some-of-the-116-billion-received-for-federal-programs-in-2018.html