Report 2016-128 Recommendation 1 Responses

Report 2016-128: In‑Home Supportive Services: The State Could Do More to Help Providers Avoid Future Payment Delays (Release Date: March 2017)

Recommendation #1 To: Social Services, Department of

To ensure that counties are handling timesheet exceptions consistently and minimizing delays, Social Services should develop and issue procedures by July 2017 to require the counties to first attempt to correct timesheet errors for specific types of exceptions before mailing blank replacement timesheets to providers. Additionally, Social Services should review a random sample of exceptions at least quarterly to ensure that the counties are following its new procedures.

1-Year Agency Response

On May 31, 2017, CDSS released ACL 17-48 (Attachment C), providing direction to counties regarding the resolution of timesheet exceptions. CDSS has also implemented processes (Attachment A) and procedures (Attachment B), that CDSS Adult Programs Division (APD) auditor uses to perform monthly reviews of the timesheet exceptions identified using the data download file provided by the Case Management, Information, and Payrolling System (CMIPS) vendor. In CDSS' 6-month response, the Department had previously identified the Monthly Organizational Management Report (MOMR) would be used for this analysis; however, after analyzing the process, IHSS determined the CMIPS data download file was a more appropriate source of the data. IHSS began providing formal reports once the vacant auditor position was filled beginning with the December 2017 report. For a sample of the report see Attachment D.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented

6-Month Agency Response

CDSS released All County Letter (ACL) 17-48 on May 31, 2017, providing direction to counties regarding the resolution of timesheet exceptions. CDSS has also implemented a quarterly process to review the Timesheet Exceptions by County section of the Hewlett-Packard Enterprises (HPE) Monthly Organizational Management Report (MOMR) (see Attachments A, B, and C).

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Partially Implemented

Social Services' new procedures address our recommendation to direct the counties to initially attempt to correct timesheet errors. We are still awaiting evidence from Social Services that its staff is conducting the quarterly reviews of exceptions.

60-Day Agency Response

CDSS released a draft Timesheet Exceptions Report All County Letter (ACL) for stakeholder review in December 2016. CDSS released a revised draft ACL for stakeholder review March 2017. The ACL is now being finalized and will be released the end of May 2017. This ACL will also communicate that CDSS will be monitoring the counties' activities on a quarterly basis to ensure timely resolution is occurring (see Attachment A).

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2016-128

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.