Program for elderly gets ‘failing grade’ in audit

A new state audit says that the Department of Social Services, which oversees Medicaid funding for the elderly, has fallen short of its goals. In addition, the effort by state officials has been given a failing grade by a high-ranking Republican state senator.

The audit focused on Community First Choice, an optional Medicaid program where the elderly and disabled can choose to remain at home in the community instead of in a nursing home or assisted living facility. The program itself has been growing rapidly as it jumped to 3,952 clients in the 2020 fiscal year — more than double the total of 1,683 in the 2016 fiscal year.

State funding has more than tripled to $125 million in 2020, up from $36 million four years earlier.

The latest update was a follow-up audit by the bipartisan Auditors of Public Accounts after an original audit in June 2022.

“The Department of Social Services appears to have partially or fully implemented 31% of our audit recommendations,” the auditors wrote. “This information is solely based upon the department’s responses to our update request and may be verified during our next departmental audit.”

Senate Republican leader Kevin Kelly, who also works as an eldercare lawyer, said the state must do better.

“This is a failing grade, and that’s unacceptable, especially when you consider how our elderly, vulnerable and disabled are the ones who are left behind,” Kelly said. “It must be our priority to provide these individuals with the dignity and lifestyle choices they deserve. This follow-up audit shows that it isn’t. Performance must improve, efficiencies must be implemented, taxpayers’ dollars must be respected, and these recommendations must be implemented. In short, DSS must do better.”

The Medicaid community program is relatively new as it was created under the federal Affordable Care Act that was signed into law by President Barack Obama.