Recently, State Auditor Mike Foley released an audit of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Child Care Subsidy program with a specific focus on NFOCUS aid payments. Aid payments are funds given to childcare providers who provide care to children receiving subsidy assistance. The audit discovered some childcare providers were billing the State improperly.
The Department has reviewed the APA’s report and agrees with the Auditor’s findings. DHHS is already implementing improvements, such as conducting internal targeted high-risk reviews and has initiated processes to recoup funds identified by the audit.
DHHS’s fraud unit is working to recover full or partial grants paid to providers that did not comply with contractual obligations, including billing requirements. An investigation is already underway for one of the providers noted in the audit.
“I appreciate Auditor Foley’s tireless efforts to safeguard taxpayer dollars. Since being appointed CEO of DHHS just under 10 months ago, our main focus has been to evaluate the department and begin putting in place effective safeguards to ensure taxpayer dollars are allocated properly,” said CEO Steve Corsi. “These efforts will be continued aggressively. We look forward to the ongoing collaboration with the State Auditor’s office.”