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Statewide audit confirmed practically $261M in questioned bills for state businesses


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Louisiana’s 2024 single audit requires the eye of the state authorities as 35 findings had been reported with 16 of these being repeat findings from earlier audits.

The entire quantity questioned referring to federal packages is $260.6 million. In keeping with the LLA, a few of the 35 findings want consideration from the state authorities as some concern compliance stories, laws, contracts, and grant agreements. Of that quantity, the Louisiana Division of Well being constitutes greater than $260.1 million of the questioned prices.

The 35 findings had been all through a number of federal businesses, together with the Division of Kids and Household Companies, Louisiana Workforce Fee, LSU at Shreveport, LSU Well being Science Middle in New Orleans, Southern College in Baton Rouge, College of Louisiana in Monroe, Louisiana Division of Well being, Louisiana Tech College, and the Governor’s Workplace of Homeland Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

The Division of Kids and Household Companies had $4,685 in questioned prices for overbilling of various packages in addition to underbilling SNAP packages. There have been additionally cases reported of unauthorized worker gasoline transactions by a former DCFS worker that totaled $97,500 within the fiscal 12 months 2024.

The worker underneath investigation resigned as of March 31, 2024. As a result of misappropriation, there may be a further $37,746 in query for the DCFS. The division has $42,431 in whole questioned prices.

In a response to the LLA, DCFS stated, “DCFS concurs with the discovering and has zero tolerance for unauthorized use of state or federal funds.”

They acknowledged the division has developed procedures to watch transactions each month. “Any DCFS worker engaged in such an unauthorized use of state and federal funds can be terminated.”

The Louisiana Division of Well being additionally has $87 million in query for medical help packages. The audit discovered insufficient documentation for billed companies totaling $17,402 in federal funds. For Medicaid, there may be $28,793 in questioned prices, and CHIP packages have $6,042.

Each of those cases concern beneficiaries invalidly enrolled. There’s $172,802 in query for ineligible maternity kick funds. The LDH additionally exceeded the allotted quantity for DSH funds by $4,225,716 and $168 million in questioned federal prices for Medicaid expenditures.

In response to the DSH funds, the division acknowledged, “LLA has recognized $4,225,716 of whole computable funds made in extra of the world DSH allotment for FFY 2016. The division will recoup funds from the power that was overpaid and return the FFP portion of that overpayment to CMS.”

LSU Well being Sciences Middle in Shreveport has $2,686 in questioned prices. That is the sixth consecutive 12 months the LSUHSC-S didn’t guarantee correct documentation.

The College of Louisiana at Lafayette has $18,707 in questioned prices referring to Geosciences, Psychological Well being Analysis Grants, and Allergy and Infectious ailments analysis. The college additionally has $63,790 in separate questioned prices for the Workplace of STEM Administration and Fossil Power Analysis Growth. The college has $82,497 in whole questioned prices.

Louisiana State College at Shreveport has $101,159 in questioned prices for Federal Pell Grant Packages and Federal Direct Pupil Loans. The college didn’t return Title IV funds to the U.S. Division of Schooling within the required timeframe.

There have been $101,159 in excellent checks to college students and fogeys as of January. These had been issued between September 2014 to Could 2024, and never returned to the USDOE.

Southern College at Baton Rouge has $39,555 in questioned prices referring to Federal Pell Grant Packages and Federal Direct Pupil Loans not returned to the USDOE per the rules of Title IV funds.

Louisiana Tech College has $206,451 in questioned prices for misappropriating analysis and growth cluster funds. 9 digital fund switch funds had been made to an out-of-state college that had been fraudulently diverted to unknown people.

Lots of the businesses launched responses to the findings and questioned prices within the auditor’s report.

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