REPORT DIGEST

 

ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC AID

 

FINANCIAL AUDIT

For the Year Ended:

June 30, 2004

AND

COMPLIANCE EXAMINATION

For the Year Ended:

June 30, 2004

 

Summary of Findings:

Total this audit                      3

Total last audit                      1

Repeated from last audit       0

 

 

 

Release Date:

March 10, 2005

 

State of Illinois

Office of the Auditor General

WILLIAM G. HOLLAND

AUDITOR GENERAL

 

To obtain a copy of the Report contact:

Office of the Auditor General

Iles Park Plaza

740 E. Ash Street

Springfield, IL 62703

(217) 782-6046 or TTY (888) 261-2887

 

This Report Digest is also available on

the worldwide web at

http://www.state.il.us/auditor

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

 

¨      The Department made payments for efficiency initiative billings from improper line item appropriations and funds.  Efficiency initiative payments totaled $11,890,795.

 

¨      The Department’s methodology used for calculating significant accounting estimates for the medical claim liability did not include all data extracts pertinent to calculating an accurate accrual amount.  This methodology was not sufficient to ensure proper financial reporting.  Proposed auditor adjustments to the Department's calculation included the following increases:

 

-                      Medical accrual liability of approximately $204 million,

-                      Deferred revenue of approximately $254 million,

-                      Account receivable due from other local government of approximately $129 million,

-                      Account receivable for federal financial participation of approximately $101 million, and

-                      Health and Social Services expenses of approximately $204 million.

 

Proposed adjustments also included a decrease in operating grants revenue of approximately $24 million.

 

 

 


DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC AID

FINANCIAL AUDIT AND COMPLIANCE EXAMINATION

For The Period Ended June 30, 2004

 

EXPENDITURE STATISTICS (in thousands)

FY 2004

FY 2003

FY 2002

!  Total Expenditures.......................................

 

$10,799,979

$8,540,085

$7,907,076

      OPERATIONS TOTAL.....................................

         % of Total Expenditures........................

$634,440

5.87%

$544,604

6.38%

$515,055

6.51%

         Personal Services...................................

            % of Operations Expenditures...........

            Average No. of Employees (whole numbers)

$111,144

17.52%

2,347

$115,412

21.19%

2,529

$115,749

22.47%

2,855

         Other Payroll Costs (FICA, Retirement, Group Insurance)....................................

            % of Operations Expenditures...........

 

$34,278

5.40%

 

$34,693

6.37%

 

$35,219

6.84%

         Contractual Services...............................

            % of Operations Expenditures...........

$82,588

13.02%

$106,505

19.56%

$107,811

20.93%

         All Other Operations Items.....................

            % of Operations Expenditures...........

 

$406,430

64.06%

$287,994

52.88%

$256,276

49.76%

     AWARDS AND GRANTS.............................

         % of Total Expenditures.........................

 

$10,165,539

94.13%

$7,995,481

93.62%

$7,392,021

93.49%

!  Cost of Property and Equipment..................

$49,159

$49,983

$48,068

 

SELECTED ACTIVITY MEASURES

FY 2004

FY 2003

FY 2002

Adjudication Processing Time

    In Calendar Days - General Fund (unaudited)............

 

28.7 Days

 

24.6 Days

 

29.9 Days

Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities (General Fund)

    (in thousands)..........................................................

 

$917,127

 

$1,829,053

 

$1,309,067

 

AGENCY DIRECTOR(S)

     During Audit Period:    Mr. Barry S. Maram

     Currently:  Mr. Barry S. Maram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Department did not receive guidance or documentation with the billings from CMS

 

 

 

 

 

 


Efficiency initiative payments were made from line items that had available monies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Efficiency initiative payments totaled $11,890,795

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Methodology was not sufficient to ensure proper financial reporting

 

 

 

 


Inconsistencies in medical claim liability calculation resulted in understatement

 

 

 

 

 


Amounts were significant

 

 

FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

 

PAYMENTS WERE MADE FOR EFFICIENCY INITIATIVE BILLINGS FROM IMPROPER LINE ITEM APPROPRIATIONS AND FUNDS

 

The Department made payments for efficiency initiative billings from improper line item appropriations and funds. Public Act 93-0025, in part, outlines a program for efficiency initiatives to reorganize, restructure and reengineer the business processes of the State.  The State Finance Act details that the amount designated as savings from efficiency initiatives implemented by the Department of Central Management Services (CMS) shall be paid into the Efficiency Initiatives Revolving Fund.  The Act further requires State agencies to pay these amounts from line item appropriations where cost savings are anticipated to occur.

 

The Department did not receive guidance or documentation with the billings from CMS detailing from which line item appropriations savings were anticipated to occur.  According to Department staff, while they requested via telephone information that detailed where savings were to occur – no information was received. The only guidance received was the amount of payments that should be taken from General Revenue Funds ($5,248,180) versus Other Funds ($6,642,615) for the September 2003 billings. 

 

The Department made payments for these billings not from line item appropriations where the cost savings were anticipated to have occurred but from line items that had available funds.  For example, the Department used:

 

·        $4,079,624 from the General Revenue Fund for the CMS billing relative to the Information Technology Initiative.  The specific appropriation within the Medical Assistance Division under the Illinois Public Aid Code and the Children’s Health Insurance Program Act, was “For Other Related Medical Services and for development, implementation, and operation of managed care and children’s health programs including operating and administrative costs and related distributive purposes.”  An additional $11,171 from the General Revenue Fund for the CMS billing relative to the Vehicle Fleet Management Initiative was also paid from this appropriation.

 

·        $3,000,000 from personal services line item appropriations from the Child Support Administrative Fund (Fund #0757) for part of the CMS billings relative to the Information Technology Initiative.  State law (305 ILCS 5/12-10.2a) details that “Moneys in the Fund may be used…only for the Department of Public Aid’s child support administrative expenses, as defined in this Section.”

 

·        $991,100 from personal services line item appropriations (i.e. regular positions, retirement, social security contributions and State paid retirement) from the Office of the Inspector General function within the Department to make payments for the CMS billing for the Procurement Efficiency Initiative.

 

The Department paid a total of $11,890,795 for the efficiency initiative from various funds. (Finding 1, pages 10-13)

 

      We recommended that the Department only make payments for efficiency initiative billings from line item appropriations where savings would be anticipated to occur.  Further, the Department should seek an explanation from the Department of Central Management Services as to how savings levels were calculated, or otherwise arrived at, and how savings achieved or anticipated impact the Department’s budget.

 

Department officials concurred with our finding and stated they will make savings payments from appropriation lines from which it anticipates obtaining savings.

 

 

 

INACCURATE FINANCIAL REPORTING DUE TO CODING ERROR

 

The Department’s methodology used for calculating significant accounting estimates for the medical claim liability for County Hospital Services Fund (Fund 329) did not include all data extracts pertinent to calculating an accurate accrual amount for the Fund.  This methodology was not sufficient to ensure proper financial reporting.

 

During our review of the estimated medical claim liability, we identified inconsistencies in the calculation from 2003 to 2004 which resulted in an understatement of the medical claim liability.  Proposed adjustments to this calculation included the following increases: medical accrual liability of approximately $204 million, deferred revenue of approximately $254 million, account receivable due from other government – local of approximately $129 million, and federal financial participation account receivable of approximately $101 million and health and social services expenses of approximately $204 million.  Proposed adjustments also included a decrease in operating grants revenue of approximately $24 million.  Such amounts were significant and resulted in reporting inaccurate financial information to the Comptroller.  (Finding 2, pages 14-15)

 

We recommended that the Department develop procedures and controls to ensure consistent and reasonable calculations of significant accounting estimates.

 

Department officials concurred with our finding and stated that the historic medical claims history data for the County Hospital Provider Fund, used to project medical claim liability, was understated due to a data collection error.  The Division of Finance has acknowledged the data error and has prepared written procedures that detail the methodology for projecting the incurred liability to avoid errors in the future.

     

 

 

OTHER FINDING

 

      The remaining finding is less significant and is reportedly being given attention by the Department.  We will review the progress towards the implementation of our recommendations in our next compliance examination.

 

      Director Barry Maram provided responses to the recommendations in correspondence dated December 23, 2004.

 

AUDITORS’ OPINION

 

      Our auditors state the June 30, 2004 financial statements are fairly presented in all material respects.

 

 

 

___________________________________

WILLIAM G. HOLLAND, Auditor General

 

WGH:GSS:pp

 

SPECIAL ASSISTANT AUDITORS

 

      BKD, LLP were our special assistant auditors.