Like the rest of S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley’s administration, her welfare agency has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster.
Don’t believe us? Read for yourself here, here and here.
Now, according to our sources at the agency, the benefit call center at the S.C. Department of Social Services (SCDSS) has been shut down in the wake of a pending federal audit. The agency’s director – Lillian Koller – is also in hot water over a $1 million contract with an outside vendor related to the administration of federal TANF funds (a.k.a. “Temporary Assistance to Needy Families”).
“Koller knows that the contact is not working but she does not want to end it because it would make her look bad,” our source says.
We’re also told by multiple sources at the agency that SCDSS’ “welfare to work” scam – which we exposed in detail in this report – remains in effect despite the best efforts of Haley and Koller to mislead the public.
“The jobs they are talking about are not being created, and are certainly not being created by (SCDSS),” our source says. “SCDSS is clearing its cases when dependents come into a hardship and are unable to afford child care so they decide to apply for child care to help assist the family. That isn’t closing a case. Other cases are being closed because the household started receiving unemployment, social security income, child support income and other subsidies.”
Welfare to work? Sounds more like “welfare to welfare” to us …
Still, Haley is claiming this as a major victory … citing 18,000 people she has transitioned from the welfare rolls to gainful employment over the past two-and-a-half years.
“From the start, getting South Carolinians off welfare and back to work wasn’t about keeping compliance officers in Washington, D.C. happy – it was about getting our citizens back to work,” Haley said earlier this month. “I give director Koller a lot of credit for helping to change the culture from checking boxes and placement in entitlement programs to a commitment to placement in actual jobs.”
If only that were true …
“If this is going to be her campaign stump search for re-election their are some fools out there,” another SCDSS mole tells us. “This is an outright lie.”
Add it to the list …
18 comments
The sad part is that she could literally sit there and do nothing but spew rhetoric and submit plans that would never be passed by the SC legislature and blame them for things not getting better, and that would be more productive than what we have now. Now we just have epic mismanagement pissing away millions and sweeping everything under the rug so that most don’t even see that there’s a problem, not until someone gets thrown in jail for fraud anyways.
The real question is if the hammer drops before Haley runs again in in 2014. Even with that and SCDoR though, I’m not sure if it matters. Will it really cost her in the primary? I wonder.
No, DSS and DOR might not do it. But, start adding DEW, DOT, DHEC and more and, surely, even the TEA Partiers will be able to see a pattern of executive managerial incompetence that goes back to the Sanford administration.
NO, because the Governor has all of the news stations on her side WLTX, WISTV and ETC. They only want to cover the good thing Gov. Haley does not the bad things she does. When ever something hits the news no one reporter has enough balls to ask her to see the supporting documetation.
The sad part is that she could literally sit there and do nothing but spew rhetoric and submit plans that would never be passed by the SC legislature and blame them for things not getting better, and that would be more productive than what we have now. Now we just have epic mismanagement pissing away millions and sweeping everything under the rug so that most don’t even see that there’s a problem, not until someone gets thrown in jail for fraud anyways.
The real question is if the hammer drops before Haley runs again in in 2014. Even with that and SCDoR though, I’m not sure if it matters. Will it really cost her in the primary? I wonder.
No, DSS and DOR might not do it. But, start adding DEW, DOT, DHEC and more and, surely, even the TEA Partiers will be able to see a pattern of executive managerial incompetence that goes back to the Sanford administration.
NO, because the Governor has all of the news stations on her side WLTX, WISTV and ETC. They only want to cover the good thing Gov. Haley does not the bad things she does. When ever something hits the news no one reporter has enough balls to ask her to see the supporting documetation.
https://oig.hhs.gov/oas/reports/region4/41104012.pdf
Department of Health and Human Services
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
SOUTH CAROLINA CLAIMED SOME UNALLOWABLE ROOM-AND-BOARD COSTS UNDER THE INTELLECTUAL AND RELATED DISABILITIES WAIVER
OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to determine whether the State agency claimed Medicaid
reimbursement for unallowable room-and-board costs under the waiver program that
the Department operated.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
The State agency claimed Medicaid reimbursement of $6,730,749 ($4,832,975 Federal share) for unallowable room-and-board costs under the waiver program that the Department operated. The unallowable costs included:
•$5,176,347 ($3,726,112 Federal share) of administrative and general costs related to room and board and
• $1,554,402 ($1,106,863 Federal share) of direct room-and-board costs.
The State agency claimed unallowable room-and-board costs because neither the State
agency nor the Department had adequate controls to (ensure that the Department followed applicable Federal law and guidance or its own guidance or (2) detect errors or
misstatement s on the local DSN boards’ cost reports. Additionally, the Department did not prescribe a uniform format for the local DSN boards to follow when preparing the cost reports. Rather, each local board prepared its cost reports in its own format, making it difficult to identify when unallowable costs were claimed.
RECOMMENDATIONS
We recommend that the State agency:
• refund to the Federal government $4,832,975 representing the Federal share of the room-and-board costs that the Department improperly claimed on its waiver cost reports,
• Instruct the Department to follow Federal law and its own guidance and remove room-and-board related administrative and general costs from future waiver program cost reports,
• Instruct the Department to develop a uniform cost reporting process and require each local board to follow this process,
• Instruct the Department to strengthen its cost report review procedures to ensure that it will detect errors or misstatements on the local DSN boards’ cost reports, and
• strengthen its own procedures for reviewing the waiver cost reports submitted by the Department
Sounds interesting, but DSS is not DSN.
Are you attempting to report yet another scandal in another state agency?
I can’t remember, is DSN a cabinet agency?
What are these room and board costs? Are they for DSN clients living in DSN facilities?
https://oig.hhs.gov/oas/reports/region4/41104012.pdf
Department of Health and Human Services
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
SOUTH CAROLINA CLAIMED SOME UNALLOWABLE ROOM-AND-BOARD COSTS UNDER THE INTELLECTUAL AND RELATED DISABILITIES WAIVER
OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to determine whether the State agency claimed Medicaid
reimbursement for unallowable room-and-board costs under the waiver program that
the Department operated.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
The State agency claimed Medicaid reimbursement of $6,730,749 ($4,832,975 Federal share) for unallowable room-and-board costs under the waiver program that the Department operated. The unallowable costs included:
•$5,176,347 ($3,726,112 Federal share) of administrative and general costs related to room and board and
• $1,554,402 ($1,106,863 Federal share) of direct room-and-board costs.
The State agency claimed unallowable room-and-board costs because neither the State
agency nor the Department had adequate controls to (ensure that the Department followed applicable Federal law and guidance or its own guidance or (2) detect errors or
misstatement s on the local DSN boards’ cost reports. Additionally, the Department did not prescribe a uniform format for the local DSN boards to follow when preparing the cost reports. Rather, each local board prepared its cost reports in its own format, making it difficult to identify when unallowable costs were claimed.
RECOMMENDATIONS
We recommend that the State agency:
• refund to the Federal government $4,832,975 representing the Federal share of the room-and-board costs that the Department improperly claimed on its waiver cost reports,
• Instruct the Department to follow Federal law and its own guidance and remove room-and-board related administrative and general costs from future waiver program cost reports,
• Instruct the Department to develop a uniform cost reporting process and require each local board to follow this process,
• Instruct the Department to strengthen its cost report review procedures to ensure that it will detect errors or misstatements on the local DSN boards’ cost reports, and
• strengthen its own procedures for reviewing the waiver cost reports submitted by the Department
Sounds interesting, but DSS is not DSN.
Are you attempting to report yet another scandal in another state agency?
I can’t remember, is DSN a cabinet agency?
What are these room and board costs? Are they for DSN clients living in DSN facilities?
Same thing at SCDEW!
Same thing at SCDEW!
“Other cases are being closed because the household start receiving unemployment, social security income, child support income and other subsidies.” ”
FITS, either your source is ignorant of the program he/she is telling you about and/or you’re not able to put 2 + 2 together yourself.
TANF is a program based on income ELIGIBILITY. Income has to fall UNDER a specified amount.
Therefore, if income increases, the client may not be income ELIGIBLE any longer, regardless of the source of the new income.
If DSS did not close a case in those circumstances, it would be fraud and an agency error. Jeez.
FITS, SOURCE is not igorant this can happen everyday when a household reports zero income from the absent at application Absent Parent James has been ruled into court for non payment of Child suppport he makes a payment in June for $3287.00 income is over the limit for an household of two case closes due to income in August. SAME CAN APPLY TO SOCIAL SECURITY INCOME, WORKING INCOME, UNEPLOYMENT AND ETC. You are correct I was no longer eligible for benefits after my case close for that month but I could have reapplied the next month. My was approved for benefits for three months once her unemployment started she was also ineligible for service, We have friends who needed childcare assist and they were approved for benefits and their cases was closed for income. I believe FITSNEWS IS REPORTING ON THE 18,000 JOBS DSS STATED THAT THEY HAD CREATED AND SOME OF THE CASES WERE CLOSE DUE TO UNEMPLOYMENT INCOME, CHILD SUPPORT, SOCIAL SECURITY AND DSS DIRECTOR ARE USING THOSE CASE CLOSURE AS JOB CLOSURE.
“The jobs they are talking about are not being created, and are certainly not being created by (SCDSS),” our source says. “SCDSS is clearing its cases when dependents come into a hardship and are unable to afford child care so they decide to apply for child care to help assist the family. That isn’t closing a case. Other cases are being closed because the household start receiving unemployment, social security income, child support income and other subsidies.”
Welfare to work? Sounds more like “welfare to welfare” to us …
Still, Haley is claiming this as a major victory … citing 18,000 people she has transitioned from the welfare rolls to gainful employment over the past two-and-a-half years.
“Other cases are being closed because the household start receiving unemployment, social security income, child support income and other subsidies.” ”
FITS, either your source is ignorant of the program he/she is telling you about and/or you’re not able to put 2 + 2 together yourself.
TANF is a program based on income ELIGIBILITY. Income has to fall UNDER a specified amount.
Therefore, if income increases, the client may not be income ELIGIBLE any longer, regardless of the source of the new income.
If DSS did not close a case in those circumstances, it would be fraud and an agency error. Jeez.
FITS, SOURCE is not igorant this can happen everyday when a household reports zero income from the absent at application Absent Parent James has been ruled into court for non payment of Child suppport he makes a payment in June for $3287.00 income is over the limit for an household of two case closes due to income in August. SAME CAN APPLY TO SOCIAL SECURITY INCOME, WORKING INCOME, UNEPLOYMENT AND ETC. You are correct I was no longer eligible for benefits after my case close for that month but I could have reapplied the next month. My was approved for benefits for three months once her unemployment started she was also ineligible for service, We have friends who needed childcare assist and they were approved for benefits and their cases was closed for income. I believe FITSNEWS IS REPORTING ON THE 18,000 JOBS DSS STATED THAT THEY HAD CREATED AND SOME OF THE CASES WERE CLOSE DUE TO UNEMPLOYMENT INCOME, CHILD SUPPORT, SOCIAL SECURITY AND DSS DIRECTOR ARE USING THOSE CASE CLOSURE AS JOB CLOSURE.
“The jobs they are talking about are not being created, and are certainly not being created by (SCDSS),” our source says. “SCDSS is clearing its cases when dependents come into a hardship and are unable to afford child care so they decide to apply for child care to help assist the family. That isn’t closing a case. Other cases are being closed because the household start receiving unemployment, social security income, child support income and other subsidies.”
Welfare to work? Sounds more like “welfare to welfare” to us …
Still, Haley is claiming this as a major victory … citing 18,000 people she has transitioned from the welfare rolls to gainful employment over the past two-and-a-half years.