Community Services Block Grant Program: HHS Needs to Improve Monitoring of State Grantees

In its August 2009 report for which it audited the Office of Community Services (OCS) to determine whether OCS had implemented GAO's recommendations for the CSBG program, the HHS OIG found that OCS established written policies and procedures for ensuring that teams conducting monitoring visit include staff with the requisite skills. In addition, OCS stated that it had created a financial operations team and recruited both federal and contract staff with financial analysis and monitoring skills needed to serve the team. OCS also informed the IG that it had awarded a financial monitoring contract to obtain staff possessing requisite skills to assist in conducting state assessment.

In its August 2009 report for which it audited the Office of Community Services (OCS) to determine whether OCS had implemented GAO's recommendations for the CSBG program, the HHS OIG found that OCS had written established policies and procedures for ensuring the timely completion of monitoring reports to states. Specifically, OCS had developed procedures for ensuring that the timeframe from the beginning of the monitoring process until the issuance of the final report was approximately 180 days. In addition, the state assessment team now develops detailed work plans for each state assessment, including internal deadlines for the state provide information and a response to the draft report.

In its August 2009 report for which it audited the Office of Community Services (OCS) to determine whether OCS had implemented GAO's recommendations for the CSBG program, the HHS OIG found that OCS had established written policies and procedures for maintaining documentation on monitoring visits. Specifically, OCS has implemented procedures for maintaining hardcopy and electronic documentation for the nine states that it had visited since GAO released its report. OCS officials stated that they also have contracted with record management specialists and implemented a system that improved OCS's ability to account for all official monitoring documentation.

In its August 2009 report for which it audited the Office of Community Services (OCS) to determine whether OCS had implemented GAO's recommendations for the CSBG program, the HHS OIG found that OCS had established written policies and procedures for ensuring the timely issuance of report to Congress. Since GAO's review, OCS has issued three annual reports to Congress through a process managed by the Administration for Children and Families' Office of Legislative Affairs and Budget and the HHS Office of the Secretary.