A new report from the state auditor’s office finds Delaware is doing a generally good job of spending federal money.
The state received about $4.2 billion in federal dollars last year, and it’s required to make sure that money is used correctly and in compliance with federal laws. Part of that process is a comprehensive audit performed by State Auditor Lydia York’s office.
“This audit actually represents what responsible government oversight looks like," York says. "You look at the program. Where are the gaps? Where are the places where we're not 100%? And work on that.”
The state receives billions in federal money each year, for programs ranging from health care to housing to environmental initiatives. The largest sums go to the Department of Health and Social Services for programs like Medicaid.
“We're largely in compliance. There are some instances where we see gaps in documentation that are not quite so significant that we need to be terribly, terribly concerned about them," York says.
One gap is in the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, which has seen problems in recent years, a finding also noted in the state’s comprehensive financial report recently.
“Unemployment is two things," York explain. "It's the collection from the employers. It's the benefit to the unemployed people. We are really good on that side, but it's really a problem on the collection side.”
York says her office and the Department of Labor are working to get processes in place that get the trust fund back into compliance.
The report also found problems with reporting employee pay in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP.
York notes audits like this are good ways to find gaps in documentation that could lead to fraud or illegal activity in the future.
