(MN DHS)
St. Paul, MN – A new report shows some Department of Human Services employees backdated or created documentation during an audit of behavioral health grants.
Office of Legislative Auditor Judy Randall says her staff found what appeared to be an attempt to fabricate documents that didn’t previously exist. The OLA audit found pervasive and continued issues in the management of hundreds of millions of dollars in grants. The audit focused on grants for mental health and substance use disorders.
Representative Jeff Backer (R-Browns Valley) says, “The OLA audit report of BHA this week was just another example of fraud mismanagement, and lack of accountability that is allowed under the Walz administration. The audit found that funds were distributed in violation of grant management policies, and that individuals involved in grant oversight created records after the audit began to support those payments. Once again, the Walz administration has turned a blind eye to fraud, waste, and abuse in state programs.”
Democratic Senator Melissa Wiklund, Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, says the Senate has worked hard to allocate resources carefully given to Minnesotans’ urgent and significant needs and that to find out the promised care and leadership was not present is disappointing and compounds the work already ahead of legislators.