The state Department of Human Services failed to enter death dates into its computers for thousands of social services clients, raising the possibility the state paid benefits for dead people, according to state Auditor Marion Higa.
To test the accuracy of the department’s social services computer system, researchers for the auditor matched death records from the state Department of Health with client records from the social services computer to determine benefits that may have been paid in such areas as welfare and foster care.
The audit, released yesterday, found that 5,325 clients had died, but only 1,206 were listed as deceased in the Human Services system. Among those recorded as deceased, 189 inaccurate dates of death were listed.
In cases where no date of death was recorded, the computer system continues to pay for services for the clients, according to the audit. The audit uncovered two dozen cases where payments were made for services supposedly provided after the clients died, according to the report.
"We found significant amounts of missing, inaccurate and inconsistent data in the social services computer system," the audit said.
Susan Chandler, director of the state Department of Human Services, said her department is supposed to be notified when clients die.
"We actually have some concerns about the accuracy of those numbers, and our staff did try to track down where those numbers are coming from, and we don’t find a significant problem," she said.
Chandler added that in cases where the state does discover a payment has been made for someone who has died, the state has a mechanism for recouping the money from the client’s estate.
