Right Now
Feb 07 2011
Financial Audit of the Department of Health & Human Services Reveals Concerning Findings for FY2010
The nonpartisan analysis of an audit conducted by Ernst & Young on the balance sheets of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for FY2010, was included in HHS’s FY 2010 Agency Financial Report, dated November 15, 2010. The audit revealed concerning conclusions, among the many findings were the following:
- HHS Is Not In Compliance With Federal Financial Management Law. According to the HHS Inspector General’s review of Ernst & Young’s financial audit of HHS, “HHS's financial management systems are not compliant with the Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996.”
- Nearly $2 Billion Taxpayer Dollars Are Stuck in Limbo. “As of September 30, 2010, the audit identified approximately 102,500 transactions totaling an approximate $1.8 billion that were more than 2 year s old without activity.”
- Nearly $800 Million Dollars “Could Not Be Explained” Differing Between HHS’ Records and Treasury Department Records. “Based on our review and discussions with management, we noted differences of $794 million that could not be explained.”
- Some Processes and Procedural Manuals Have Not Been Updated Since the 1980s. “HHS’s formalized policies and procedures are out of date and may be inconsistent with actual processes taking place….For example, we noted that certain policies and procedures, including certain accrual processes, had not been updated since the mid-1980s.”
- Current HHS Personnel Need Training To “Complete Their Day-to-Day Responsibilities.” “Further, we noted additional training on the financial systems was needed to enable HHS personnel in their ability to access needed information from the system to complete their day-to-day responsibilities - including the preparation of reconciliations, research of differences noted, and the ability to identify and clear older “stale” transactions dating back several years.”
Click here for the entire list of Ernst & Young findings from the 2010 financial audit of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Click here for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services FY 2010 Agency Financial Report.
