AUDIT FINDS NASSAU LAX IN ENFORCING
"FINGER-IMAGING" LAW FOR PUBLIC BENEFIT APPLICANTS

Nassau County’s Department of Social Services (DSS) failed to take photographic “finger-images” of most applicants for public benefits as a condition of eligibility, as required under New York State law, according to a new audit issued today by Nassau County Comptroller Howard S. Weitzman.

“Given the county’s precarious financial position, it’s especially important that it enforce all regulations that may result in cost savings,” Mr. Weitzman said.

New York State employs an automated finger-imaging system (AFIS) to enable positive identification of social service clients. The system compares photo images of fingerprints from clients enrolled in all social service districts in the state, in order to detect possible duplication of benefits in separate municipalities.

“In April 2000, New York State tightened the requirements for finger-imaging to include all applicants for Medicaid, whether or not they received other types of public benefits,” Comptroller Weitzman said. “Our audit examined Nassau County’s adherence to the state Social Services Law regarding this program.

“The results were disappointing,” Mr. Weitzman continued. “During the period from April 2000 through January 2003, Nassau’s Department of Social Services added more than 39,000 Medicaid-only clients to the county rolls, but, according to State records, finger-imaged only 1,900 individuals. We have urged the Department to correct this lax enforcement immediately, using the finger-imaging equipment already in place in Mineola and Freeport.”

Since adopting the finger-imaging system in 1995, the State estimates that about 3.8 percent of AFIS enrollments were cancelled following discovery of duplicate registrations, resulting in approximately $446 million in savings statewide. The savings represent 103,374 case closings or application denials out of 2,722,867 enrollments or applications. Based on these results, it is clear that strict adherence to the finger-imaging requirements can produce substantial cost savings to the County.

Mr. Weitzman noted that since these findings were brought to its attention, the Department of Social Services has begun to enforce the finger-imaging regulations for social service applicants more consistently.

“The Department is now moving in the right direction,” Mr. Weitzman said. “It is vital that the State finger-imaging system be fully employed in Nassau, in order to ensure that the monies the county and the State earmark for Medicaid and other social services are available for those who truly need them, and not for those who would abuse the social service system for personal gain.”

In addition to the Medicaid clients who were not finger-imaged, the audit found that a State report in March 2003 listed more than 15,000 active public assistance clients in the county, most of whom should have been finger-imaged but were not.

Moreover, the audit discovered that when DSS did perform finger-imaging and discovered matches between Nassau County DSS clients and clients in other jurisdictions – indicating that the same person was receiving benefits in two social service districts – investigations were not performed. Instead, auditors observed that DSS personnel reported the match to the State as the county’s “error,” and performed no further investigation.

The audit includes recommendations that:

• DSS immediately enforce the finger-imaging requirement in the determination of program eligibility, as required by state law;
  
• training be provided to all caseworkers on eligibility requirements and the proper documentation associated with the finger-imaging requirement; and that
  
• DSS prepare an action plan to address the failure to finger-image public assistance clients, including notifying recipients who are not covered by a qualified exemption (for example, because they are elderly or disabled) that they must comply with the finger-imaging requirement in order to remain eligible for benefits.
  The Comptroller’s Office has requested that DSS file a corrective action plan by March 22, 2004.

The complete audit may be Downloaded, viewed and printed by clicking on the report title below.