Report 2015-505 Recommendation 5 Responses

Report 2015-505: Follow-Up—California Department of Veterans Affairs: Better Collection and Use of Data Would Improve Its Outreach Efforts, and It Needs to Strengthen Its Oversight of County Veterans Service Officer Programs (Release Date: July 2015)

Recommendation #5 To: Veterans Affairs, Department of

To ensure that the funding it distributes to the CVSOs is consistent with their actual workloads, Veterans Services should, by December 31, 2015, develop and implement procedures to more thoroughly review the accuracy of the data in the CVSOs' workload activity reports by reviewing the records that are the basis of the reports.

6-Month Agency Response

CalVet monitors the quantity and accuracy of the CVSO claims through VetPro and the CalVet CVSO Auditor. The CalVet audit of the CVSO claims activities and verification of the appropriateness of college fee waivers fully meets legal requirements. The Veteran Services CVSO Auditor follows a very thorough and standardized procedure that has been solidified in a desk reference manual (completed December 23, 2015). The standardized audit process includes validation of the documents that are the basis of the workload activity reports including official forms and documents submitted for Subvention and Medi-Cal Cost Avoidance funding, as well as performing annual sample audits of both college fee waivers and other claims submitted by CVSOs for adherence to laws, policies, and procedures.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Fully Implemented

60-Day Agency Response

The CalVet CVSO Auditor is currently implementing procedures for the audit functions to include periodic reviews of CVSO claims activities and College Fee Waiver Program. Claim activities and College Fee Waivers along with their supporting documentation are be verified by the CVSO Auditor on a periodic basis. The written desk procedures for these processes will be completed by December 31, 2015. District Office staff continue to provide regular training and feedback to CVSOs including feedback on corrections made to incoming claims on a monthly basis, and will continue to provide training to all CVSOs at three training conferences each year.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2015-505

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.