Popular Searches
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
Share
DSS officials: County did no wrong by claiming $9M
By Francesca Olsen
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
The current and former commissioners of the Department of Social Services are in agreement that the agency committed no wrongdoing in the claiming of $9 million in accounts receivables over the course of at least 10 years.
“Claiming can be done over a certain period of time, and you can leave the claims open,” said Mitchel Oxenhorn, the commissioner of DSS from 1992 to 2002. “Obviously, you can claim what you believe your agency or organization may be entitled to.”
Oxenhorn said he did not remember how the process of claiming for 100 percent state and federal reimbursement for DSS programs began.
“There is a two-year period in which you can look at your expenditures and submit claims,” he said.” Obviously, best practice are to submit them as quickly as you believe you identify them and think you may be eligible for reimbursement. There is no actual money that changes hands when you submit claims.
“I happen to think it would be irresponsible, on behalf of the taxpayer, for any county official...not to claim what we believe to be legitimate expenses.
“I do agree that if you see an avenue for a legitimate claim, it’s good practice to file it immediately.”
Oxenhorn said he agreed that there were times that “too much time was taken in either filing for reimbursement or receiving it.” Once claims are filed, he said, they must be listed as “potential receivable funds.”
“If you don’t have an answer, you can’t write that money off and say, ‘we’re never going to receive that money.’”
Mark Johnson, a spokesperson for the New York State Comptroller’s office, said claiming for 100 percent reimbursement from the state or federal government was “not usual practice” and that usually, local governments will set aside part of receivables for amounts they probably won’t be paid for, but there was no “hard, fast” rule on the matter.
“I think that’s what the county concluded on its own,” he said. “They’re doing the right thing, now.”
As to whether Columbia County has ever had a full audit, Johnson said, “I haven’t seen one in recent years.”
Oxenhorn said that while he was commissioner and current commissioner Paul Mossman was his deputy, Mossman was the “hands-on” day-to-day DSS worker associated with fiscal claiming. He said that DSS was audited yearly by the county’s external accounting firm, Pattison, Koskey, Howe and Bucci, CPAs, P.C., but that “we didn’t choose the auditors, and we would have abided by any correction the auditors found.”
“The fact is, the audit is submitted to the powers that be, over DSS,”
Previous audits, Oxenhorn said, suggested minor changes, usually concerning the structure of reports. Representatives from Pattison, Koskey, Howe and Bucci met with Oxenhorn to go over audits, but never Pattison, Koskey, Howe or Bucci themselves, he said.
“If DSS gets audited constantly, and the auditing firm never once raised this as an issue, then the question should be, is it an issue that should have been raised? Why didn’t the people who were charged with reviewing the department’s fiscal status telling those in the department, then or now, that they were doing wrong?”
Mossman said he agreed with his predecessor. “With regard to claiming, there’s an expectation at the state level...even though you exceed your allocations, to establish the need for additional funding and track overtures and deficit...also to ensure that you are providing the mandated services that are required under those programs.”
Multiple calls to Pattison, Koskey, Howe and Bucci have not been returned.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Art Baer, R-Hillsdale, said he hadn’t heard anything from the accounting firm since reviewing the county’s press release announcing the uncollectible claims. Baer said the county paid the firm about $90,000 per year for their services, and that as far as he knew, the county has never had an internal audit function.
Baer said the county’s general fund will decrease by $2.5 million this year due to the claiming practice. “We’ve taken it out, but it hasn’t reflected in the official statements. We haven’t closed the books on 2009 yet,” he said.
After this is done the county’s fund balance will be about $11.5 million.
The county’s adjustment on the 2007 books only reflected an adjustment of $6.6 million, Baer said the additional claims, totaling $9 million including the 2007 adjustments, were made after 2007.
To reach reporter Francesca Olsen call 518-828-1616, ext. 2272, or e-mail folsen@registerstar.com.
“Claiming can be done over a certain period of time, and you can leave the claims open,” said Mitchel Oxenhorn, the commissioner of DSS from 1992 to 2002. “Obviously, you can claim what you believe your agency or organization may be entitled to.”
Oxenhorn said he did not remember how the process of claiming for 100 percent state and federal reimbursement for DSS programs began.
“There is a two-year period in which you can look at your expenditures and submit claims,” he said.” Obviously, best practice are to submit them as quickly as you believe you identify them and think you may be eligible for reimbursement. There is no actual money that changes hands when you submit claims.
“I happen to think it would be irresponsible, on behalf of the taxpayer, for any county official...not to claim what we believe to be legitimate expenses.
“I do agree that if you see an avenue for a legitimate claim, it’s good practice to file it immediately.”
Oxenhorn said he agreed that there were times that “too much time was taken in either filing for reimbursement or receiving it.” Once claims are filed, he said, they must be listed as “potential receivable funds.”
“If you don’t have an answer, you can’t write that money off and say, ‘we’re never going to receive that money.’”
Mark Johnson, a spokesperson for the New York State Comptroller’s office, said claiming for 100 percent reimbursement from the state or federal government was “not usual practice” and that usually, local governments will set aside part of receivables for amounts they probably won’t be paid for, but there was no “hard, fast” rule on the matter.
“I think that’s what the county concluded on its own,” he said. “They’re doing the right thing, now.”
As to whether Columbia County has ever had a full audit, Johnson said, “I haven’t seen one in recent years.”
Oxenhorn said that while he was commissioner and current commissioner Paul Mossman was his deputy, Mossman was the “hands-on” day-to-day DSS worker associated with fiscal claiming. He said that DSS was audited yearly by the county’s external accounting firm, Pattison, Koskey, Howe and Bucci, CPAs, P.C., but that “we didn’t choose the auditors, and we would have abided by any correction the auditors found.”
“The fact is, the audit is submitted to the powers that be, over DSS,”
Previous audits, Oxenhorn said, suggested minor changes, usually concerning the structure of reports. Representatives from Pattison, Koskey, Howe and Bucci met with Oxenhorn to go over audits, but never Pattison, Koskey, Howe or Bucci themselves, he said.
“If DSS gets audited constantly, and the auditing firm never once raised this as an issue, then the question should be, is it an issue that should have been raised? Why didn’t the people who were charged with reviewing the department’s fiscal status telling those in the department, then or now, that they were doing wrong?”
Mossman said he agreed with his predecessor. “With regard to claiming, there’s an expectation at the state level...even though you exceed your allocations, to establish the need for additional funding and track overtures and deficit...also to ensure that you are providing the mandated services that are required under those programs.”
Multiple calls to Pattison, Koskey, Howe and Bucci have not been returned.
Board of Supervisors Chairman Art Baer, R-Hillsdale, said he hadn’t heard anything from the accounting firm since reviewing the county’s press release announcing the uncollectible claims. Baer said the county paid the firm about $90,000 per year for their services, and that as far as he knew, the county has never had an internal audit function.
Baer said the county’s general fund will decrease by $2.5 million this year due to the claiming practice. “We’ve taken it out, but it hasn’t reflected in the official statements. We haven’t closed the books on 2009 yet,” he said.
After this is done the county’s fund balance will be about $11.5 million.
The county’s adjustment on the 2007 books only reflected an adjustment of $6.6 million, Baer said the additional claims, totaling $9 million including the 2007 adjustments, were made after 2007.
To reach reporter Francesca Olsen call 518-828-1616, ext. 2272, or e-mail folsen@registerstar.com.
Share this Article
 |
 |
|
| Women voters league forum draws crowd, few candidates | Race heats up in 3rd Ward |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of registerstar.com.
You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here: |
Become a Registered User |
stonepound wrote on Oct 23, 2009 6:10 AM: