OIG audits home-delivered meals provider

The OIG conducted an audit of the Visiting Nurse Association of Texas (VNA). During the audit scope, which covered the period from October 1, 2019 through December 31, 2020, HHSC paid VNA $5.31 per meal, totaling some $2.5 million for 479,431 meals.

The audit objective was to determine if VNA provided and billed for services in compliance with selected requirements. VNA had processes in place and complied with certain selected requirements of the Home Delivered Meals program administered by HHSC.

However, VNA did not always comply with certain requirements related to initiation of home delivered meal services and billing and communication to HHSC for meals that could not be delivered. Specifically, VNA did not consistently:

• Initiate home delivered meal services for new participants within the required time frame.

• Notify HHSC within the required time frames when services did not begin within ten calendar days

for certain new participants.

• Communicate timely with HHSC regarding unsuccessful delivery attempts.

• Additionally, VNA overbilled HHSC for meals that could not be delivered.

VNA should return a total of $132.75 to the state of Texas and work with HHSC to determine if there were additional instances of overbilling for home delivered meal services that require repayment. Click here to read the full report.