OIG completes audit series of Home and Community-based Services Program
The OIG completed a series of three audits of Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) Home and Community-based Services Program providers regarding the health and safety of Medicaid recipients.
The three audited providers, Community Options Inc., EduCare Community Living Corporation – Texas and Kenmar Residential HSC Services Inc., each operate between 26 and 172 three- and four-person residences that allow Medicaid beneficiaries with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live in community-based settings and avoid institutionalization in intermediate care facilities. The providers served between 58 and 564 residents during the audit scope, for which they received reimbursement for claims ranging between $2.5 million and $36.7 million in 2020.
The OIG identified issues with medication storage, administration and lack of consistent compliance with COVID-19 safety rules in all three audits. The OIG also identified some provider residences with issues regarding emergency plans, fire safety or physical hazards in the interior or exterior of the homes.
The OIG is planning an audit for 2022 to determine whether HHS conducted effective oversight of the Home and Community-based Services Program.