Objective

To determine the extent of implementation of the recommendation included in our initial audit report, Controls Over Selected Expenditures (Report 2017-S-72).   

About the Program

The Office of Victim Services’ (OVS) mission is to provide compensation to innocent victims of crime and their families in a timely, efficient, and compassionate manner; to fund direct services to crime victims through a network of community-based Victim Assistance Programs (VAPs); and to advocate for the rights and benefits of all innocent crime victims. OVS also awards grants to VAPs that serve crime victims and assists sexual assault survivors by directly reimbursing State-licensed providers for forensic rape examination (FRE) services. The FRE Direct Reimbursement Program is designed to ensure that sexual assault survivors are not billed for FRE services.

Our initial audit report, issued September 4, 2018, examined whether OVS’ internal controls ensured expenditures were made only to eligible victims and providers for eligible victim services.  Our review found that OVS’ controls generally ensured that its expenditures for crime victim compensation claims, VAP grants, and FRE claims were made only to eligible victims and providers for eligible victim services. However, we identified minor discrepancies in OVS’ verification of FRE provider licenses and recommended OVS implement a risk-based approach to verify and validate provider licenses on submitted claims. 

Key Finding

We found that OVS has implemented the one recommendation from our initial audit report.

The Department is not required to respond to this follow-up report. However, we allow 30 days from the date this report is issued for officials to provide information on any actions that are planned to address unresolved issues identified in this report.