[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6315009,"mediaKeyId","2381514-dc2f9e99a46a1e92871eb86b5f7d72be","parentId",2381514,"title","Audit: Idaho Vocational Rehabilitation labeled high-risk; agency seeks state match, hires contractor to address reporting","audioSeconds",761,"startMs",1732000,"endMs",2493000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2381514-dc2f9e99a46a1e92871eb86b5f7d72be&start=1732&end=2493","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2381514-dc2f9e99a46a1e92871eb86b5f7d72be/thumbnail_1732000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6315009/Idaho/Audit-Idaho-Vocational-Rehabilitation-labeled-high-risk-agency-seeks-state-match-hires-contractor-to-address-reporting","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6315009-4f97341b977f47e88a4832de519dc75d/orig.mp4?Expires=1775715883&Signature=MZIJEvm4fq6Rwk9OLotkhNyRP5RumzrtPN9hsy1D86s9FnYMbLv8nRrg30dkSU1To7ftEFepp4TPEcn85SohnsVTxPxg10XeTVgKVr4kB7H73yW96-vhs2qAtOWMgfbCg6ZUxgSIXlOYguwrTN9P6REUDeJ-Z6HEUtckszZdYxmKYktSIlfokB8iAQ8qjwZKyr4yIn-fJTKObD-xBusHVvTSg9wLp6~PQORfOzwZpb8w4vFBDlkfxI2mbz-fL3zFLnjR282DMJYjsIc0Kf4M3JHrP296VOuGG7-2nTe~rffge9m9mUk9wsBjl6y8ZsLJbqD~DY-01me2NpyXVkeasg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Idaho State Legislature","date","2025-02-24T00:00:00Z","article","Legislative auditors and agency leaders told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Feb. 24 that the Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (IDVR) has serious fiscal-management weaknesses, prompting a federal high‑risk designation and a $10 million federal reallotment that requires state matching funds.

April Renfro, chief auditor with the Legislative Services Office audits division, told the committee that auditors found the division “did not establish procedures and control activities to ensure compliance with appropriation laws applicable to fiscal year 2024.” The audit identified insufficient financial-management systems, failures to account for and report obligations and expenditures properly, and inaccurate and unsupported federal financial reporting.

Why it matters: The division supports Idahoans with disabilities seeking employment; audit findings and uncertain federal decisions put both future federal funding and day-to-day client services at risk.

Noncognizable adjustment and supplemental requests: Budget staff and IDVR leaders said the governor recognized a noncognizable adjustment of $10,000,000 in federal funds after Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) reallotted available money. Brooke Dupree, a Legislative Services budget analyst, said RSA’s reallocation process made the funds available late in the federal year and that the $10 million requires a state match.

IDVR requested $2.7 million in one-time general-fund supplemental to meet the state match for that $10 million; the governor’s recommended budget included the $2.7 million request and an additional $1.7 million one-time recommendation for client services that agency staff expect may be disallowed by the federal grantor. Dupree said the $1.7 million represents the committee’s estimate of previously provided services that RSA may deem unallowable.

Contract for corrective work and contractor payments: The division engaged an out‑of‑state contractor under a professional services contract originally for $499,999 to assist with corrective actions, control design and restatement work. The agency later amended the agreement to add $1.9 million and extend work through Dec. 2025, producing a total contract ceiling near $2.5 million. Renfro said the agency has paid just under $900,000 to date and that all contract payments so far were charged to federal funds (which will also require matching where applicable).

Renfro said RSA designated IDVR a “high risk grantee” on May 3 and imposed specific conditions under federal regulations (2 C.F.R. § 200.208). RSA requested a corrective action plan; auditors judged the division’s first plan as generalized and insufficient. RSA subsequently performed a fiscal monitoring review that cited the division’s allocation and expenditure controls and reporting problems.

Scope and forensic work: Renfro and Director Judy Taylor (serving as interim director of IDVR) said the division is under heightened scrutiny and that a forensic audit will review period-of-performance and other transactions going back to 2019, with RSA inspection of prior federal reporting and potential remedies. Taylor said recent draw requests for the Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre‑ETS) program produced a high breakage rate on reimbursements, leading IDVR to estimate $1.7 million in possible unallowable charges tied largely to Pre‑ETS; Dupree said the $1.7 million was an estimate of services already rendered that RSA found unallowable in initial reviews.

Impact on services, staffing and waitlist: Taylor told the committee IDVR has 2,735 active clients and about 1,950 qualified disabled Idahoans on a wait list; she described austerity measures, hiring slowdowns and a shift to more in‑house services. Taylor said the division had increased in‑house staff and is pursuing a “differentiated practice model” to have staff work at top of license and outsource only where appropriate.

Federal remedies and uncertainty: Renfro outlined potential federal actions under 2 C.F.R. and RSA guidance, including extra reporting, prior approvals, repayment of funds found to be unallowable, and, in extreme cases, replacement of agency control with a fiduciary. She said RSA may reduce or waive repayment based on mitigating circumstances, and that the final federal response will determine financial exposure.

Next steps: The committee was told the matter will be part of upcoming single-audit work and that further oversight hearings are possible. IDVR asked for the supplemental match to draw the $10 million federal reallocation and detailed contractor work to remediate reporting and controls; the committee sought additional documentation on match calculations and the justification for the contractor amendment.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Appropriations Committee - February 24, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Legislative auditors told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee Feb. 24 that the Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation failed to maintain expenditure controls and accurate federal reporting, prompting a federal high-risk designation and a $10 million federal reallotment that requires state matching funds.","taxTitle","Appropriations, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Idaho","taxId",54706,"location","Idaho","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6315013,"Commission on Aging details ARPA spending, requests small ongoing increase for FY2026",1627,88000,1715000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2381514-dc2f9e99a46a1e92871eb86b5f7d72be&start=88&end=1715","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2381514-dc2f9e99a46a1e92871eb86b5f7d72be/thumbnail_88000.jpg","/articles/6315013/Idaho/Commission-on-Aging-details-ARPA-spending-requests-small-ongoing-increase-for-FY2026","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6315013-3f9d947eaa6c4b4e2eb3934910f43a20/orig.mp4?Expires=1775715883&Signature=SSuMBodk1YOxKL77Dt24wZbwhPC2~kYnVV8Ty8xTX8IzDM2n9x2sMN5C5dE2wXREQaFO1Cacj-zMcBoGo3T8AelRoHL-fKFFCjgSaRDYh3RKwkMg6DqyHzUE1Xi9Haj~J7JlpSLpxpFtmCZwwjUzSjdbEKDPTfw0Cck3pK0Yssp52B1xQsH2eyYl0i9y1i5lSlmfXwha52yW762Khc6lVHmt6YkuUDwXroH5t81k2yEBol6~nOX7x8k2r9VBv3zTygitQ-n18w7yCKaFymK6oKTZ7RQadEvmxpmpI9~-aZ68e4AU6oa4GcSKeI~tWBJEIHGJgwuDH-RwZ1et0noHBA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Idaho Commission on Aging told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Feb. 24 that it has used federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for one-time modernization projects and direct services, and is asking for modest ongoing general-fund increases for fiscal 2026.

Colin McGurkin, budget and policy analyst with Legislative Services, told the committee the commission “implements the Federal Older Americans Act and Idaho Senior Services Act” and that its services are delivered through six local Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs). McGurkin said the agency spent about $16.7 million in FY2024, with roughly 88% of that in trustee and benefit payments to local AAAs for direct services such as meals, transportation and caregiver support.

Why it matters: The commission is managing significant one-time federal awards while trying not to rely on those funds for ongoing services. Committee members pressed staff on which programs would stop when ARPA funds expire and on the commission’s staffing and expenditure patterns.

McGurkin outlined a pattern of annual one-time federal appropriations tied to ARPA funds, noting roughly $7.4 million in ARPA-related expenditures from FY2022–FY2024. For FY2025 the commission requested $1.8 million in one-time ARPA draws to use remaining ARPA balances before the Sept. 30, 2025 deadline. He also said the agency requested $500,000 in one-time federal funds to pay final invoices and draw down ARPA funds, with $450,000 earmarked for AAAs and $50,000 for staff time and operating expenses.

Director Judy Taylor, who appeared in her capacity as the commission’s director, said the agency followed state guidance to use one-time money only for one-time needs and enhancements. She said some services paid by ARPA will end when the funds expire — for example, memberships that allowed adult protective services (APS) workers access to professional education — but that the agency avoided creating ongoing obligations from one-time money. “We have followed that guidance to the T,” Taylor told the committee.

Committee members focused on caregiver programs and nutrition. Taylor said caregivers and nutrition are top priorities for the commission, describing two caregiver programs: a federal Older Americans Act-funded program serving caregivers age 60+, and a state-funded “high-risk caregiver grama” program targeted to caregivers of people with memory issues. Taylor said ARPA-funded community health workers were embedded with AAAs to conduct in-home assessment and planning for caregivers and that those positions “will stay” because the commission has money to cover salaries even after some ARPA-funded respite hours are reduced.

On nutrition, Taylor said funds appropriated last session allowed the commission to raise meal rates by $0.25 per meal and that the commission has eliminated its home-delivered meal waitlist. “As of today we have no waiting lists in Idaho,” she said.

Budget requests and governor recommendation: The commission requested an ongoing general-fund increase of $162,600 for FY2026 to cover inflation-related increases, including about $155,000 for trustee and benefit payment increases and $7,600 for operating costs. McGurkin said the governor’s recommendation aligns with the agency request.

What the commission told the committee about staffing and contract billing: McGurkin and witnesses said the commission has 15 authorized full-time positions with one vacancy; some personnel costs were charged to federal one-time funds in prior years, which contributed to lower personnel spending rates relative to authorized positions. Project manager Vicki Janzick explained that $25,000 of one-time ARPA funds were intended to cover personnel time charged directly to federal grants for invoice processing and contract monitoring so staff time is billed to the appropriate federal grants rather than cross-charged.

The commission closed by asking for committee support and assuring members that appropriated funds will be monitored and used for the agency’s mission to keep older Idahoans safe and healthy in their communities.

Ending: The committee did not take votes on the Commission on Aging’s request at the Feb. 24 hearing; members sought additional details by follow-up email on meal program base funding and on the share of staff time charged to ARPA.","The Idaho Commission on Aging told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee it used ARPA funds for one-time service and modernization projects and seeks modest ongoing general-fund increases for FY2026 while asking to draw remaining ARPA funds before they expire on Sept. 30, 2025.","actionData","errors"]

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Audit: Idaho Vocational Rehabilitation labeled high-risk; agency seeks state match, hires contractor to address reporting

Commission on Aging details ARPA spending, requests small ongoing increase for FY2026