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Clay County auditor finds no systemic steering of wards to nursing homes, recommends written procedures
Summary
County auditor presented a performance audit of the public administrator's guardianship caseload, finding no automatic placement of wards in skilled nursing facilities, recommending written procedures and improved record review.
Clay County Auditor Victor Herbert presented a performance audit of the county Public Administrator's guardianship caseload, telling the commission the review found no evidence of an automatic practice of placing wards in skilled nursing facilities.
The audit examined policies and a statistically random sample of 15 wards and compared county practice to criteria in the Missouri probate code and findings in a U.S. Department of Justice report released in summer 2024 that highlighted statewide concerns about over-reliance on institutional placements. Herbert said roughly half of the sample were living independently with daily supports; none of the sampled wards placed in facilities were located inside Clay County.
Herbert said the audit identified areas for improved documentation and internal controls. The auditor recommended the Public Administrator document placement- and visitation-related procedures, review annual status reports before filing, and formalize record-review steps to reduce errors. He also reported some initially missing annual status reports were obtained during the audit and that the Public Administrator has put new review procedures in place to reduce future filing errors.
Herbert said the Public Administrator’s office has roughly 13–14 staff, serves about 300 wards and manages assets and conservatorship responsibilities, and that its budget is “roughly a million dollars a year,” representing less than 1% of county expenditures. He recommended follow-up monitoring or a future follow-up audit to confirm implementation of the recommendations.
Public Administrator Lehi Summit attended the meeting and, according to Herbert, cooperated with the audit and agreed to document procedures and corrective steps. The auditor emphasized that the sample size was small and that overall guardianship oversight is also conducted by the court, which receives annual reports and makes guardianship rulings.
The commission received the audit; there was no formal vote tied to the auditor’s presentation at the meeting.
