Sullivan County compliance office reports 27 Q3 complaints, updates policies and training plans

County compliance staff presented their third‑quarter report to the Sullivan County Legislature’s executive committee, reporting 27 complaints received via hotline, email and incident forms and outlining policy and oversight changes planned for the coming months.

Key points from the presentation - Volume and intake: The county recorded 27 complaints in the third quarter, using multiple intake channels including a confidential hotline, a compliance email and an incident form posted on the county compliance webpage.

- Committee membership and oversight: The compliance office added Deputy Commissioner Alex Rao to the corporate compliance committee and said it is moving toward a model in which departments receive more oversight from the compliance office instead of hands‑on assistance.

- Policy and procedure updates: Presenters said the committee updated its non‑retaliation policy, a committee charter, the whistleblower policy and the compliance investigations procedure. The compliance incident form was revised to clarify anonymity, hotline details and the correct submission email.

- Training and crosswalk with HIPAA: The compliance office plans a live training tour next year and said it will combine corporate compliance and HIPAA training because of significant overlap. The office flagged that updating current training links would change contract links, so they plan a coordinated rollout.

- Medicaid and exclusion screening: The office reported collaboration with the Office of Management and Budget on Medicaid overpayment procedures and that two individuals per covered area (human resources, audit, public health, community services and social services) are now authorized to perform exclusion screenings to prevent county contractors or employees barred from Medicaid/Medicare participation from being rehired.

- Contract and vendor oversight: Compliance staff said they are identifying vendors requiring additional contractual provisions such as business‑associate agreements and working with audit to ensure all contracts are on file and monitored.

- Audits and meal paybacks: The county noted improved documentation for meal payback audits but said additional written approvals remain needed; one more audit was scheduled before the end of the third quarter.

Plans moving forward The compliance office listed fourth‑quarter work including finalizing a conflicts‑of‑interest policy, continuing mandatory reporting identification for regulatory bodies, and completing a work plan required under Title 18 Part 5 21. Office staff also said they would consult their compliance advisor on oversight of state and federally funded grants.

Quote "In the third quarter so far, we've received 27 complaints," the county compliance staff member said during the presentation.

Speakers - Compliance staff member. Role/title: County compliance staff (presenter). Affiliation_type: government. First reference: block starting 688.02–709.88995. - Chair (unnamed). Role/title: Chair, Executive Committee. Affiliation_type: government.

Authorities [{"type":"other","name":"Title 18 Part 5 21","citation":"Title 18 Part 5 21","referenced_by":["corporate compliance presentation"]}]

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proper_names [{"name":"Sullivan County","type":"other"},{"name":"Office of Management and Budget","type":"agency"},{"name":"Alex Rao","type":"person"},{"name":"Medicaid","type":"other"}]

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