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DHS asks committee to let inspector general lengthen local social‑services audit cycle to four years
Summary
Department of Human Services told the House Appropriations Committee that House Bill 251 would allow the DHS Office of Inspector General to extend local social‑services office audit cycles from three to a minimum of four years and to tailor audit frequency to local oversight needs; DHS said the change would reduce overlapping audits and allow time
Kynetra White, principal deputy secretary for the Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS), testified in favor of House Bill 251, which would allow the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) to schedule financial and compliance audits of the state's 24 local departments of social services on a cycle of at least every four years, rather than the current three‑year minimum.
White said the current three‑year cycle can lead to overlapping audits in which a local department is still implementing corrective actions when a new audit starts. She said the bill does not reduce oversight because the OIG would retain authority to set audit frequency “based on the oversight needs of each local department of social services.” The department provided written testimony with conforming amendments clarifying the bill's intent, and DHS said the change would better allocate audit resources to local departments that need greater oversight.
The committee took brief testimony and the department invited questions. DHS said it supported conforming amendments reported out of the Senate and that the bill would strengthen program integrity while giving local offices time to implement corrective actions between cycles.
Ending: DHS urged a favorable report with conforming amendments; no committee vote was recorded during the hearing.
