Stefan Mychajliw comments on the county's mishandling of documents

[WNYresident]

Stefan Mychajliw comments on the county's mishandling of documents

Our final report on the county's mishandling of confidential documents. We are very concerned at the consistent roadblocks put up by the administration. If they have nothing to hide, our auditors would be welcomed to uncover fraud, waste, and abuse. Our office had to go so far as to issue subpoenas just in order to talk to employees

Final Report on Documents Issued

Final Report on Documents Issued



Poloncarz Administration refuses to allow Comptroller’s office access records to complete full audit
(Buffalo) – The Office of Erie County Comptroller has issued a final report on the mishandling of highly confidential documents of residents that were haphazardly left in the trash for many years, a fact supported by Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz:
"This has been going on for many years, perhaps during the Collins or even the Giambra Administrations."
Source: Honorable Mark Poloncarz, WIVB.com, “Confidential Records Left Out in Open,” 5/20/13
In addition to the report that shows Erie County has known about this issue going back to at least the Spring of 2007, four Social Service employees stated there are no security measures or controls in place that would prevent county workers from making changes to case files for people who apply for Temporary Assistance.


According to the four Department of Social Services employees, there are no checks, balances, or safeguards in place to prevent workers from changing records and approvals or denials of people applying for Temporary Assistance.
“Everyone can make changes in the system. You can make changes in Medicaid.”
Source: Interview with Social Services employee #93683, June 7^th, 2013
“In 26 years nothing has been changed in the system. In WMS (the Welfare Management System, where files are stored) I have access at all levels.”



Source: Interview with Social Services employee #25519, June 4^th, 2013
“No one is checking the examiners’ work and they are so far behind that they can just go in and put in whatever they want.”
Source: Interview with Social Services employee #56281, March 12^th, 2013
“It used to be that examiners obtained information and had little access to the system. When they eliminated data entry (workers), they gave all the control to the examiners. They now gather the data, input the data, and accounting is no longer checking for any missing documents. There are no longer any controls.”



Source: Interview with Social Services employee #15934, March 4^th, 2013
The Office of Erie County Comptroller attempted to test these concerning lack of controls to determine whether or not the system in place could be manipulated in order to change records without permission.
Numerous roadblocks were put in place by the Poloncarz administration to deny auditors access to records. The defiance and lack of cooperation was so bad at one point the Comptroller’s Office was forced to issue subpoenas to conduct interviews with Department of Social Services employees.


If auditors are not given access to determine whether or not any Social Services employee can change records in the Welfare Management System, the Office of Comptroller could file a lawsuit for access or hire a forensic computer firm to test the reported lack of controls with the computer system.


In a letter dated June 7th, 2013, Director of the DSS Office of Legal Affairs Thomas Kubiniec informed the Comptroller’s Office Audit Unit that they would not be provided any further access to confidential records. Since access to participant records was denied, the Office of Comptroller cannot perform the audit tests necessary to determine if eligibility requirements have been met.
“If the administration has nothing to hide they should welcome auditors to determine whether or not workers can manipulate welfare case files without permission. By dodging, denying, and deflecting it appears the Department of Social Services doesn’t want to address this serious issue brought up by its own workers. The administration’s continued pattern of secrecy is not how government should work. If they have nothing to hide then they should have no problem addressing the concerns of its own employees. Unfortunately for taxpayers this administration continues keeping the public in the dark about the people’s business,” said Erie County Comptroller Stefan I. Mychajliw.
As for the administration continued denial of access to records and employees, the Office of Comptroller has been met with persistent resistance from the Department of Social Services to determine whether or not workers have free reign to change welfare records without permission.
The Comptroller’s Office audit was delayed one month between February 14^th, 2013 and March 15^th, 2013 while the Department of Social Services claimed they were determining whether or not access to records would be granted.
After auditors requested interviews with Department of Social Services Commissioner Carol Dankert sent employees an email stating their cooperation with auditors was voluntary:
“Any requests…from the Comptroller’s Office that will take you away from your primary work responsibilities should be directed to your respective supervisors. To reiterate, I believe these interviews are voluntary. If you consent to their interview request, it must not interfere with your work.”



Source: Social Services Commissioner Carol Dankert email to Social Services employees, May 7^th, 2013
Signs were even placed throughout the Department of Social Services on bulletin boards reminding employees that cooperating with auditors were voluntary:
“Attn: Medicaid Workers Selected for interviews by the Comptroller’s Office: Member participation in the investigation is voluntary. There should be no concern of insubordination for refusal to participate in the interviews….The member may discontinue the interview at any time without concern of insubordination.”
Source: Bulletin board memo located on the 4^th floor of the Rath Building, photographed on 5/7/13
Following these directives from the Commissioner of Social Services, out of 22 interviews requested by the Comptroller’s Office, only two employees showed up, 20 declined or did not appear during scheduled times. Because of the lack of cooperation a total of 18 subpoenas were issued to Social Services employees. Only until subpoenas were issued did all 18 of those employees agree to be interviewed by auditors.
“The information provided in these interviews show workers are concerned about the lack of security measures and who can change case files. We may be forced to sue or hire a forensic computer specialist to test these controls. This would be costly to taxpayers, but the administration’s lack of cooperation may leave us no other choice,” added Comptroller Mychajliw.
Concerning the dumping of confidential documents in the trash and leaving them in unsecured boxes and totes, former DSS Assistant Commissioner and First Deputy Commissioner William Graham told auditors Erie County was aware of this issue in the Spring of 2007. That is when Mr. Graham told the Office of Comptroller that a member of the public approached him after finding confidential documents blowing in the wind outside the Rath Building.


Erie County was also aware of this issue in June of 2009 when the Department of Social Services issued a “High Importance” email notice to all employees regarding the disposal of confidential documents. This email, dated June 1^st, 2009, stated that “totes will be locked at all times” until they will be securely picked up and disposed of by the recycling company.
The Comptroller’s office walk-through to check policies and procedures shows the Department of Social Services was not complying with this email notification.

[WNYresident]

" Poloncarz Administration refuses to allow Comptroller’s office access records to complete full audit "

What excuse could Mark have not to allow the audit go through everything?

[buffy]

" Poloncarz Administration refuses to allow Comptroller’s office access records to complete full audit "

What excuse could Mark have not to allow the audit go through everything?

Since the problem relates to Social Service "processes" doesn't that beg the question "does this have anything to do with Mark Poloncarz trashing the Lean Six Sigma process management system that Chris Collins had put in place during his administration? I can't imagine confidential documents "blowing around in the wind" under six sigma!!!

http://blogs.artvoice.com/avdaily/wp...fectivenss.pdf

http://www.governing.com/columns/mgm...overnment.html

[gamma]

Source: Interview with Social Services employee #25519, June 4th, 2013
“No one is checking the examiners’ work and they are so far behind that they can just go in and put in whatever they want.”
Source: Interview with Social Services employee #56281, March 12th, 2013
“It used to be that examiners obtained information and had little access to the system. When they eliminated data entry (workers), they gave all the control to the examiners. They now gather the data, input the data, and accounting is no longer checking for any missing documents. There are no longer any controls.”

The data entry operators were eliminated by Collins in his final budget.

[buffy]

The data entry operators were eliminated by Collins in his final budget.

And what was eliminated when the six sigma processes were halted? lean six sigman is a big picture process that impacts the entire operation. You posted a small snapshot. What infuriates taxpayers is the civil servent that bucks when given an additional task and then does it poorly to show its displeasure.

The issue is the handling and disposing of confidential documents. What does the elimination of data entry workers have to do with confidential documents blowing around outside in the wind?

[4music]

First let me say that the ECDSS workers I work with have been putting all confidential material in LOCKED binx since the LOCKED bins have been provided a few years ago. Sometimes the LOCKED bins were not available so we kept that material under our desks in small recycle totes/bins. Second, to my knowledge this whole situation started when the b&g workers or those responsible for putting the big LOCKED bins out for the truck to pick up, the locks were taken off and the bins sat without the locks on for some period of time in an unsecured area. Third, no workers I know are complaining about utilizing the LOCKED bins for security measures just when the bins are full and/or not available to put our paperwork in on a daily basis. Fourth, the audit that the article mentions is the comptroller audit about the security issues. He does not have the authorization to go into ECDSS case records just the budgetary items as that pertains to county finances. The State, however, DOES have the authority to access and audit case records for accuracy and policy adherance. If any errors are found the the State penalized the county usually by not provided their share of reimbursement. This usually applies to the Federal policy and program rules too.

Fifth, there are checks and balances for the work that is put into the state system. If there is a problem with that then it is the administration at fault for this not the people doing the work. Erie was the last county in the state to go to direct data enty so the State approved of this procedure for quite a while. I know that there were some data entry workers that were bitter about this change and some of them were laid off for a while but did get jobs later doing other clerical work that was deemed equal to the job grade they were at.

Last alot of this controversy is a politician's attempt at creating unnecessary media coverage.

[WNYresident]

Does the state check in occasionally with audits?

[grump]

This has nothing to do with scrapping lean six sigma which works on assembly lines. It has everything to do with an incompetent idiot as county executive who can't find his ass if he feels with both hands. You could put ultra- lean sixty sigma beta alpha in place and Poloncarz would still be a dope.

[4music]

Does the state check in occasionally with audits?

Yes the state does audits regularly but I couldn't tell you how often as I am not in administration. Usually when a memo from program directors go out about reminding workers to make sure... or they have refresher trainings on established eligibility issues that usually indicates that errors or misinterpretations of policy have been found.

[cheekman]

This has nothing to do with scrapping lean six sigma which works on assembly lines. It has everything to do with an incompetent idiot as county executive who can't find his ass if he feels with both hands. You could put ultra- lean sixty sigma beta alpha in place and Poloncarz would still be a dope.

grump ...

[4248]

I think this statement is misleading, "The data entry operators were eliminated by Collins in his final budget" - were the positions "eliminated" actually all filled?

Weren't there layoffs and job shuffles in data entry operators and computer techs prior to Mr.Collins? I believe some of the positions were funded but empty!

The County has been extremely slow at updating equipment and training. Employees in many cases don't have the program operational skills - and many don't want to learn them.

Politics has always been a issue - it always will be whenever a new County Exec gets elected. Patronage and Friends & Family hiring has stymied progress. The workers who are "Plugged in" often lack the proper skills. The employees with skills and training find their work load increases. The more they do - their reward is seeing the "Plug ins" leaving earlier, taking longer breaks because they can.

The Party Shuffle - winner take all game is at the root of many efficiency issues in Town,City and County Government - Government in general.