In its semiannual report to Congress, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) reported on the audits completed and issued for the Title IV-E Adoption Assistance program in the states of Tennessee and Georgia and in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  The reports are part of a series of reviews completed by the OIG on the incorrect claims for the Title IV-E federal share of adoption assistance payments.  In the 2012 OIG Work Plan, published recently, additional Title IV-E audits of Title IV-E Adoption Assistance are planned.
 
While the results of the OIG reviews are forwarded to the appropriate Administration for Children and Families (ACF) regional offices, it is the responsibility of ACF to resolve the audit findings.  It is possible, though not mandatory, that ACF may defer or disallow claims relative to the OIG findings.  Using the OIG report and working with ACF is a great way for states to address concerns and to proactively address any Title IV-E claiming problems that exist. 

The OIG also reported on an audit released for the Office of Child Support Enforcement that combined 23 states reports.  In the report released in September, OIG reported that 21 of the 23 states did not identify undistributed child support collections as program income in accordance with federal guidelines.  Some of the states were not aware and others did not classify the undistributed child support collections as abandoned property in accordance with the states’ requirements.  Some 17 states did not recognize or report undistributed child support collections totaling $32.8 million ($21.3 million federal share) as abandoned.  In addition, there were 14 states that did not report child support collections totaling $16.6 million ($11 million federal share) as program income.