“This is a concern because this has a national focus on not just this program, but any of the programs that we have in social health services that maybe the federal government may want to claw back some of that money.”
- Pat McCarthy, Washington state auditor
“What we weren’t able to obtain from DCYF was if a payment was made to a provider, what proportion of that payment was paid from each of those different funding sources. We need that to be able to say it was spent properly and that’s what they weren’t able to provide us.”
- Jim Brownell, assistant director for state audit and special investigations
Washington State Auditor Pat McCarthy and Assistant Director Jim Brownell said newly released audits exposed major accountability problems in state child care funding and payments. Brownell said DCYF lacked the child-level data needed for years to fully support federal compliance reviews, while a later audit still found unsupported billings and estimated questioned costs in both Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)-funded care. He said the key fix is a stronger “preventative control” system so records are verified before money goes out. McCarthy said the issue matters both for working families and for Washington’s ability to retain federal support, adding: “We’re the truth tellers. We tell the truth.”