New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today the following audits have been issued.

Department of Environmental Conservation: Oversight of Waste Tire Cleanup and Use of Waste Tire Fees (Follow-Up) (2020-F-12)

A report issued in August 2019 found that DEC had made significant progress abating identified waste tire sites. However, auditors identified delays in the timely abatement of waste tire sites due to delays in establishing a new abatement contract through the Office of General Services as well as other problems with certain enforcement steps. In a follow-up, auditors found that DEC has implemented all three of the recommendations from the initial report.

Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC): Title V Operating Permit Program Revenues, Expenditures, and Changes in Fund Balance for the Eight Fiscal Years Ended March 31, 2017 (2020-F-13)

An audit covering the period April 1, 2009 through March 31, 2017 found DEC generally had adequate procedures in place to capture the Clean Air Act program’s revenues, expenditures and changes in fund balance transaction data. However, auditors identified errors in the permit fee billing process and in the allocation of expenses to the program. In a follow-up, auditors found DEC has made significant progress in correcting the problems identified in the prior report.

Department of Health (DOH): Medicaid Overpayments for Inpatient Care Involving Mechanical Ventilation Services (Follow-Up) (2020-F-10)

A report released in May 2019 identified $975,795 in overpayments on 32 inpatient claims that reported 96 consecutive hours or more of mechanical ventilation services. In a follow-up, auditors found DOH officials made some progress in addressing the problems identified in the initial audit report; however, additional action is needed.

Department of Labor (Labor), Department of Taxation and Finance (Tax and Finance): New York Youth Jobs Program (Follow-Up) (2020-F-7)

A report issued in January 2019 found Labor could improve its methods for verifying eligibility for the youth jobs program, and that Tax and Finance could better ensure that the tax credits granted are accurate and only for program-eligible youth. In a follow-up, auditors found that Labor and Tax and Finance implemented the five recommendations from the initial audit.

Office of Mental Health (OMH): Administration of the Contract With the Postgraduate Center for Mental Health (Follow-Up) (2019-F-51)

A report issued in December 2016 determined sampled clients under the Supportive Housing Contract with the Postgraduate Center for Mental Health were eligible for the program, were referred to the program via the proper authorities and that client case files contained required documentation. However, visits to certain client apartments identified what appeared to be ongoing conditions that could negatively affect the health or safety of clients. In a follow-up, auditors found OMH has made some progress addressing the issues identified in the initial report.

Division of Military and Naval Affairs: Lead Contamination of State Armories (2019-S-50)

Auditors found public access has continued at four armories that contain lead levels exceeding the acceptable threshold. None of these four armories disclosed the excess lead levels to the public. Three are allowing public access through non-military use agreements that include a women’s shelter and a community center. One is a now a military museum. Auditors also found lead hazard awareness training was not provided to employees at three armories.

Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation: Compliance With Executive Order 95 (Open Data) (2019-S-65)

The office has taken steps to meet the requirements of Executive Order (EO) 95; however, certain aspects of the order have not been fully addressed. Within the required time frame, the office appointed a qualified data coordinator responsible for EO 95 compliance. However, it did not identify the total population of publishable state data that it maintains. Therefore, there is limited assurance the office has provided a complete catalogue or established a schedule for making the data public, as required.

New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY): Street and Sidewalk Cleanliness (2019-N-1)

DSNY needs to improve its communication, coordination and record keeping processes to efficiently and effectively address persistent cleanliness problems on New York City streets and sidewalks. Based on site visits to a sample of 271 areas with multiple complaints, auditors determined 189 streets and 159 sidewalks were dirty based on ratings criteria. DSNY officials did not analyze readily available data such as service requests or its own monitoring records to identify problem areas or trends.

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