Too many seniors are waiting months on the New York City Department for the Aging’s (DFTA) client wait lists to get critical assistance like home delivered meals, housekeeping and personal care services because the agency is not doing enough to monitor the service providers it hires, according to an audit released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.
“There are nearly two million senior citizens in our city, many of whom are among our most vulnerable residents,” DiNapoli said. “DFTA needs to strengthen its oversight of service providers to ensure seniors are getting the support they depend on in a timely manner.”
DFTA contracts with service providers to provide case management services to help older people access the services and benefits needed to stay at home and maintain their quality of life. Case managers perform intake assessments, evaluate benefits, and enroll eligible clients in services. When services cannot be provided immediately, clients are placed on wait lists.
DFTA reported that more than 39,000 seniors received case management services in the city’s fiscal year ending June 30, 2022. DiNapoli’s audit found that DFTA did not effectively monitor providers to ensure they complied with the agency’s standards for delivering services to seniors. A random sample of 53 DFTA clients found 39 instances where providers failed to meet DFTA’s standards for delivering timely services to 18 of the clients (34%). The failures included taking more than 10 days to assess a client’s needs, taking longer than 15 days to follow up after the service started and a failure to timely assess whether the service was provided properly.
The audit found 3,334 seniors were on DFTA’s wait lists as of August 2022, for various services like home delivered meals, housekeeping, personal care and help for those with impairments who want to access assistance services and benefits. DiNapoli’s audit found seniors with significant needs were left waiting for services for long periods of time. The average number of days for clients with some of the most significant needs was over four and half months.
DFTA evaluates its providers annually, but DiNapoli’s audit found it could improve its oversight of them by using existing data to determine how quickly clients are assessed and get services they need.
The audit also found one provider charged expenses of more than $10,000 to DFTA that were unrelated to case management services.
The audit made a number of recommendations. DFTA officials disagreed with some of the audit’s findings, which they detailed in their response to the audit.
Audit
New York City Department for the Aging: Case Management