CA Welf & Inst Code Section 11466.2


(a)

(1)The department shall perform or have performed group home program and fiscal audits as needed. Group home programs shall maintain all child-specific, programmatic, personnel, fiscal, and other information affecting group home ratesetting and AFDC-FC payments for a period not less than five years.

(2)

Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the department shall not establish an overpayment based upon a nonprovisional program audit conducted on less than a one-year audit period.

(3)

Notwithstanding paragraph (2), the department may conduct audits covering a period of less than 12 months. Based upon the findings of these audits, the department may reduce a group home program’s AFDC-FC rate or RCL pursuant to this paragraph.

(A)

In an audit of a period of less than 12 months, if a provider’s audited RCL is no more than three levels below the paid RCL, the provider’s rate and RCL will be reduced to the audited RCL. The provider will be allowed the opportunity to bring a program into compliance with the paid RCL.

(B)

In an audit of a period of less than 12 months, if the provider’s audited RCL is more than three levels below the paid RCL, the department shall conduct an audit as identified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 11466.2. The provider will be allowed the opportunity to bring a program into compliance with the paid RCL.

(C)

For audit purposes, when the group home program serves a mixture of AFDC-FC eligible and ineligible children, the weighted hours for child care and social work services provided and the capacity of the group home shall be adjusted by the ratio of AFDC-FC eligible children to all children in placement.

(D)

A group home provider may request a hearing of the department’s RCL determination under subparagraph (A) no later than 30 days after the date the department issues its RCL determination. The department’s RCL determination shall be final if the group home provider does not request a hearing within the prescribed time. Within 60 days of receipt of the request for hearing, the department shall conduct a hearing on the RCL determination. The standard of proof shall be the preponderance of the evidence and the burden of proof shall be on the department. The hearing officer shall issue the proposed decision within 45 days of the close of the evidentiary record. The director shall adopt, reject, or modify the proposed decision, or refer the matter back to the hearing officer for additional evidence or findings within 100 days of issuance of the proposed decision. If the director takes no action on the proposed decision within the prescribed time, the proposed decision shall take effect by operation of law.

(b)

(1)The department shall develop regulations to correct a group home program’s RCL, and to adjust the rate and to recover any overpayments resulting from an overstatement of the projected level of care and services.

(2)

The department shall modify the amount of the overpayment pursuant to paragraph (1) in cases where the level of care and services provided per child in placement equals or exceeds the level associated with the program’s RCL. In making this modification, the department shall determine whether services other than child care supervision were provided to children in placement in an amount that is at least proportionate, on a per child basis, to the amount projected in the group home’s rate application. In cases where these services are provided in less than a proportionate amount, staffing for child care supervision in excess of its proportionate share shall not be substituted for nonchild care supervision staff hours.

(c)

(1)In any audit conducted by the department, the department, or other public or private audit agency with which the department contracts, shall coordinate with the department’s licensing and ratesetting entities so that a consistent set of standards, rules, and auditing protocols are maintained. The department, or other public or private audit agency with which the department contracts, shall make available to all group home providers, in writing, any standards, rules, and auditing protocols to be used in those audits.

(2)

The department shall provide exit interviews with providers whenever deficiencies found are explained and the opportunity exists for providers to respond. The department shall adopt regulations specifying the procedure for the appeal of audit findings.

(d)

This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2017, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2017, deletes or extends that date.
Last Updated

Aug. 19, 2023

§ 11466.2’s source at ca​.gov