07-25-23
Julie,
can you ask this to all counties to see what they are doing to help support
customers with basic needs with a short turn around time; like gas, groceries,
diapers, formula, cleaning supplies, and clothes?
Currently
Olmsted County is issuing purchase orders to customers to take into specific
vendors to meet their emergent needs for gas, groceries, diapers, formula,
cleaning supplies, and clothes.
We
are finding this process to be very labor intensive, and open to fraud.
We
are curious as to what other counties are doing to assist with these types of
needs.
Thanks
for passing on!
Suzann Bakken
Assistant Controller
Olmsted County Finance
e-mail suzann.bakken@olmstedcounty.gov
Phone & Fax 507-328-6460
Our department has charge cards for Walmart & HyVee. The social workers go out and purchase items for clients and then give the receipts to accounting to pay on the accounts.
ReplyDeleteAt Anoka we still primarily use gift cards, as we have not found a more effective way to handle these types of transactions. Our Social Services department created a process for purchase and distribution in collaboration with the County Auditor that transparently shows the flow of County dollars (process and forms are available if you want them):
ReplyDelete• Supervisor purchases store cards with a County P-Card, which they reconcile like any other purchase
• All purchased cards are immediately marked with an in-house numbering system, entered on a tracking sheet and then locked in a secure location
• Supervisors will pass cards to Social Workers after they fill out a distribution form with pertinent client info
• Social Worker distributes the store card to client, and client is required to return a receipt of purchases made. Failure to return the receipt means client may be ineligible for future cards.
• Receipt is scanned and placed in the case file
I know that we may have to figure something else out in the future based on the stance from the State Auditor’s Office, but we’re continuing with the current process until we get specific direction that we need to make a change.
In emergency situations we only have a dollar general in our county for clothing/diapers, so we usually send a social worker or case aid to purchase the items needed right away with our county credit card. Receipts are given to accounting. When applicable and available, we try to use the salvation army, WIC, or local food shelves. For gas we send a voucher to the local gas stations that then send us the voucher and receipt with a statement at the end of the month. We have also sent a voucher to the local grocery stores for food purchases, it states that it's for grocery purchases only and is only valid on the date listed. At the end of the month they send us the receipt, so we know what was purchased.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Spilde
Norman County
In St Louis County, we have an agreement with Super One to accept our SSIS vouchers. We define exactly what can be purchased and the dollar amount and an ID is required. Super One then bills us using those SSIS vouchers with the receipt. Super One is a grocery store that carries diapers, formula, food, etc. and has a variety of locations across the county.
ReplyDeleteThanks for asking this question because our county needs input on this topic.
ReplyDeleteUp until recently, our county has had the social worker or case aide use the county credit card to purchase the appropriate items for the clients, such as diapers, food and clothing. The receipts are attached to a form with the client's name and chart of account number, such as PSOP, Family Assessment, foster care, etc. and includes the supervisor's signature. This process has been acceptable from an audit viewpoint.
Recently, the social workers are using the county credit card to purchase a gift card at various stores for a particular client, who then signs a page that states that they (the client) have received that card. The client is not asked or required to bring in their receipt. Even if the client provides their receipt, if they purchased items not agreed upon, will they be required to reimburse the county? This process seems open to fraud and probably against the Statement of Position from the state auditor's office.
We do have an arrangement with a local gas station to accept our "vouchers". The date, client, amount and instructions on how to handle the voucher are printed on the voucher/letter. The station workers get the signatures and include the receipts with their monthly statements.
Watonwan County has Walmart credit cards that we use and also a VISA credit card. The VISA credit card has to be left in the agency, but can be used to order things online or over the phone. We also use vouchers at a local gas station for gas purchases.
ReplyDelete