Posted: 1/11/06
By Patrick Tepoorten
An internal investigation into allegations of sloppy accounting practices has resulted in a reimbursement to Chisago County and changes to the way the Masters of Social Work (MSW) program will be managed by Chisago County Health and Human Services (HHS) in the future. It also raised questions about the methods used to collect data that supported the original allegations.
In a memo to County Administrator John Moosey, Social Services Director Elizabeth Dodge noted that her department looked into some of the allegations based on documents highlighted, and in some cases provided, by resident Tony Peterfeso. Those documents were primarily related to reimbursements for a specific employee, Program Planner Brad Foss.
The investigation, which also included HHS Fiscal Supervisor Les Strombeck, did discover a ìduplicate expenseî in regards to the purchase of two books by Foss, in the amount of $108.18.
ìI requested and received reimbursement for this expense,î said Dodge, adding, ìIt appears to have been a result of poor record keeping and receipt monitoring rather than malfeasance.î
Another concern raised by Peterfeso, that Foss had received a tuition refund from Augsburg College in the amount of $408.05, but failed to return it to the county, was determined to be without merit. ìBrad has identified that the ëcredit refundí was returned to him due to his making that payment initially, and I have confirmed that Chisago County did not reimburse over the actual tuition cost during that time,î explained Dodge.
With the investigation indeed turning up what appear to be minor problems with accounting, Dodge indicated that she and Strombeck addressed some changes for the program.
ìWe have agreed that expense claiming accountability will be monitored more closely in the coming year. We have a preliminary training plan established with supervisory staff, subsequent oversight by accounting staff, and have clarified some expectations of supervisory staff related to employee expense claims.î
Dodgeís memo to Moosey also raises questions about how Peterfeso was able to garner tuition refund information from Augsburg and described Fossí concern that his privacy rights had been violated under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
ìMr. Peterfeso raised appropriate questions. I am not as confident in his methods of obtaining this information,î explained Dodge, who added, ìI was unable to obtain the same information without falsifying my identity.î
According to the U.S. Department of Education, FERPA restricts the release of educational records to students themselves and/or their guardians. There are some exceptions though, including ìspecified officials for audit or evaluation purposes,î and, ìto comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena.î
In a Thursday interview, Dodge explained that any action taken on the privacy issue would be the responsibility of Foss, not the department. Foss confirmed on Friday that he has spoken with investigators with the Lakes Area Police Department and they are currently investigating whether a FERPA violation has occurred.
Peterfeso denies vehemently that any such violation occurred. ìAll of the information I received was contained in public documents,î he stated on Tuesday. He readily admitted calling Augsburg College, but for purposes of verifying receipts provided by the county. When asked if there was a chance that, in doing so, he violated anyoneís privacy rights, Peterfeso responded, ìabsolutely not.î
On the subject of the MSW program and its accounting, Peterfeso continued to insist that the entire program needs to be properly audited.
Dodge believes the investigation she has now concluded amounts to ìcase closedî for allegations of mismanagement of the MSW program. She did, however, add that her department would comply with any additional suggestions made by Moosey in regards to oversight improvements.
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