#jlarc

[virginiatowncrier]

State lender controlling $80 million in COVID-19 relief, has record of sitting on funds

The Virginia Small Business Financing Authority was recently criticized by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission for being too risk-averse and not lending much of the money it had available.

[virginiatowncrier]

#vagov Virginia could get $262 million a year in tax revenue from 5 casinos, study finds

A legislative commission says proposed establishments in Norfolk and Portsmouth could bring the state $50 million and $45 million a year, respectively.

[afpchrisgraham]

JLARC report highlights inefficiencies and management problems at VEDP

The JLARC report released Monday highlighted inefficiencies and management problems at the VEDP.

The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission report released Monday highlighted inefficiencies and management problems at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP). The report details the systematic deficiencies at the state agency and outlined recommendations that should be taken by the General Assembly to restore accountability and oversight. “Today’s JLARC report on VEDP is…

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[afpchrisgraham]

JLARC report again highlights responsible state spending, rising Medicaid growth

A JLARC annual report highlighted the General Assembly’s responsible state spending, and the continued growth of Medicaid in Virginia.

The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission’s annual report on state spending highlighted the General Assembly’s responsible state spending, and also shows the continued growth of Medicaid in Virginia. The report, released Tuesday, tracks state spending over the last ten years and is required by law. According to JLARC, general fund spending declined 11 percent over the last ten years when…

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[afpchrisgraham]

Ken Plum: Keeping tabs on the Commonwealth

Last week I attended my first meeting as a member of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC). I have admired the professional work of JLARC since it was established in 1973 to evaluate the operation and performance of state agencies. JLARC performs its duties in three major work functions: studies, oversight and fiscal analysis, and support. The Commission is made up of nine…

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[virginiatowncrier]

The Virginia program assigned to help veterans with mental-health problems faces "a series of major challenges" that range from lack of direction to staff member qualifications, according to a recent legislative report.

The Virginia program assigned to help veterans with mental-health problems faces "a series of major challenges" that range from lack of direction to staff member qualifications, according to a recent legislative report.

Further, the entire Virginia Department of Veterans Services has suffered from a lack of outreach that leaves former service members unaware of the services offered.

John Newby — the agency's commissioner, who asked for the report — embraces many of its recommendations and said he's begun to address the concerns. However, he's pushed back on the concern that staff members lack qualifications to manage veterans' mental-health cases.

The report from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission comes as Gov. Terry McAuliffe wants to spend an additional $9.1 million on veteran programs, including some in which JLARC cites shortcomings.

Starting next month, the General Assembly's budget writers must decide whether to invest more in veterans services — an issue that often has broad support — or wait until the problems cited by JLARC are addressed.

Click on the headline to read the full story. ~ Newport News Daily Press

[virginiatowncrier]

Virginia’s Medicaid is likely to fare well under yet another state watchdog review. But if the past is any indication, that won’t stop opponents of closing the coverage gap from using the new findings as another excuse to refuse the billions in federal funding to help more Virginians get health insurance.

The study, due to be released Monday by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, represents a compromise on what topics to tackle. The initial House resolution asked for a wide-ranging review of the Medicaid program even though dozens of audits have been done in recent years including former Governor McDonnell’s top-to-bottom audit. Only after reaching a compromise with the Senate did the final study resolution emerge focusing on the more specific question of how Medicaid verifies eligibility for the long-term care services that consume two-thirds of the state’s Medicaid budget. This is an issue, by the way, completely unrelated to the new services that would be provided if Virginia closed the coverage gap. That’s because the vast majority of the newly eligible are low-income able bodied adults who do not need long-term care services like nursing home care.

Previous audits and reviews of Virginia’s Medicaid, while identifying areas for improvement, have consistently found that the state does a good job in promoting program integrity. In fact, a 2013 audit by the federal government found that Virginia’s Medicaid payment error rate was 0.47 percent, far below the national average of 3.3 percent. And after the audit he ordered, Governor McDonnell – who did not support closing the coverage gap – concluded, “the issues that the audit surfaced are neither numerous nor unmanageable.”

Click on the headline to read the full story. ~ The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis

[afpchrisgraham]

Ken Plum: Chicken and the egg

Ken Plum: Chicken and the egg

A chicken or egg kind of debate has been going on in Virginia recently as a result of a report from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC). The agency is charged by law with the responsibility of providing an annual report on the growth of state spending over the last ten years while identifying the largest and fastest growing programs and functions in the budget. The most…

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