LINCOLN — A pre-Christmas update to an audit of a Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services program found that despite tightened recordkeeping, financial blessings flowed for months for questionable reimbursements for in-home care. Some providers could face consequences after Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley’s staff scrutinized the state’s payment systems. The latest problems were found despite DHHS having tightened its processes after a state audit in February found poor recordkeeping and financial controls.

One such provider, Omaha-based Murray’s Blessings, received more than $1 million in payments, including many the auditor flagged as possibly fraudulent. The provider was reimbursed for two employees’ services at the same time they were being detained or incarcerated for alleged crimes, Foley’s office said. According to its Better Business Bureau profile, Murray’s Blessings provides in-home care to residents including meal preparation, transportation, cleaning and health-related services.

“There’s tens of millions of dollars flowing through this thing, and the controls are so loose that you could literally be in jail and be paid,” Foley told the Examiner. “This program is defective and needs to be revised … in a serious way to protect the taxpayer and make sure the money goes where it needs to go.”

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