Missouri audit finds repeat failures in oversight of billions in federal funds

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri agencies handled more than $20 billion in federal money last year, but a new state audit says several departments are still falling short on basic oversight — including problems auditors have flagged for years.

State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick released the fiscal 2025 Statewide Single Audit on Wednesday.

The review identified 16 findings across major federal programs, nine of which were repeat findings from previous audits.

The audit examined 21 major federal programs involving about $16 billion in spending across nine state agencies.

Among the biggest concerns, auditors found agencies failed to adequately monitor more than $569 million in federal money passed on to local governments, nonprofits and other recipients.

Fitzpatrick said repeated failures to address past recommendations increase the risk of fraud and could put future federal funding at risk.

The Department of Health and Senior Services was again cited for weaknesses in its oversight of the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

Auditors reviewed 60 monitoring cases and found overclaims or underclaims in 50 of the 58 cases where meal reimbursements were tested and quantified.

The Office of Administration was also cited for failing to establish adequate monitoring procedures for federal pandemic recovery money.

The State Emergency Management Agency completed only about 25% of the required monitoring reviews for certain disaster assistance recipients, according to the audit.

Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program accounted for half of the audit’s findings.

Auditors found 9,834 people were enrolled in two separate eligibility systems as of May 2025.

The state’s automated death-record matching process also was not operating during the year, raising concerns that some people could remain enrolled after becoming ineligible.

The audit also found continued delays in Medicaid and CHIP eligibility decisions. In a sample of 120 cases, 19 decisions were made between seven and 115 days late.

Several agencies were also cited for failing to file required federal spending reports accurately or on time.

Fitzpatrick said many of the problems have appeared in previous audits and called on state agencies to move more quickly to correct them.