Missouri Department of Social Services owes over $19 million to federal government

A recent audit found that the Missouri Department of Social Services mistakenly paid over $19 million to child care facilities to subsidize low-income families.

The November audit by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General revealed that out of a sample of 128 months of subsidized child care reports, 124 had inadequate attendance records.

The Columbia Missourian reports that those distributed funds didn’t meet federal record-keeping requirements.

The Social Services Department disputes the refund amount and says it is doing its own review.