Dutchess County Comptroller's Office Releases Audit of Family Services, Inc. for 2020-2022 Period—Identifies Funding Discrepancy

Dutchess County Comptroller Gregg Pulver has announced the completion and release of an audit of Family Services, Inc. for the period of January 1, 2020-December 31, 2022. Family Services, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that provides a variety of support services to the community, including Behavioral Health, Victim Services, Family Programs, Youth Services, and Community Safety. Total funding for the County contracts reviewed by the Comptroller’s Office for the years 2020-2022 was $12,687,939.

The most significant item of note identified within the audit period was an incorrectly claimed $825,055 in wages made by Family Services, Inc. to the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH).

The Agency had initially received this funding through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in 2020, but due to a misallocation in the Agency’s general ledger, received an additional $825,055 from DBCH, an overpayment that had not been identified prior to this audit.

While it was recommended by the Comptroller’s Office that the funds be returned to DBCH, they will instead be repurposed by the Agency in cooperation with the County Executive’s Office and the County Legislature.

“The work done by the hardworking employees at Family Services, Inc. is invaluable to the community,” said Comptroller Pulver. “It is in light of this importance that they operate as transparently and responsibly as possible for the good of all involved agencies, including the taxpayers of Dutchess County.”

The Comptroller’s Office intends to follow-up on the use and allocation of these funds in 2025.

The full report can be found here (.pdf).