Audit: No Safeguards In Place Monitoring State-Run Snack Bars | Eastern NC Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Barry Smith, who is an associate editor for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

Program to train blind residents for jobs spent $29 million over 15 years

    RALEIGH     A new audit shows that the agency that spent $29 million training blind North Carolinians to operate snack bars had no way of tracking whether the program actually helped those blind operators.

    "We determined that the program has not had any goals and measures since the program's inception," a report issued by State Auditor Beth Wood said. "Since 2000, the program has spent more than $29 million without establishing program goals and measures. Without goals and measures, the program cannot determine whether it is meeting the vocational needs and maximizing business opportunities to provide a living for the legally blind."

    Currently, 89 facilities are run by 70 operators across the state, located in state and federal government buildings. Gross sales total about $10.6 million a year. Since the program's inception in 1978, 326 people have been licensed to operate food service and vending facilities at those locations.

    The Business Enterprise Program, operated under the Department of Health and Human Services, is funded by federal tax dollars.

    According to the report, 80 people have been trained and licensed to operate snack bars since 2000, and 53 of them have been placed in a food service or vending facility.

    "Taking total program costs into consideration, it costs $362,500 to train each person," the report says. "When looking at only the people who were ultimately given the opportunity to operate a facility, approximately $547,170 was spent on each person."

    Responding to the report, DHHS Secretary Aldona Wos noted that placement depends on the availability of vending opportunities inside federal and state facilities.

    "Funding for the program not only covers the cost of training but [also] provides for the purchase, setup, and maintenance of equipment for the operating facilities and the oversight and monitoring of the locations' business operations," Wos wrote in a letter responding to the audit.

    The audit recommended that the program should set clear, specific goals to measure and evaluate performance. It also recommended that the program establish a tracking tool to ensure that all monitoring reviews occur as required.

    Wos generally agreed with the findings and recommendations, and noted that the program's director resigned.

    The program plans to have new assessment and evaluation procedures in place by Dec. 31, Wos wrote.