Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance

Welfare Management System: General and Application Controls

The Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), together with 58 local social services districts, administers various public assistance programs. In their administration of these programs, OTDA and the local districts rely on the automated Welfare Management System (WMS). We examined certain controls over the information maintained on the WMS by the 57 local districts outside New York City. (A separate audit report addresses controls relating to New York City information.) We found that information on the WMS relating to individuals’ eligibility for public assistance was reasonably accurate. However, improvements were needed in controls intended to ensure only authorized individuals have access to information on the WMS. In addition, to provide adequate protection against the loss of information, improvements were needed in security and disaster recovery procedures. We made several recommendations aimed at strengthening controls relating to the WMS.

For a complete copy of Report 2001-S-35 click here.
For a copy of the 90-day response click here.
For a copy of the associated follow-up report click here.