Varied Timing of Unannounced CACFP Reviews
This Management Bulletin provides guidance on the modification of requirements pertaining to sponsoring organization (sponsors of centers and family day care homes) facility reviews in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
Previous regulations required sponsoring organizations to conduct three reviews per year, two of which must be unannounced. New regulations now require sponsoring organizations to vary the timing of unannounced reviews to ensure they are unpredictable to the facility.
Background
Unannounced reviews are an effective tool in ensuring program integrity. They give sponsors the opportunity to document how the facility operates on any given day and to offer technical assistance. In addition, they offer a first-hand opportunity to detect and identify areas of mismanagement, such as inaccurate meal counts, problems with recordkeeping, menu and enrollment discrepancies, and they allow sponsors to initiate immediate corrective action.
However, unannounced reviews that follow a consistent pattern (for example, unannounced reviews that always occur during the third week of January, the third week of May, and the third week of September, or reviews that never occur during the first week of the month when claims are processed) undermine the intent of the program’s unannounced review requirements. Sponsors are less likely to uncover management deficiencies and program abuse if facilities anticipate when their “unannounced” sponsor review is due to occur.
Modification
President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Act) on December 13, 2010. The Act requires that sponsoring organizations vary the timing of unannounced reviews so they are unpredictable to sponsored facilities.
The California Department of Social Services CACFP Branch will begin evaluating the timing of unannounced sponsor reviews during upcoming CACFP administrative reviews.
If you have any questions regarding this MB, please contact the CACFP specialist assigned to your agency in the Child Nutrition Information Payment System (CNIPS). Contact information for specialists is located on the Child and Adult Food Care Program Contact List or in the Download Forms section of the CNIPS as Form ID CACFP 01. You may also contact the CACFP Office Technician by email at CACFPinfo@dss.ca.gov to be directed to your specialist.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Esta institución es un proveedor que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades.