Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance
Office for Technology

Welfare Management System: General and Application Controls (Follow-Up Report)

Public assistance programs in New York State rely on information maintained on the automated Welfare Management System (WMS), which is managed by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) and the New York State Office for Technology (OFT). In report 2001-S-35, we examined certain controls over this information. We found that information relating to individuals’ eligibility for public assistance was reasonably accurate. However, improvements were needed in controls intended to ensure only authorized individuals had 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 over the WMS, but when we followed up on these matters with OTDA and OFT officials, we found they had made little progress in implementing our recommendations.

For a complete copy of Report 2004-F-43 click here.
For a copy of the agency response to the follow-up report click here.