Department of Health

Oversight of the Spinal Cord Injury Research Trust Fund (Follow-Up Report)

The Spinal Cord Injury Research Trust Fund was created to provide scientists, physicians, and other experts with grants for use in finding a cure for spinal cord injuries. The Trust Fund is financed by a surcharge on drivers who receive traffic tickets. Grants are awarded by a special State Board within the Department of Health that was created to oversee the Trust Fund. In audit 2007-S-32, we determined that the grant recipients had submitted only 44 percent of their progress reports, 60 percent of their final reports, and none of their statistical/qualitative reports or seminar documentation that was required under the grants to demonstrate their performance. We also found some of the available funding was not being used because of delays in the grant award process. We recommended that certain improvements be made in the Board’s oversight and award of the grants. When we followed up on these matters with Department of Health officials, we found that significant progress had been made in the implementation of our audit recommendations.

For a complete copy of Report 2009-F-31 click here.