Program/Benefit Payments

The Program/Benefit Payments Section is responsible for the accounting functions related to funding of local government agencies and nonprofit entities that receive state and federal funding from Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).  In addition, the Section is responsible for development of all related subsystems in support of local program/benefit financial management within DHHS, development and dissemination of financial reporting requirements via procedure correspondence and manual material and is responsible for technical assistance to the local governmental agencies and nonprofit entities that receive funding from this department. This section is also responsible for E-Commerce initiatives such as Electronic Funds Transfers and other electronic benefits.

Child Day Care - Central Administration - Early Intervention and Education/ Business Enterprise Facilities Accounting/Public Health (CDC-CA/BEFA/Health)

Head:              Lem Harris                     (919) 715-0863, Ext. 284

The CDC-CA/BEFA/Health Branch is responsible for three units:  1)The Child Day Care - Central Administration (CDC-CA) Unit which makes payments for subsidized child care and makes payments to all nonprofit contracts, including Smart Start payments for the Division of Child Development.  The CDC-CA Unit also processes all of the program payments for the Office of Education Services.  The Central Administration program payments are on the behalf of the Office of Economic Opportunity, Council of Developmental Disabilities, and the Office of Research, Demonstrations, and Rural Health Development; 2) The Health Payments Unit which makes program payments for the Division of Public Health which has approximately 4,000 contracts to the local county health department/districts (LHD), various nonprofit contractors and individual contractors, Women Infants and Children (WIC) voucher payments to clients and WIC administration payments to LHD and payments to approximately 1,000 sponsors of the Child and Adult Food Program and the Summer Food Program; and 3) The Business Enterprise Facilities Accounting Unit (BEFA) which is responsible for all accounting functions and/or maintenance of accounting records for approximately 95 program participants of the Business Enterprise (BE) Program, administered by the Division of Services for the Blind, DHHS.  The BE Program is a rehabilitation program which is designed to train and assist qualified legally blind individuals as entrepreneurs in the concession stand/facility business located in federal, state and county buildings, and in private industry throughout North Carolina.

DSS/DAAS/DMA/DHSR

Head:             Debbie Hawkins             (919) 733-4640, Ext. 291

The DSS/DAAS/DMA/DHSR Branch is responsible for three units: (1) The DAAS/DMA/DHSR Unit is responsible for the reimbursement to the Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), Council of Governments(COG), not-for-profits and other government agencies for the Division of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS), the Division of Health Services Regulation(DHSR), and the Division of Medical Assistance(DMA).  (2) The County Administration Accounting Unit is responsible for the processing, review, and reimbursement to local departments of social services for administrative expenditures on behalf of the state Division of Social Services (DSS).  It also processes and makes program contract payments for the DSS.  (3) The Public Assistance and Food and Nutrition Services Accounting Unit is responsible for the processing and accounting for client benefit payments for the DSS. 

DVR/DSB/POMCS/DMH

Head:              Bob Duke                   (919) 855-3735

The DVR/DSB/POMCS/DMH Branch is responsible for four units: (1) the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Case Services Accounting Unit (DVR) is responsible for performing the accounting functions necessary to process payments to providers of various client services to eligible clients of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation in the Rehabilitation and Independent Living Programs, (2) the Division of Services for the Blind Claims Processing Unit (DSB) is responsible for performing the accounting functions necessary to process payments to providers of various client services to eligible clients of the Division of Services for the Blind in the Rehabilitation, Medical Eye Care, Independent Living Programs, and Supplemental Aid to the Blind payments, (3) the Purchase of Medical Care Services (POMCS) is responsible for performing the accounting functions necessary to process payments to providers of various client services to eligible clients of Women’s and Children’s Health, Community Health, and Epidemiology, (4) The Division of Mental Health (DMH) processes payments (IPRS) to the Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities/Substance Abuse Services Local Management Entities (LME) and contractors for client services under the Division of Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities/Substance Abuse Services and has responsibility for maintenance of the subsystems for reporting client services.

E-Commerce

Head:              David Steele                    (919) 715-9597

The E-Commerce Branch of the DHHS Controller's Office administers the contract with the EBT vendor who maintains debit card accounts for North Carolina Food and Nutrition Services benefit recipients. EBT is the technological structure that supports the delivery and usage of Food and Nutrition Services benefits in an electronic environment. EBT eliminates the trafficking of Food and Nutrition Services, improves the methods of identifying fraud and abuse and provides electronic data for use in prosecuting abusers, both recipients and retailers.

The E-Commerce Branch also administers the contract with the Child Support Centralized Collections Operation (CCO) vendor. The CCO is a lock box operation that utilizes a state-of-the-art imaging system to process child support payments (checks, money orders and/or cash). These payments are scanned, identified, balanced and sent to the Child Support statewide automated system (ACTS) for distribution and disbursement to the appropriate child support recipient families on a 48 hour turnaround basis.

Another function of the E-Commerce Branch is the responsibility for directing the DHHS Electronic Funds Transfer initiative. EFT is the safest, most efficient and cost-effective method for the payment of DHHS program benefits. Currently, the E-Commerce Branch is working with the Division of Social Services on projects involving the receipt and distribution of child support payments via several EFT methods, direct depositing of child support payments, as well as a project for the direct depositing of Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) benefits to NC recipients with bank accounts. Additionally, the E-Commerce Branch is working with various DHHS Divisions on the use of credit and/or debit cards for receivables.

Last updated June 26, 2008