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Audit

Audit  Audit of the Hampden County Probate and Family Court Register’s Office

The audit found that the internal control plan (ICP) for the HCPFC Register’s Office did not cover all required components and principles and that the HCPFC Register’s Office did not schedule show cause hearings or assign guardians ad litem when conservators did not submit accounts within required timeframes. The audit examined the period of January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2020.

Organization: Office of the State Auditor
Date published: June 24, 2022

Executive Summary

In accordance with Section 12 of Chapter 11 of the Massachusetts General Laws, the Office of the State Auditor has conducted a transition audit of the Hampden County Probate and Family Court (HCPFC) Register’s Office for the period January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2020.

In this transition audit, we examined HCPFC’s compliance with the Office of the Comptroller of the Commonwealth’s Internal Control Guide and its administration and monitoring of conservatorships and guardianships.

Below is a summary of our findings and recommendations, with links to each page listed.

Finding 1
 

The internal control plan (ICP) for the HCPFC Register’s Office did not cover all required components and principles.

Recommendation
 

The HCPFC Register’s Office should update its ICP to include all required components and principles of the enterprise risk management framework of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

Finding 2
 

The HCPFC Register’s Office did not schedule show cause hearings or assign guardians ad litem when conservators did not submit accounts within required timeframes.

Recommendation
 

The HCPFC Register’s Office should appoint a staff member to schedule show cause hearings and assign guardians ad litem when conservators do not submit accounts within required timeframes.

Finding 3
 

When guardians did not submit documentation within required timeframes, the HCPFC Register’s Office did not always send notices of noncompliance, schedule show cause hearings, or appoint guardians ad litem.

Recommendation
 

The HCPFC Register’s Office should appoint a staff member to send notices of noncompliance, schedule show cause hearings, and assign guardians ad litem.

 

A PDF copy of the Audit Report of the Hampden County Register of Probate and Family Court is available here.

Downloads

Contact

Phone

Fax

(617) 727-3014

Address

Massachusetts State House
Room 230
Boston, MA 02133

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