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GSSSI Hired Two Caseworkers for Its Protective Services Unit Who Did Not Meet Hiring Qualifications, Without Obtaining a Hiring Waiver

Unqualified hires could result in mismanagement of investigations of elder abuse
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Overview

GSSSI hired two caseworkers into its Protective Services Unit during the audit period who did not have the required type of degree. According to the Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA), GSSSI did not request hiring waivers for these employees. The hiring of unqualified caseworkers into the Protective Services Unit could result in mismanagement of investigations of abuse of elderly persons.

Authoritative Guidance

During our audit period, 651 CMR 5 was updated (as of January 13, 2017). This update includes changes to the qualifications specified in the definition of “protective services caseworker” under 651 CMR 5.02. The version that was in place before the update applied to both instances where Protective Services Unit caseworkers were hired without the proper qualifications:

Protective Services Caseworker. An employee of a Protective Services Agency who performs intake and/or Investigation and service planning and other Protective Services Casework functions under the Elder Protective Services Program and meets the following qualifications:

  1. A Masters or higher degree . . . in social work, psychology, counseling, human development, nursing or gerontology . . .
    or
  2. A Bachelors degree . . . in social work, psychology, counseling, human development, or gerontology.

According to Section II(E)(F)(1) of EOEA’s Protective Services Supervisors’ Manual, a protective services agency may request a hiring waiver if a candidate does not meet the hiring qualifications of 651 CMR 5.02:

In certain limited instances, when a PSA has been unable to hire a candidate who meets the minimum qualification requirements . . . but has an otherwise viable candidate, the PSA may request a hiring waiver.

Reasons for Noncompliance

GSSSI’s prior management who hired these caseworkers are no longer employed by GSSSI; therefore, we could not determine why these employees were hired despite not having the required type of degree.

Recommendation

GSSSI should ensure that it only hires Protective Services Unit caseworkers with the required education or should obtain a hiring waiver from EOEA.

Auditee’s Response

Since the leadership change in 2017, GSSSI has applied for waivers for two employees (November 15, 2018 and March 6, 2019) and received approval from EOEA. GSSSI will continue to apply for waivers going forward in order to remain compliant with the regulations.

Auditor’s Reply

Based on its response, GSSSI is taking measures to address our concerns in this area.

Date published: September 4, 2019

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