The State : Audit Finds Ex-Criminals

An audit of home-care programs for 11,925 needy people in three California counties found 709 providers with criminal convictions, state Auditor Gen. Thomas Hayes said in a report to the Legislature. Hayes explained that the Department of Social Services, which oversees the In-Home Supportive Services program, is not authorized by law to screen providers for criminal records. The inquiry by his office, however, disclosed that 709, or 6.4% of 11,083 supportive service providers in San Joaquin, San Diego and Santa Clara counties--the only three counties where programs were reviewed--had convictions that would have disqualified them for employment in residential facilities for the elderly, he said.