State Auditor Wants BCA to Handle Child Care Fraud Investigation

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota's legislative auditor recommends that responsibility for investigating fraud in the state's troubled Child Care Assistance Program should be transferred from the agency that runs it to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

James Nobles said in a letter to lawmakers Tuesday that criminal investigations are more in line with the BCA's mission rather than that of the Department of Human Services.

The Star Tribune reports the recommendation follows a report from Nobles last week that found significant levels of fraud in the child care program, and distrust between its fraud investigators and the department's inspector general, Carolyn Ham, who's now on leave and says she's being treated as a scapegoat.

Gov. Tim Walz told reporters Tuesday his revised budget, which he'll announce Friday, will include aspects of the auditor's recommendations.