State Computer System Errors Cost Minnesota $76 Million In Funding

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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A new audit says data errors in a state computer system designed to streamline enrollment for Medicaid and MinnesotaCare has cost the state $76 million in federal funding.

The Office of the Legislative Auditor says the state needs to do a better job preventing errors caused by the system and should better monitor who has access to sensitive data.

The system, known as the Minnesota Eligibility Technology System, or METS, has cost $432 million since it was launched in late 2013, a local news outlet reported. It's used by county and tribal workers who enroll people for the Medicaid program that covers 1.1 million Minnesotans.

It is used by county and tribal workers who enroll people for the Medicaid program that covers 1.1 million Minnesotans. METS collects information from applicants and is supposed to verify eligibility criteria such as income and citizenship against state and federal databases.

But the audit said problems with the system sometimes cause it to short-circuit the verification process, resulting in a manual review by a county or tribal employee.