RALEIGH. NC– North Carolina state regulators now say a nonprofit run by the wife of North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson must reimburse more than $132,000 for what they call disallowed expenses while running a program of federally funded child care meals.
The state Department of Health and Human Services revealed a larger amount in a Friday letter to Yolanda Hill after a compliance review of Balanced Nutrition Inc., of which Hill is listed as owner and chief financial officer. Robinson, who is also the Republican nominee for governor this fall, worked at a nonprofit years ago before running for elected office, according to your memoir.
Hill previously announced he would close the nonprofit company and withdraw from the Child and Adult Care Food Program on April 30. But state officials had already announced in March that the fiscal year’s Balanced Nutrition review would begin on April 15.
The review’s findings, released Wednesday, cited new and repeated problems, including lax bureaucracy and a failure to file valid claims on behalf of child care operators or report expenses accurately. The program told Hill and other leaders to quickly take corrective action on the “serious deficiencies” or regulators would propose disqualifying them from future participation in the program.
The state health department said Thursday that the Greensboro nonprofit also owed the state $24,400 in unverified expenses reimbursed to several child care providers or homes examined by regulators in the review.
But Friday’s letter accounted for another $107,719 in ineligible claims or expenses that the state said were generated while Balanced Nutrition carried out administrative and operational activities as the program’s sponsor during the first three months of the year. Forms signed by regulators attributed more than $80,000 of these disallowed costs to “administrative work” or “operational work.” Records do not provide details on labor costs.
This week’s compliance review said Balanced Nutrition should have disclosed and received program approval that Hill’s daughter was working for the nonprofit.
The amounts owed and the proposed disqualification from the program may be subject to appeal. An attorney representing Balanced Nutrition and Hill did not immediately respond to an email Friday seeking comment.
The attorney, Tyler Brooks, had previously questioned the timing of the review, claiming that Balanced Nutrition was being targeted because Hill is Robinson’s wife and that “political bias” tainted the compliance review process. Program leaders, however, described in written correspondence difficulties in obtaining documents and in meetings with Balanced Nutrition leaders.
The health department is run by the administration of Democratic Governor Roy Cooper. He was term-limited to seek re-election. Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein is running against Robinson for governor.
Balanced Nutrition helped daycares and nursing homes qualify to participate in the free and reduced-price meals program, filed requests for centers to be reimbursed for enrollees’ meals, and ensured that centers remained in compliance with program requirements. The nonprofit received a portion of the center’s reimbursement for its services.
Taxpayer-funded Balanced Nutrition has raised about $7 million in government funding since 2017, while paying at least $830,000 in salaries to Hill, Robinson and other members of their families, tax returns and state documents show .
Robinson described in his memoir how the operation brought fiscal stability to his family, giving him the opportunity to quit his job manufacturing furniture in 2018 and begin a career in politics.
