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Tarrant County auditor Kimberly M. Buchanan speaks to the Commissioners Court during a July 2, 2024, meeting about an internal audit report that found Tarrant County Public Health had issues with its administration of federal and state grant awards in recent years. (Alberto Silva Fernandez | Fort Worth Report)
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One day after a new leader took the helm of Tarrant County Public Health, county officials released an audit report revealing some of the “significant issues” under former director Veerinder “Vinny” Taneja, who resigned in February. 

The audit report, filed during a July 2 Commissioners Court meeting, revealed some of the department’s issues with its administration of federal and state grant awards in recent years. 

The internal audit report, issued by Tarrant County auditor Kimberly M. Buchanan, states the public health department has not submitted quarterly performance reports related to COVID-19 and syphilis grant contracts with the Texas Department of State Health Services on time or, in some cases at all, since 2020. 

Tarrant County Public Health only reported four cases of congenital syphilis on time to the Department of State Health Services with 130 other cases being reported an average of 189 days late, according to the report. Congenital syphilis is an infection passed down from mother to infant during pregnancy. 

The department also did not have adequate policies in place to keep track of the department’s inventory and has not adequately monitored its grant budgets, which include over 30 active grant agreements that fund over 300 positions since 2023, according to the audit report.

Buchanan said her office has had to work with the health department to ensure staff are prepared for state inspections. 

“It should be an ongoing process,” Buchanan said. “We shouldn’t have to go in there and go, ‘Oh wait, you don’t have this fixed. Let’s get this fixed.’”

Buchanan’s office has asked Tarrant County Public Health to develop systems and procedures to track deadlines, keep updated inventory and ensure accurate allocations of expenses.

The report comes as Dr. William Brian Byrd, a former Fort Worth City Council member, takes over as director of the department. Taneja was recently appointed to serve as El Paso’s public health director, after the department spent more than two years without a permanent hire, according to El Paso Matters. 

In a June 18 letter, interim public health director Tom Stallings assured Buchanan the public health department recognized the findings and the need to improve requirements “which we are contractually required to perform.” 

Tarrant County Public Health said it has begun to improve its controls over grant management by establishing monthly meetings with department stakeholders and county partners, partnering with Tarrant County’s budget department to create a comprehensive corrective action plan. The department has also implemented an asset tracking system for county and grant equipment, according to the letter.

“We concur with your finding,” Stallings wrote of the report. “We look forward to implementing the recommended procedures along with additional procedures to reconcile and increase oversight of the grant management system.” 

Although the internal audit report does not mention Taneja by name, the former department head faced scrutiny for how he handled invoices and contracts for a COVID-19 program.

In a Feb. 2 termination notice sent to Taneja prior to Taneja’s resignation, county administrator Chandler Merritt accused Taneja’s team of lowering the city of Fort Worth’s bill for COVID-19 saliva tests without seeking proper approval from county leadership. Taneja said the invoice was based on incorrect data and that the lowered bill was a “simple correction.” 

The incident was not mentioned in the auditor’s report. The auditor’s office plans to follow up on Tarrant County Public Health’s improvements in three to four months, Buchanan said. 

David Moreno is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. His position is supported by a grant from Texas Health Resources. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports. 

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.