Review of the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant Program Administered by the Minnesota Department of Human Services

This report provides you with the results of our review of the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SAPT) programs administered by the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Chemical Dependency Division (State agency). The grant funds were awarded to the State for planning, implementing, and evaluating alcohol and drug abuse prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation activities. The objective of our review was to determine the adequacy of the State agency's administration of its block grant.

Generally, the State agency was effectively administering its grant. However, we found that the State agency did not always require its grantee to establish program goals designed to provide a basis for measurable outcomes. We also found that the State agency's peer review process did not meet the requirements of the Public Health Services Act (Act) which requires independent peer reviews of all substance abuse treatment providers. Under current practices, the majority of providers are not subject to peer review and that the reviews incorporate all of the required items.