Yolanda vs. NC DHHS: Butting heads over fiscal review of Robinson family biz
A fiscal review of Greensboro-based Balanced Nutrition, the Robinson family business, had been scheduled for the duration of this week. The firm, a contractor for state government which manages millions in tax revenue, has been at the center of controversy and raising all kinds of questions for the last year.
Our reporting over the last year has raised issues that include: possible false info supplied to the IRS, accounting practices that do not appear to comply with the industry’s Generally Accepted Accounting Practices, failure to comply with state law and regulations regarding the hiring and paying of family members, failure to comply with DHHS regulations aimed at contractors, and possible improper application for and receipt of federal paycheck protection loans.
Yolanda Hill, Balanced Nutrition’s CFO, is married to Lt. Governor (and GOP gubernatorial nominee) Mark Robinson. Our previous reporting indicates that the business is slated to shut down at the end of April.
A lot has happened today. Yolanda Hill appears to have given an interview to WRAL about Balanced Nutrition. In that interview, Hill appears to allege that she and her business are being harassed because of a vendetta against her by agency employees. (Balanced Nutrition has been working with DHHS since 2017.) The evidence for the vendetta claim?
Hill says some DHHS employees shared screenshots from her Facebook page in February 2023 on “state cell phones.”‘ Hill alleges that the employees IDed her as the wife of the lieutenant governor and accused her of trying to hide the fact.
Now, as you take that in, consider these communications between Hill and NCDHHS that we obtained today. Remember the review that was to commence on Monday? Well …..
That led to this response from NCDHHS:
[…] Dear Mr. Brooks:
NCDHHS confirms receipt of your communication dated April 15, 2024, on behalf of Ms. Yolanda Hill and Balanced Nutrition, Inc. declining to meet with NCDHHS officials regarding the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2023-2024 compliance review that was scheduled to begin that day without the presence of counsel.
The compliance review is a required component of participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Balanced Nutrition, Inc. is currently an active participant in the CACFP, a federal program that provides reimbursement for nutritious meals and snacks to eligible children and adults who are enrolled for care at participating childcare centers, day care homes, and adult day care centers. While Balanced Nutrition, Inc. notified NCDHHS on April 2, 2024 of the intent to terminate from participation in the CACFP effective April 30, 2024, NCDHHS communicated that the scheduled compliance review would still be conducted. The compliance review is retrospective and Balanced Nutrition, Inc. is bound by legal and contractual obligations as a recipient of funds to the rules and regulations of the CACFP
The following notices have been provided to Balanced Nutrition, Inc. regarding the scheduled, announced compliance review:
• On March 1, 2024, NCDHHS sent an initial notice to Balanced Nutrition, Inc. Board Chair and Owner/CFO announcing the date of the compliance review from April 15, 2024, to April 19, 2024. This letter provided a list of documents requested prior to the review (to be submitted within 7 days of receipt of the notice), as well as documents that would need to be available for the on-site visit. NCDHHS has not received any of the requested documents to date. (See Attachment 1)
• On March 18, 2024, NCDHHS resent the notice to the Owner/CFO of Balanced Nutrition, Inc.(See Attachment 2)
• On April 1, 2024, NCDHHS sent a second notice to the Board Chair and Owner/CFO of Balanced Nutrition, Inc. regarding the scheduled compliance review. (See Attachment 3)
• On April 9, 2024, during a routine call to confirm the upcoming compliance review, a NCDHHS staff member asked if Ms. Hill had any questions about the review, and Ms. Hill indicated she did not have any questions.
Per the compliance letters, Federal regulations, and the Program Agreement:
• Institutions are required to “[m]aintain all program records, reports, and other documents pertaining to the CACFP at the Institution and participating facilit[ies]. Upon request, make all records pertaining to the Program available to the State, Federal, or other authorized officials for audit or compliance reviews, examinations, excerpts, and transcripts at a reasonable time. Failure to maintain and/or make records available may constitute grounds for denial of a claim for reimbursement and/or termination.”
• Program Agreements are required to include “the right of the State agency, the Department, and other State or Federal officials to make announced or unannounced reviews of their operations during the institution’s normal hours of child or adult care operations.”
Institutions are required to “provide access to the Institution’s personnel for the purpose of interviews and discussion related to records, reports, and other documents pertaining to the CACFP at the Institution and participating facilit[ies].”
• “Missing, lost, or incomplete records may lead to a finding of serious deficiency, disallowances of reimbursement, and/or other adverse consequences. Because the necessary records must be presented during the on-site visit, it is your responsibility to ensure that an institution representative with access to all records be available during the specified time period.”
All participating CACFP sponsoring organizations are subject to, and are required to comply with, federal regulations governing the CACFP, including the requirement to make all records pertaining to the Program available to State agency officials for compliance reviews. Failure to participate in the CACFP compliance review process and furnish appropriate records can result in the issuance of a notice of serious deficiency.
The NCDHHS review team will be on-site at Balanced Nutrition, Inc. on Wednesday April 17, 2024, at 12:00 PM to proceed with the scheduled, announced compliance review. We ask that the requested documents be available to streamline the review process. Balanced Nutrition, Inc.’s counsel is welcome to be present to observe this compliance review.
We appreciate your attention to this important matter. Balanced Nutrition, Inc.’s role in this work is vitally important to providing nutritious meals to children in childcare settings across North Carolina.
Please respond no later than 5:00 PM Tuesday, April 16, 2024 confirming Balanced Nutrition, Inc.’s participation in the compliance review beginning on April 17, 2024 at 12:00 PM. […]
THAT communication led to this follow-up from NCDHHS:
[…] Dear Ms. Hill:
On Monday, April 15, 2024, NCDHHS General Counsel Julie Cronin received a letter via email from your attorney, Mr. B. Tyler Brooks, on which you were copied. The letter indicated that Balanced Nutrition, Inc. declined to meet with NCDHHS officials regarding the federal fiscal year (FFY) 2023-2024 compliance review that was scheduled to begin that day. As a result, the NCDHHS review team did not come on-site to Balanced Nutrition, Inc. as planned on Monday, April 15, 2024. NCDHHS Deputy General Counsel Raj Premakumar responded to Mr. Brooks on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, that the NCDHHS review team would arrive on-site on Wednesday, April 17 at 12:00pm to conduct the compliance review. We have attached that response to this email. We requested that Mr. Brooks confirm Balanced Nutrition, Inc.’s participation in the compliance review by 5:00pm on April 16, 2024. We did not receive confirmation from Mr. Brooks by the requested timeline.
The NCDHHS review team arrived on-site at Balanced Nutrition, Inc. on Wednesday, April 17 at 12:00pm and were greeted by you. You refused to participate in the compliance review due to the fact that your attorney was not present.
NCDHHS is offering a final opportunity to perform a rescheduled compliance review for Balanced Nutrition, Inc. starting on Monday, April 22nd at 12:00pm. As indicated in the notices, our team needs adequate time to conduct the review process.
Please respond no later than 12:00pm Friday, April 19, 2024, confirming Balanced Nutrition, Inc.’s participation in the compliance review beginning on April 22, 2024, at 12:00pm. […]
It sounds like things are getting a wee bit serious. THAT letter was met with the following emailed response from Hill’s attorney:
Sounds like Balanced Nutrition has something to hide. It will be interesting to see what transpires on April 22. Thanks for following this.
I told people that voting for Mark Robinson in the primary would be a big mistake. I asked them to vote for Dale Folwell. It looks like I am being proven right. Not sure what I will do on Nov. 5, but I won’t be voting for Stein or Robinson. This is so sad, and was totally avoidable.
I don’t understand that response. Robinson obviously has a big problem with financial improprieties. If elected, he will need to have some strong guidance from his staff — but you will at least get a governor who is committed to fighting the far-left’s agenda on most fronts. With Stein you will get a full-bore radical leftist with his hands on the whole apparatus of the state government and a proven record of tilting the scales of justice, corrupting elections, ramping up cronyism, pushing climate and DEI insanity and more. Whatever happened to the old rule of “better my bum than yours?”
Robinson hasn’t “fought” for us yet. He does what he is told by Berger. He didn’t oppose the Casinos. He has done nothing to get #2A passed. It’s TALK TALK TALK.
I am afraid that Robinson’s ego is bigger than the whole state of NC.
Robinson doesn’t “do” math. His words not mine. He also doesn’t “do” taxes.
BTW, Robinson’s staff doesn’t return calls, emails, or texts.
Voting for the less evil is still voting for evil….look at the mess we have with Tillis!
WRITE IN: DALE FOLWELL
I get your point. Josh Stein is North Carolina’s AOC or Shumer, and he would be a horrible governor. Many of us have held our nose and voted for the lesser of the evils too many times and often got stabbed in the back for it. Voters are getting tired of that, and motivating them to do it again for Robinson will be a tough sell for many.
Robinson has been almost useless as Lieutenant Governor. He did at first push the school curriculum issue hard, which was great, but then he seemed to decide he did not do issues any more and stopped, not just on that but on all conservative issues. That even applied to his signature issue of gun rights. When his new best friend RINO kingpin Phil Berger blocked consideration of Constitutional Carry in North Carolina, Robinson did not raise a peep, which was utterly shameful. Robinson was also MIA when Berger pushed some of the agenda items of Biden and Cooper like the Green New Deal and Obamacare Medicaid expansion.
Robinson has shown as Lieutenant Governor that he is absolutely incompetent in hiring a staff. How in the heck would he staff an entire gubenatorial administration? He would certainly be worse than even McCrory on that score.
In November, we are looking at a choice between the lesser of two evils, but there is no question that Josh Stein is the biggest evil that has ever been on a gubenatorial ballot in North Carolina. Many GOP voters will through party loyalty hold their nose and vote for Robinson, while others may choose the Libertarian as a protest vote or the Constitution Party candidate if that party is successful in their ballot access petition.
Much as I love and support President Trump, he needs to get better advice on his endorsements in North Carolina. Trump’s endorsement of Robinson was as tone deaf as his earlier endorsement of Thom Tillis. Trump could help us out of this mess if he would offer Robinson some type of apppointment, maybe as ambassador to a Caribbean country, if he would resign the gubenatorial nomination now. A better gubenatorial candidate will help us win NC for Trump and our other statewide candidates. I’m very afraid that Robinson will be a lead anchor on the entire ticket.
Mark Robinson is a pompous slob who has no business at governing. He has been totally useless in his present position. All he has done is run his mouth and babble with the mentality of a 5th grader. Folwell was and is the most qualified to be governor. I will write in his name in November and I urge others to do the same.
Larry my friend, I did the same. I chose and choose FOLWELL. I will be writing in Dale FOLWELL.
Spoken like a fellow PATRIOT, Representative Pittman.
I voted Folwell in the primary. Robinson is all talk, and it’s clear to me that he’s just another hustler from THAT part of the tracks, if you catch my drift. As governor, Robinson will do nothing to advance our causes, and if anything, he will set them back and make it even harder to elect committed conservatives.
I, for one, will be voting Constitution Party or write-in this November. I encourage other like-minded patriots to do the same.
NC’s gov office cannot be retained by a Dem.
WHO wants another 4Y of Coop OR WORSE.
Folwell cannot be written in and win. I too voted for him, but we all know he cannot win.
Recall Coop’s complete shut-down of NC during COVID. ONLY southeast state to remain closed.
Just lost a case at upper court exposing his nazi rule
And WHO can EVER FORGET darlin’ Mandy, now at CDC, further destroying this country.
Recall, they walked out to the weekly conf, placing a mask on as they walked up and immediately removed walking back off WHILE WE were REFUSED services at establishments if UNMASKED.
And who is to forget, you enter a restaurant, walk to your table, unmask, dine and then MASK to walk back out.
I sat at high school FB games, seats in stands marked every 6′ to sit and REQUIRED to mask to watch kids play FB…..and by God it was monitored by school nazis UNDER the direct rule from NCHSAA….My wife and I could sit together b/c we were in a household BUT NOT SIT with another household….
And I WANT ANOTHER democrat in gov mansion?
STIEN WILL BE WORSE than coop….
https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/html/BySection/Chapter_163/GS_163-123.html
There is a procedure for a write in candidate’s votes to be counted in a General election, BUT any candidate that lost in the primary is not eligible to have votes counted as a Write In in the General Election, so Dale Folwell is not eligible.
There is a procedure for becoming a Write In Candidate and it only requires 500 NC voters to sign the petition of the Write In Candidate.
Find a good candidate, and I will get at least 50 signuature!