L.A. County accused of improperly billing FEMA for about $2.3 million in storm damage repairs

Los Angeles County improperly billed the federal government about $2.3 million in cost overruns for repairs on roads damaged by the severe winter storms of 2005, according to a federal audit made public this week.

The overbilling included about $1 million for a road embankment repair project that already had been rejected by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the audit by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, which completed the audit for FEMA.

In another case, auditors said nearly $1 million in cost overruns to repair a road shoulder included general road improvements made without FEMA’s permission and should not be reimbursed.

The audit also pointed to a project involving more than $330,000 to fix “berms with cracks and weeds growing through the cracks which, from a detailed inspection, it was determined that they were not storm-related.”

Auditors found that L.A. County officials could not prove their contention that the pre-storm damage had been repaired under a countywide maintenance program.

The county was also faulted for charging the federal government $87,295 in benefits, including retirement pensions and retiree health insurance, that are not covered by disaster relief funds.

The audit recommended that steps be taken to ensure that agencies receiving FEMA grants “do not claim costs associated with ineligible work that was previously denied.”

County officials were informed of the findings in August and disagreed with most of them, according to the audit. The report was completed April 23 and released publicly Monday. FEMA has 90 days to make a decision about the auditors’ recommendations.

County officials did not immediately return calls for comment.

ron.lin@latimes.com