Finding 2022-002: Inaccurate schedule of expenditures of federal awards (the ?Schedule?) Agency and Award: State Administrative Matching Grants for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Assistance Listing Number: 10.561. Condition: The originally prepared Schedule inaccurately presented the federal expenditures for the federal awards for the year ended June 30, 2022. Criteria: Lack of effective controls in place over the financial reporting function increased the risk of misstatements, fraud, or errors occurring and not being detected and corrected in a timely manner. The originally prepared Schedule was understated by $333,297, for the year ended June 30, 2022. Cause: Internal controls over financial reporting were not operating effectively to prevent or detect the misstatement in the Schedule. Context and Effect: The Light house did not have adequate internal controls over financial reporting. Questioned Costs: Questioned costs were not identified. Recommendations: The Light House should review its accounting policies and procedures and its year-end closing procedures to verify that internal controls are in place that will ensure that the Schedule is accurately prepared including allowed indirect costs.
Finding 2022-003: Time and Effort Reports Agency and Award: State Administrative Matching Grants for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Assistance Listing Number: 10.561. Condition: The time and effort reports were not available when performing a test of salaries and related expenditures charged to the federal award program during the audit. Criteria: Time and effort reporting is required under the Federal Office of Management and Budget?s Circular A-87, Cost Principles for State, Local, and Indian Tribal Governments Attachment B, Selected Items of Cost, Item 9, Compensation for Personnel Services. In other words, federally sponsored programs require that employees track and independently confirm their time and attendance as a means of supporting the costs that were applied to the federal grant program. Cause: As a result of change of staff and no clear instruction from the State of Maryland, The Light House did not track the time allocation and instead used the fixed percentage as per the grant. Context and Effect: By not completing the time and effort reports, The Light House did not have the required documentation to further support the amount of its employees? time spent on the federal grant award that was otherwise recorded on the approved timesheets and tracked in the accounting system. Questioned Costs: None Repeat Finding: No Recommendations: We recommend that The Light House incorporate the completion of the time and effort report as part of its standard operating procedures. The time and effort reports should be completed at least monthly, and certified by employees and management attesting to their accuracy. In addition, the time and effort reports should be reconciled between timesheets, payroll reports, and the federal grant budgets.
Finding 2022-004: Matching Agency and Award: State Administrative Matching Grants for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Assistance Listing Number: 10.561. Condition: Certain salary amounts relating to the federal grant which were included in the matching amounts for the grant were charged through to another federal grant. Criteria: 2 CFR Section 200.306 states that the basic criteria for acceptable matching requires that matching amounts are not paid by the federal government under another award, except where the federal statute authorizing a program specifically provides that federal funds made available for such programs can be applied to matching or cost sharing requirements of other federal programs. Cause: The calculation of matching amounts on the SNAP grant in the reporting provided was correct, however, certain amounts related to certain employees working for the Bistro which had been included in the matching calculation were charged through to another federal grant due to an oversight. Context and Effect: Matching amounts related to 3 months during the year for 2 employees of the Bistro should not have been charged through to the other federal grant and were, although the total amount was under the reportable threshold for Questioned costs. Questioned Costs: None Recommendations: The Light House should ensure that all individuals who are responsible for reporting and charging time to federal grants whether under the Light House or the Bistro are aware of related compliance requirements.
Finding 2022-002: Inaccurate schedule of expenditures of federal awards (the ?Schedule?) Agency and Award: State Administrative Matching Grants for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Assistance Listing Number: 10.561. Condition: The originally prepared Schedule inaccurately presented the federal expenditures for the federal awards for the year ended June 30, 2022. Criteria: Lack of effective controls in place over the financial reporting function increased the risk of misstatements, fraud, or errors occurring and not being detected and corrected in a timely manner. The originally prepared Schedule was understated by $333,297, for the year ended June 30, 2022. Cause: Internal controls over financial reporting were not operating effectively to prevent or detect the misstatement in the Schedule. Context and Effect: The Light house did not have adequate internal controls over financial reporting. Questioned Costs: Questioned costs were not identified. Recommendations: The Light House should review its accounting policies and procedures and its year-end closing procedures to verify that internal controls are in place that will ensure that the Schedule is accurately prepared including allowed indirect costs.
Finding 2022-003: Time and Effort Reports Agency and Award: State Administrative Matching Grants for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Assistance Listing Number: 10.561. Condition: The time and effort reports were not available when performing a test of salaries and related expenditures charged to the federal award program during the audit. Criteria: Time and effort reporting is required under the Federal Office of Management and Budget?s Circular A-87, Cost Principles for State, Local, and Indian Tribal Governments Attachment B, Selected Items of Cost, Item 9, Compensation for Personnel Services. In other words, federally sponsored programs require that employees track and independently confirm their time and attendance as a means of supporting the costs that were applied to the federal grant program. Cause: As a result of change of staff and no clear instruction from the State of Maryland, The Light House did not track the time allocation and instead used the fixed percentage as per the grant. Context and Effect: By not completing the time and effort reports, The Light House did not have the required documentation to further support the amount of its employees? time spent on the federal grant award that was otherwise recorded on the approved timesheets and tracked in the accounting system. Questioned Costs: None Repeat Finding: No Recommendations: We recommend that The Light House incorporate the completion of the time and effort report as part of its standard operating procedures. The time and effort reports should be completed at least monthly, and certified by employees and management attesting to their accuracy. In addition, the time and effort reports should be reconciled between timesheets, payroll reports, and the federal grant budgets.
Finding 2022-004: Matching Agency and Award: State Administrative Matching Grants for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Assistance Listing Number: 10.561. Condition: Certain salary amounts relating to the federal grant which were included in the matching amounts for the grant were charged through to another federal grant. Criteria: 2 CFR Section 200.306 states that the basic criteria for acceptable matching requires that matching amounts are not paid by the federal government under another award, except where the federal statute authorizing a program specifically provides that federal funds made available for such programs can be applied to matching or cost sharing requirements of other federal programs. Cause: The calculation of matching amounts on the SNAP grant in the reporting provided was correct, however, certain amounts related to certain employees working for the Bistro which had been included in the matching calculation were charged through to another federal grant due to an oversight. Context and Effect: Matching amounts related to 3 months during the year for 2 employees of the Bistro should not have been charged through to the other federal grant and were, although the total amount was under the reportable threshold for Questioned costs. Questioned Costs: None Recommendations: The Light House should ensure that all individuals who are responsible for reporting and charging time to federal grants whether under the Light House or the Bistro are aware of related compliance requirements.