Audit 301528

FY End
2021-12-31
Total Expended
$18.59M
Findings
24
Programs
6
Organization: Helping Hand House (WA)
Year: 2021 Accepted: 2024-04-01
Auditor: Brantley Janson

Organization Exclusion Status:

Checking exclusion status...

Findings

ID Ref Severity Repeat Requirement
390795 2021-003 Material Weakness - ABHL
390796 2021-004 Material Weakness - AB
390797 2021-005 - - L
390798 2021-003 Material Weakness - ABHL
390799 2021-004 Material Weakness - AB
390800 2021-005 - - L
390801 2021-003 Material Weakness - ABHL
390802 2021-004 Material Weakness - AB
390803 2021-005 - - L
390804 2021-003 Material Weakness - ABHL
390805 2021-004 Material Weakness - AB
390806 2021-005 - - L
967237 2021-003 Material Weakness - ABHL
967238 2021-004 Material Weakness - AB
967239 2021-005 - - L
967240 2021-003 Material Weakness - ABHL
967241 2021-004 Material Weakness - AB
967242 2021-005 - - L
967243 2021-003 Material Weakness - ABHL
967244 2021-004 Material Weakness - AB
967245 2021-005 - - L
967246 2021-003 Material Weakness - ABHL
967247 2021-004 Material Weakness - AB
967248 2021-005 - - L

Programs

ALN Program Spent Major Findings
21.019 Coronavirus Relief Fund $2.44M Yes 3
14.231 Emergency Solutions Grant Program $337,498 - 0
21.023 Emergency Rental Assistance Program $130,060 Yes 3
97.024 Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program $36,139 - 0
14.881 Moving to Work Demonstration Program $35,170 - 0
14.267 Continuum of Care Program $15,152 - 0

Contacts

Name Title Type
NUG6SLEP77B8 Jenn Sankwich Auditee
2532220366 Brianna Turk Auditor
No contacts on file

Notes to SEFA

Title: BASIS OF PRESENTATION Accounting Policies: Expenditures reported on the Schedule are reported on the accrual basis of accounting. Such expenditures are recognized following the cost principles contained in the Uniform Guidance, wherein certain types of expenditures are not allowable or are limited as to reimbursement. De Minimis Rate Used: Y Rate Explanation: The Organization has elected to use the 10% de minimis cost rate. The accompanying schedule of expenditures of federal awards (the Schedule) includes the federal grant activity of Helping Hand House (the Organization) under programs of the federal government for the year ended December 31, 2021. The information in this Schedule is presented in accordance with the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance). Because the Schedule presents only a selected portion of the operations of the Organization, it is not intended to and does not present the financial position, changes in net assets or cash flows of the Organization.
Title: SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Accounting Policies: Expenditures reported on the Schedule are reported on the accrual basis of accounting. Such expenditures are recognized following the cost principles contained in the Uniform Guidance, wherein certain types of expenditures are not allowable or are limited as to reimbursement. De Minimis Rate Used: Y Rate Explanation: The Organization has elected to use the 10% de minimis cost rate. Expenditures reported on the Schedule are reported on the accrual basis of accounting. Such expenditures are recognized following the cost principles contained in the Uniform Guidance, wherein certain types of expenditures are not allowable or are limited as to reimbursement.
Title: INDIRECT COST RATE Accounting Policies: Expenditures reported on the Schedule are reported on the accrual basis of accounting. Such expenditures are recognized following the cost principles contained in the Uniform Guidance, wherein certain types of expenditures are not allowable or are limited as to reimbursement. De Minimis Rate Used: Y Rate Explanation: The Organization has elected to use the 10% de minimis cost rate. The Organization has elected not to use the 10% de minimums indirect cost rate as allowed under the Uniform Guidance.

Finding Details

Finding 2021-003: Material weakness due to a lack of segregation of duties and effective internal controls Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Program Title: Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Corona Virus Relief Fund Assistance Listing Numbers (ALN): 21.023 and 21.019 Federal Award Years: Year ended December 31, 2023 Pass-through Grantor and identifying numbers: Pierce County; SC-108112, SC-108282, SC-108719, SC- 108080 Criteria: 2 CFR 200.303(a) requires that “the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).” Condition and Context: Helping Hand House has a lack of segregation of duties and internal controls when it comes to the processes related to the requirements of activities allowed, allowable costs / cost principles, period of performance, and reporting. Through the samples related to testing internal controls, we identified the following:  14 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.023 and 17 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.019 lacked sufficient evidence of approval of disbursements of rental assistance.  46 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.023 and 40 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.019 in which the same person was involved in preparing the underlying support for expenditures, approving them, and also reviewing and approving the invoices remitted to the Pass-through Grantor for reimbursements. This is a condition identified using a statistically valid sample. Cause: Management also failed to implement proper segregation of duties and internal controls related to the activities surrounding the administration of the federal award programs. Effect: The lack of segregation of duties related to these areas heightens the risk of potential errors and even fraud as it relates to ensuring that the expenditures are appropriate for the award and appropriately remitted for reimbursement. This also weakens the Organization’s ability to ensure compliance with the awards’ requirements. Question Costs: None Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that Helping Hand House establish written policies and procedures related to the programs stating explicit roles of each individual involved in the process. We also recommend that management conduct regular risk assessments and conduct monitoring functions over the internal controls to ensure that they are effectively working and appropriately documented. Views of Responsible Officials: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-004: Material Weakness Due to Unsupported Administration and Program Operations Costs Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Program Title: Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Corona Virus Relief Fund Assistance Listing Numbers (ALN): 21.023 and 21.019 Federal Award Years: Year ended December 31, 2023 Pass-through Grantor and identifying numbers: Pierce County; SC-108112, SC-108282, SC-108719, SC- 108080 Criteria: Charges to federal awards must meet the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards Subpart E - Cost Principles. Specifically CFR 200.400(d) indicates the Organization must support the accumulation of costs and provide for adequate documentation to support costs charged to the Federal award. Condition and Context: Administration and program operation costs charged to the award for the period ended December 31, 2021 lacked supporting documentation to verify whether there were equivalent administrative and program operation expenses incurred by the Organization. All budgets approved by the Pass-through Grantor allowed for such costs to be reimbursed by the award as long as adequate documentation of how the costs were determined was retained. Since the organization did not retain any such documentation, there is no way of knowing if a portion or all of those administration or program operation costs related to actual activities that were performed related to these programs. The Organization most certainly did incur administration and program operation costs that were legitimate to be remitted to the award. However, with no controls in place to ensure that these costs were appropriately accumulated and documented, the amounts reimbursed by the programs might not be appropriate. During our audit, we were able to fully quantify the full amount of administration and program operations costs that were inappropriately supported through discussions with management of the Organization and reviewing the reimbursement requests that were submitted to the Pass-through Grantor. The amounts included in the questioned costs below is the entire amount of such costs that were charged to the program during the year ended December 31, 2021. Cause: Helping Hand House did not have processes and controls in place to ensure that documentation to ensure that administrative and program operation costs that were charged to the program were appropriately documented. Effect: There is the potential that the Pass-through grantor may require a repayment of a portion or all of the program and administrative costs that were paid for by the program. As such, a loss contingency disclosure has been included in the notes to the financial statements to indicate that there is the potential that the Pass-through Grantor may require some of these amounts to be repaid. This also is the reason for the qualified opinion in the Report On Compliance for Each Major Federal Program. Known Questioned Costs for ALN 21.023: $329,572 Known Questioned Costs for ALN 21.019: $164,757 Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that Helping Hand House develop and document procedures and controls for how administrative and program operation costs will be allocated to the federal awards. This information should be retained so that it can be made available at the request of the Pass-through Grantor, the auditor or other relevant parties. Views of Responsible Official: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-005: Submission of the Data Collection Form Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.512(a) states that the data collection form and reporting package must be submitted the earlier of 30 calendar days after receipt of the auditor’s reports or nine months after the end of the audit period to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse (FAC). If the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, the reporting package is due the next business day. Condition and Context: The reporting package for the year ended December 31, 2021 was not submitted by September 30, 2022 to the FAC. Cause: The Organization’s audit for the year ended December 31, 2021 did not begin until November of 2023. This was due to the forensic investigation that is mentioned in Finding 2021-001. The Organization communicated the delay to the appropriate parties. Effect: The Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards were not available in a timely manner in order to allow for timely submission of the data collection form related to ALN 21.023 and 21.019. Questioned Costs: None Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that the data collection form is filed timely in the future. In order to do so, steps should be taken to ensure that the appropriate oversight is exercised and controls are put in place to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the financial data which will enable the audits to be completed on a more timely basis. Views of Responsible Official: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-003: Material weakness due to a lack of segregation of duties and effective internal controls Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Program Title: Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Corona Virus Relief Fund Assistance Listing Numbers (ALN): 21.023 and 21.019 Federal Award Years: Year ended December 31, 2023 Pass-through Grantor and identifying numbers: Pierce County; SC-108112, SC-108282, SC-108719, SC- 108080 Criteria: 2 CFR 200.303(a) requires that “the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).” Condition and Context: Helping Hand House has a lack of segregation of duties and internal controls when it comes to the processes related to the requirements of activities allowed, allowable costs / cost principles, period of performance, and reporting. Through the samples related to testing internal controls, we identified the following:  14 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.023 and 17 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.019 lacked sufficient evidence of approval of disbursements of rental assistance.  46 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.023 and 40 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.019 in which the same person was involved in preparing the underlying support for expenditures, approving them, and also reviewing and approving the invoices remitted to the Pass-through Grantor for reimbursements. This is a condition identified using a statistically valid sample. Cause: Management also failed to implement proper segregation of duties and internal controls related to the activities surrounding the administration of the federal award programs. Effect: The lack of segregation of duties related to these areas heightens the risk of potential errors and even fraud as it relates to ensuring that the expenditures are appropriate for the award and appropriately remitted for reimbursement. This also weakens the Organization’s ability to ensure compliance with the awards’ requirements. Question Costs: None Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that Helping Hand House establish written policies and procedures related to the programs stating explicit roles of each individual involved in the process. We also recommend that management conduct regular risk assessments and conduct monitoring functions over the internal controls to ensure that they are effectively working and appropriately documented. Views of Responsible Officials: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-004: Material Weakness Due to Unsupported Administration and Program Operations Costs Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Program Title: Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Corona Virus Relief Fund Assistance Listing Numbers (ALN): 21.023 and 21.019 Federal Award Years: Year ended December 31, 2023 Pass-through Grantor and identifying numbers: Pierce County; SC-108112, SC-108282, SC-108719, SC- 108080 Criteria: Charges to federal awards must meet the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards Subpart E - Cost Principles. Specifically CFR 200.400(d) indicates the Organization must support the accumulation of costs and provide for adequate documentation to support costs charged to the Federal award. Condition and Context: Administration and program operation costs charged to the award for the period ended December 31, 2021 lacked supporting documentation to verify whether there were equivalent administrative and program operation expenses incurred by the Organization. All budgets approved by the Pass-through Grantor allowed for such costs to be reimbursed by the award as long as adequate documentation of how the costs were determined was retained. Since the organization did not retain any such documentation, there is no way of knowing if a portion or all of those administration or program operation costs related to actual activities that were performed related to these programs. The Organization most certainly did incur administration and program operation costs that were legitimate to be remitted to the award. However, with no controls in place to ensure that these costs were appropriately accumulated and documented, the amounts reimbursed by the programs might not be appropriate. During our audit, we were able to fully quantify the full amount of administration and program operations costs that were inappropriately supported through discussions with management of the Organization and reviewing the reimbursement requests that were submitted to the Pass-through Grantor. The amounts included in the questioned costs below is the entire amount of such costs that were charged to the program during the year ended December 31, 2021. Cause: Helping Hand House did not have processes and controls in place to ensure that documentation to ensure that administrative and program operation costs that were charged to the program were appropriately documented. Effect: There is the potential that the Pass-through grantor may require a repayment of a portion or all of the program and administrative costs that were paid for by the program. As such, a loss contingency disclosure has been included in the notes to the financial statements to indicate that there is the potential that the Pass-through Grantor may require some of these amounts to be repaid. This also is the reason for the qualified opinion in the Report On Compliance for Each Major Federal Program. Known Questioned Costs for ALN 21.023: $329,572 Known Questioned Costs for ALN 21.019: $164,757 Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that Helping Hand House develop and document procedures and controls for how administrative and program operation costs will be allocated to the federal awards. This information should be retained so that it can be made available at the request of the Pass-through Grantor, the auditor or other relevant parties. Views of Responsible Official: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-005: Submission of the Data Collection Form Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.512(a) states that the data collection form and reporting package must be submitted the earlier of 30 calendar days after receipt of the auditor’s reports or nine months after the end of the audit period to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse (FAC). If the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, the reporting package is due the next business day. Condition and Context: The reporting package for the year ended December 31, 2021 was not submitted by September 30, 2022 to the FAC. Cause: The Organization’s audit for the year ended December 31, 2021 did not begin until November of 2023. This was due to the forensic investigation that is mentioned in Finding 2021-001. The Organization communicated the delay to the appropriate parties. Effect: The Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards were not available in a timely manner in order to allow for timely submission of the data collection form related to ALN 21.023 and 21.019. Questioned Costs: None Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that the data collection form is filed timely in the future. In order to do so, steps should be taken to ensure that the appropriate oversight is exercised and controls are put in place to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the financial data which will enable the audits to be completed on a more timely basis. Views of Responsible Official: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-003: Material weakness due to a lack of segregation of duties and effective internal controls Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Program Title: Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Corona Virus Relief Fund Assistance Listing Numbers (ALN): 21.023 and 21.019 Federal Award Years: Year ended December 31, 2023 Pass-through Grantor and identifying numbers: Pierce County; SC-108112, SC-108282, SC-108719, SC- 108080 Criteria: 2 CFR 200.303(a) requires that “the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).” Condition and Context: Helping Hand House has a lack of segregation of duties and internal controls when it comes to the processes related to the requirements of activities allowed, allowable costs / cost principles, period of performance, and reporting. Through the samples related to testing internal controls, we identified the following:  14 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.023 and 17 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.019 lacked sufficient evidence of approval of disbursements of rental assistance.  46 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.023 and 40 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.019 in which the same person was involved in preparing the underlying support for expenditures, approving them, and also reviewing and approving the invoices remitted to the Pass-through Grantor for reimbursements. This is a condition identified using a statistically valid sample. Cause: Management also failed to implement proper segregation of duties and internal controls related to the activities surrounding the administration of the federal award programs. Effect: The lack of segregation of duties related to these areas heightens the risk of potential errors and even fraud as it relates to ensuring that the expenditures are appropriate for the award and appropriately remitted for reimbursement. This also weakens the Organization’s ability to ensure compliance with the awards’ requirements. Question Costs: None Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that Helping Hand House establish written policies and procedures related to the programs stating explicit roles of each individual involved in the process. We also recommend that management conduct regular risk assessments and conduct monitoring functions over the internal controls to ensure that they are effectively working and appropriately documented. Views of Responsible Officials: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-004: Material Weakness Due to Unsupported Administration and Program Operations Costs Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Program Title: Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Corona Virus Relief Fund Assistance Listing Numbers (ALN): 21.023 and 21.019 Federal Award Years: Year ended December 31, 2023 Pass-through Grantor and identifying numbers: Pierce County; SC-108112, SC-108282, SC-108719, SC- 108080 Criteria: Charges to federal awards must meet the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards Subpart E - Cost Principles. Specifically CFR 200.400(d) indicates the Organization must support the accumulation of costs and provide for adequate documentation to support costs charged to the Federal award. Condition and Context: Administration and program operation costs charged to the award for the period ended December 31, 2021 lacked supporting documentation to verify whether there were equivalent administrative and program operation expenses incurred by the Organization. All budgets approved by the Pass-through Grantor allowed for such costs to be reimbursed by the award as long as adequate documentation of how the costs were determined was retained. Since the organization did not retain any such documentation, there is no way of knowing if a portion or all of those administration or program operation costs related to actual activities that were performed related to these programs. The Organization most certainly did incur administration and program operation costs that were legitimate to be remitted to the award. However, with no controls in place to ensure that these costs were appropriately accumulated and documented, the amounts reimbursed by the programs might not be appropriate. During our audit, we were able to fully quantify the full amount of administration and program operations costs that were inappropriately supported through discussions with management of the Organization and reviewing the reimbursement requests that were submitted to the Pass-through Grantor. The amounts included in the questioned costs below is the entire amount of such costs that were charged to the program during the year ended December 31, 2021. Cause: Helping Hand House did not have processes and controls in place to ensure that documentation to ensure that administrative and program operation costs that were charged to the program were appropriately documented. Effect: There is the potential that the Pass-through grantor may require a repayment of a portion or all of the program and administrative costs that were paid for by the program. As such, a loss contingency disclosure has been included in the notes to the financial statements to indicate that there is the potential that the Pass-through Grantor may require some of these amounts to be repaid. This also is the reason for the qualified opinion in the Report On Compliance for Each Major Federal Program. Known Questioned Costs for ALN 21.023: $329,572 Known Questioned Costs for ALN 21.019: $164,757 Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that Helping Hand House develop and document procedures and controls for how administrative and program operation costs will be allocated to the federal awards. This information should be retained so that it can be made available at the request of the Pass-through Grantor, the auditor or other relevant parties. Views of Responsible Official: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-005: Submission of the Data Collection Form Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.512(a) states that the data collection form and reporting package must be submitted the earlier of 30 calendar days after receipt of the auditor’s reports or nine months after the end of the audit period to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse (FAC). If the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, the reporting package is due the next business day. Condition and Context: The reporting package for the year ended December 31, 2021 was not submitted by September 30, 2022 to the FAC. Cause: The Organization’s audit for the year ended December 31, 2021 did not begin until November of 2023. This was due to the forensic investigation that is mentioned in Finding 2021-001. The Organization communicated the delay to the appropriate parties. Effect: The Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards were not available in a timely manner in order to allow for timely submission of the data collection form related to ALN 21.023 and 21.019. Questioned Costs: None Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that the data collection form is filed timely in the future. In order to do so, steps should be taken to ensure that the appropriate oversight is exercised and controls are put in place to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the financial data which will enable the audits to be completed on a more timely basis. Views of Responsible Official: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-003: Material weakness due to a lack of segregation of duties and effective internal controls Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Program Title: Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Corona Virus Relief Fund Assistance Listing Numbers (ALN): 21.023 and 21.019 Federal Award Years: Year ended December 31, 2023 Pass-through Grantor and identifying numbers: Pierce County; SC-108112, SC-108282, SC-108719, SC- 108080 Criteria: 2 CFR 200.303(a) requires that “the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).” Condition and Context: Helping Hand House has a lack of segregation of duties and internal controls when it comes to the processes related to the requirements of activities allowed, allowable costs / cost principles, period of performance, and reporting. Through the samples related to testing internal controls, we identified the following:  14 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.023 and 17 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.019 lacked sufficient evidence of approval of disbursements of rental assistance.  46 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.023 and 40 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.019 in which the same person was involved in preparing the underlying support for expenditures, approving them, and also reviewing and approving the invoices remitted to the Pass-through Grantor for reimbursements. This is a condition identified using a statistically valid sample. Cause: Management also failed to implement proper segregation of duties and internal controls related to the activities surrounding the administration of the federal award programs. Effect: The lack of segregation of duties related to these areas heightens the risk of potential errors and even fraud as it relates to ensuring that the expenditures are appropriate for the award and appropriately remitted for reimbursement. This also weakens the Organization’s ability to ensure compliance with the awards’ requirements. Question Costs: None Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that Helping Hand House establish written policies and procedures related to the programs stating explicit roles of each individual involved in the process. We also recommend that management conduct regular risk assessments and conduct monitoring functions over the internal controls to ensure that they are effectively working and appropriately documented. Views of Responsible Officials: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-004: Material Weakness Due to Unsupported Administration and Program Operations Costs Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Program Title: Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Corona Virus Relief Fund Assistance Listing Numbers (ALN): 21.023 and 21.019 Federal Award Years: Year ended December 31, 2023 Pass-through Grantor and identifying numbers: Pierce County; SC-108112, SC-108282, SC-108719, SC- 108080 Criteria: Charges to federal awards must meet the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards Subpart E - Cost Principles. Specifically CFR 200.400(d) indicates the Organization must support the accumulation of costs and provide for adequate documentation to support costs charged to the Federal award. Condition and Context: Administration and program operation costs charged to the award for the period ended December 31, 2021 lacked supporting documentation to verify whether there were equivalent administrative and program operation expenses incurred by the Organization. All budgets approved by the Pass-through Grantor allowed for such costs to be reimbursed by the award as long as adequate documentation of how the costs were determined was retained. Since the organization did not retain any such documentation, there is no way of knowing if a portion or all of those administration or program operation costs related to actual activities that were performed related to these programs. The Organization most certainly did incur administration and program operation costs that were legitimate to be remitted to the award. However, with no controls in place to ensure that these costs were appropriately accumulated and documented, the amounts reimbursed by the programs might not be appropriate. During our audit, we were able to fully quantify the full amount of administration and program operations costs that were inappropriately supported through discussions with management of the Organization and reviewing the reimbursement requests that were submitted to the Pass-through Grantor. The amounts included in the questioned costs below is the entire amount of such costs that were charged to the program during the year ended December 31, 2021. Cause: Helping Hand House did not have processes and controls in place to ensure that documentation to ensure that administrative and program operation costs that were charged to the program were appropriately documented. Effect: There is the potential that the Pass-through grantor may require a repayment of a portion or all of the program and administrative costs that were paid for by the program. As such, a loss contingency disclosure has been included in the notes to the financial statements to indicate that there is the potential that the Pass-through Grantor may require some of these amounts to be repaid. This also is the reason for the qualified opinion in the Report On Compliance for Each Major Federal Program. Known Questioned Costs for ALN 21.023: $329,572 Known Questioned Costs for ALN 21.019: $164,757 Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that Helping Hand House develop and document procedures and controls for how administrative and program operation costs will be allocated to the federal awards. This information should be retained so that it can be made available at the request of the Pass-through Grantor, the auditor or other relevant parties. Views of Responsible Official: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-005: Submission of the Data Collection Form Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.512(a) states that the data collection form and reporting package must be submitted the earlier of 30 calendar days after receipt of the auditor’s reports or nine months after the end of the audit period to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse (FAC). If the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, the reporting package is due the next business day. Condition and Context: The reporting package for the year ended December 31, 2021 was not submitted by September 30, 2022 to the FAC. Cause: The Organization’s audit for the year ended December 31, 2021 did not begin until November of 2023. This was due to the forensic investigation that is mentioned in Finding 2021-001. The Organization communicated the delay to the appropriate parties. Effect: The Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards were not available in a timely manner in order to allow for timely submission of the data collection form related to ALN 21.023 and 21.019. Questioned Costs: None Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that the data collection form is filed timely in the future. In order to do so, steps should be taken to ensure that the appropriate oversight is exercised and controls are put in place to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the financial data which will enable the audits to be completed on a more timely basis. Views of Responsible Official: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-003: Material weakness due to a lack of segregation of duties and effective internal controls Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Program Title: Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Corona Virus Relief Fund Assistance Listing Numbers (ALN): 21.023 and 21.019 Federal Award Years: Year ended December 31, 2023 Pass-through Grantor and identifying numbers: Pierce County; SC-108112, SC-108282, SC-108719, SC- 108080 Criteria: 2 CFR 200.303(a) requires that “the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).” Condition and Context: Helping Hand House has a lack of segregation of duties and internal controls when it comes to the processes related to the requirements of activities allowed, allowable costs / cost principles, period of performance, and reporting. Through the samples related to testing internal controls, we identified the following:  14 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.023 and 17 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.019 lacked sufficient evidence of approval of disbursements of rental assistance.  46 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.023 and 40 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.019 in which the same person was involved in preparing the underlying support for expenditures, approving them, and also reviewing and approving the invoices remitted to the Pass-through Grantor for reimbursements. This is a condition identified using a statistically valid sample. Cause: Management also failed to implement proper segregation of duties and internal controls related to the activities surrounding the administration of the federal award programs. Effect: The lack of segregation of duties related to these areas heightens the risk of potential errors and even fraud as it relates to ensuring that the expenditures are appropriate for the award and appropriately remitted for reimbursement. This also weakens the Organization’s ability to ensure compliance with the awards’ requirements. Question Costs: None Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that Helping Hand House establish written policies and procedures related to the programs stating explicit roles of each individual involved in the process. We also recommend that management conduct regular risk assessments and conduct monitoring functions over the internal controls to ensure that they are effectively working and appropriately documented. Views of Responsible Officials: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-004: Material Weakness Due to Unsupported Administration and Program Operations Costs Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Program Title: Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Corona Virus Relief Fund Assistance Listing Numbers (ALN): 21.023 and 21.019 Federal Award Years: Year ended December 31, 2023 Pass-through Grantor and identifying numbers: Pierce County; SC-108112, SC-108282, SC-108719, SC- 108080 Criteria: Charges to federal awards must meet the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards Subpart E - Cost Principles. Specifically CFR 200.400(d) indicates the Organization must support the accumulation of costs and provide for adequate documentation to support costs charged to the Federal award. Condition and Context: Administration and program operation costs charged to the award for the period ended December 31, 2021 lacked supporting documentation to verify whether there were equivalent administrative and program operation expenses incurred by the Organization. All budgets approved by the Pass-through Grantor allowed for such costs to be reimbursed by the award as long as adequate documentation of how the costs were determined was retained. Since the organization did not retain any such documentation, there is no way of knowing if a portion or all of those administration or program operation costs related to actual activities that were performed related to these programs. The Organization most certainly did incur administration and program operation costs that were legitimate to be remitted to the award. However, with no controls in place to ensure that these costs were appropriately accumulated and documented, the amounts reimbursed by the programs might not be appropriate. During our audit, we were able to fully quantify the full amount of administration and program operations costs that were inappropriately supported through discussions with management of the Organization and reviewing the reimbursement requests that were submitted to the Pass-through Grantor. The amounts included in the questioned costs below is the entire amount of such costs that were charged to the program during the year ended December 31, 2021. Cause: Helping Hand House did not have processes and controls in place to ensure that documentation to ensure that administrative and program operation costs that were charged to the program were appropriately documented. Effect: There is the potential that the Pass-through grantor may require a repayment of a portion or all of the program and administrative costs that were paid for by the program. As such, a loss contingency disclosure has been included in the notes to the financial statements to indicate that there is the potential that the Pass-through Grantor may require some of these amounts to be repaid. This also is the reason for the qualified opinion in the Report On Compliance for Each Major Federal Program. Known Questioned Costs for ALN 21.023: $329,572 Known Questioned Costs for ALN 21.019: $164,757 Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that Helping Hand House develop and document procedures and controls for how administrative and program operation costs will be allocated to the federal awards. This information should be retained so that it can be made available at the request of the Pass-through Grantor, the auditor or other relevant parties. Views of Responsible Official: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-005: Submission of the Data Collection Form Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.512(a) states that the data collection form and reporting package must be submitted the earlier of 30 calendar days after receipt of the auditor’s reports or nine months after the end of the audit period to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse (FAC). If the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, the reporting package is due the next business day. Condition and Context: The reporting package for the year ended December 31, 2021 was not submitted by September 30, 2022 to the FAC. Cause: The Organization’s audit for the year ended December 31, 2021 did not begin until November of 2023. This was due to the forensic investigation that is mentioned in Finding 2021-001. The Organization communicated the delay to the appropriate parties. Effect: The Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards were not available in a timely manner in order to allow for timely submission of the data collection form related to ALN 21.023 and 21.019. Questioned Costs: None Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that the data collection form is filed timely in the future. In order to do so, steps should be taken to ensure that the appropriate oversight is exercised and controls are put in place to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the financial data which will enable the audits to be completed on a more timely basis. Views of Responsible Official: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-003: Material weakness due to a lack of segregation of duties and effective internal controls Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Program Title: Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Corona Virus Relief Fund Assistance Listing Numbers (ALN): 21.023 and 21.019 Federal Award Years: Year ended December 31, 2023 Pass-through Grantor and identifying numbers: Pierce County; SC-108112, SC-108282, SC-108719, SC- 108080 Criteria: 2 CFR 200.303(a) requires that “the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).” Condition and Context: Helping Hand House has a lack of segregation of duties and internal controls when it comes to the processes related to the requirements of activities allowed, allowable costs / cost principles, period of performance, and reporting. Through the samples related to testing internal controls, we identified the following:  14 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.023 and 17 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.019 lacked sufficient evidence of approval of disbursements of rental assistance.  46 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.023 and 40 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.019 in which the same person was involved in preparing the underlying support for expenditures, approving them, and also reviewing and approving the invoices remitted to the Pass-through Grantor for reimbursements. This is a condition identified using a statistically valid sample. Cause: Management also failed to implement proper segregation of duties and internal controls related to the activities surrounding the administration of the federal award programs. Effect: The lack of segregation of duties related to these areas heightens the risk of potential errors and even fraud as it relates to ensuring that the expenditures are appropriate for the award and appropriately remitted for reimbursement. This also weakens the Organization’s ability to ensure compliance with the awards’ requirements. Question Costs: None Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that Helping Hand House establish written policies and procedures related to the programs stating explicit roles of each individual involved in the process. We also recommend that management conduct regular risk assessments and conduct monitoring functions over the internal controls to ensure that they are effectively working and appropriately documented. Views of Responsible Officials: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-004: Material Weakness Due to Unsupported Administration and Program Operations Costs Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Program Title: Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Corona Virus Relief Fund Assistance Listing Numbers (ALN): 21.023 and 21.019 Federal Award Years: Year ended December 31, 2023 Pass-through Grantor and identifying numbers: Pierce County; SC-108112, SC-108282, SC-108719, SC- 108080 Criteria: Charges to federal awards must meet the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards Subpart E - Cost Principles. Specifically CFR 200.400(d) indicates the Organization must support the accumulation of costs and provide for adequate documentation to support costs charged to the Federal award. Condition and Context: Administration and program operation costs charged to the award for the period ended December 31, 2021 lacked supporting documentation to verify whether there were equivalent administrative and program operation expenses incurred by the Organization. All budgets approved by the Pass-through Grantor allowed for such costs to be reimbursed by the award as long as adequate documentation of how the costs were determined was retained. Since the organization did not retain any such documentation, there is no way of knowing if a portion or all of those administration or program operation costs related to actual activities that were performed related to these programs. The Organization most certainly did incur administration and program operation costs that were legitimate to be remitted to the award. However, with no controls in place to ensure that these costs were appropriately accumulated and documented, the amounts reimbursed by the programs might not be appropriate. During our audit, we were able to fully quantify the full amount of administration and program operations costs that were inappropriately supported through discussions with management of the Organization and reviewing the reimbursement requests that were submitted to the Pass-through Grantor. The amounts included in the questioned costs below is the entire amount of such costs that were charged to the program during the year ended December 31, 2021. Cause: Helping Hand House did not have processes and controls in place to ensure that documentation to ensure that administrative and program operation costs that were charged to the program were appropriately documented. Effect: There is the potential that the Pass-through grantor may require a repayment of a portion or all of the program and administrative costs that were paid for by the program. As such, a loss contingency disclosure has been included in the notes to the financial statements to indicate that there is the potential that the Pass-through Grantor may require some of these amounts to be repaid. This also is the reason for the qualified opinion in the Report On Compliance for Each Major Federal Program. Known Questioned Costs for ALN 21.023: $329,572 Known Questioned Costs for ALN 21.019: $164,757 Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that Helping Hand House develop and document procedures and controls for how administrative and program operation costs will be allocated to the federal awards. This information should be retained so that it can be made available at the request of the Pass-through Grantor, the auditor or other relevant parties. Views of Responsible Official: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-005: Submission of the Data Collection Form Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.512(a) states that the data collection form and reporting package must be submitted the earlier of 30 calendar days after receipt of the auditor’s reports or nine months after the end of the audit period to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse (FAC). If the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, the reporting package is due the next business day. Condition and Context: The reporting package for the year ended December 31, 2021 was not submitted by September 30, 2022 to the FAC. Cause: The Organization’s audit for the year ended December 31, 2021 did not begin until November of 2023. This was due to the forensic investigation that is mentioned in Finding 2021-001. The Organization communicated the delay to the appropriate parties. Effect: The Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards were not available in a timely manner in order to allow for timely submission of the data collection form related to ALN 21.023 and 21.019. Questioned Costs: None Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that the data collection form is filed timely in the future. In order to do so, steps should be taken to ensure that the appropriate oversight is exercised and controls are put in place to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the financial data which will enable the audits to be completed on a more timely basis. Views of Responsible Official: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-003: Material weakness due to a lack of segregation of duties and effective internal controls Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Program Title: Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Corona Virus Relief Fund Assistance Listing Numbers (ALN): 21.023 and 21.019 Federal Award Years: Year ended December 31, 2023 Pass-through Grantor and identifying numbers: Pierce County; SC-108112, SC-108282, SC-108719, SC- 108080 Criteria: 2 CFR 200.303(a) requires that “the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).” Condition and Context: Helping Hand House has a lack of segregation of duties and internal controls when it comes to the processes related to the requirements of activities allowed, allowable costs / cost principles, period of performance, and reporting. Through the samples related to testing internal controls, we identified the following:  14 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.023 and 17 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.019 lacked sufficient evidence of approval of disbursements of rental assistance.  46 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.023 and 40 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.019 in which the same person was involved in preparing the underlying support for expenditures, approving them, and also reviewing and approving the invoices remitted to the Pass-through Grantor for reimbursements. This is a condition identified using a statistically valid sample. Cause: Management also failed to implement proper segregation of duties and internal controls related to the activities surrounding the administration of the federal award programs. Effect: The lack of segregation of duties related to these areas heightens the risk of potential errors and even fraud as it relates to ensuring that the expenditures are appropriate for the award and appropriately remitted for reimbursement. This also weakens the Organization’s ability to ensure compliance with the awards’ requirements. Question Costs: None Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that Helping Hand House establish written policies and procedures related to the programs stating explicit roles of each individual involved in the process. We also recommend that management conduct regular risk assessments and conduct monitoring functions over the internal controls to ensure that they are effectively working and appropriately documented. Views of Responsible Officials: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-004: Material Weakness Due to Unsupported Administration and Program Operations Costs Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Program Title: Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Corona Virus Relief Fund Assistance Listing Numbers (ALN): 21.023 and 21.019 Federal Award Years: Year ended December 31, 2023 Pass-through Grantor and identifying numbers: Pierce County; SC-108112, SC-108282, SC-108719, SC- 108080 Criteria: Charges to federal awards must meet the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards Subpart E - Cost Principles. Specifically CFR 200.400(d) indicates the Organization must support the accumulation of costs and provide for adequate documentation to support costs charged to the Federal award. Condition and Context: Administration and program operation costs charged to the award for the period ended December 31, 2021 lacked supporting documentation to verify whether there were equivalent administrative and program operation expenses incurred by the Organization. All budgets approved by the Pass-through Grantor allowed for such costs to be reimbursed by the award as long as adequate documentation of how the costs were determined was retained. Since the organization did not retain any such documentation, there is no way of knowing if a portion or all of those administration or program operation costs related to actual activities that were performed related to these programs. The Organization most certainly did incur administration and program operation costs that were legitimate to be remitted to the award. However, with no controls in place to ensure that these costs were appropriately accumulated and documented, the amounts reimbursed by the programs might not be appropriate. During our audit, we were able to fully quantify the full amount of administration and program operations costs that were inappropriately supported through discussions with management of the Organization and reviewing the reimbursement requests that were submitted to the Pass-through Grantor. The amounts included in the questioned costs below is the entire amount of such costs that were charged to the program during the year ended December 31, 2021. Cause: Helping Hand House did not have processes and controls in place to ensure that documentation to ensure that administrative and program operation costs that were charged to the program were appropriately documented. Effect: There is the potential that the Pass-through grantor may require a repayment of a portion or all of the program and administrative costs that were paid for by the program. As such, a loss contingency disclosure has been included in the notes to the financial statements to indicate that there is the potential that the Pass-through Grantor may require some of these amounts to be repaid. This also is the reason for the qualified opinion in the Report On Compliance for Each Major Federal Program. Known Questioned Costs for ALN 21.023: $329,572 Known Questioned Costs for ALN 21.019: $164,757 Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that Helping Hand House develop and document procedures and controls for how administrative and program operation costs will be allocated to the federal awards. This information should be retained so that it can be made available at the request of the Pass-through Grantor, the auditor or other relevant parties. Views of Responsible Official: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-005: Submission of the Data Collection Form Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.512(a) states that the data collection form and reporting package must be submitted the earlier of 30 calendar days after receipt of the auditor’s reports or nine months after the end of the audit period to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse (FAC). If the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, the reporting package is due the next business day. Condition and Context: The reporting package for the year ended December 31, 2021 was not submitted by September 30, 2022 to the FAC. Cause: The Organization’s audit for the year ended December 31, 2021 did not begin until November of 2023. This was due to the forensic investigation that is mentioned in Finding 2021-001. The Organization communicated the delay to the appropriate parties. Effect: The Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards were not available in a timely manner in order to allow for timely submission of the data collection form related to ALN 21.023 and 21.019. Questioned Costs: None Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that the data collection form is filed timely in the future. In order to do so, steps should be taken to ensure that the appropriate oversight is exercised and controls are put in place to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the financial data which will enable the audits to be completed on a more timely basis. Views of Responsible Official: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-003: Material weakness due to a lack of segregation of duties and effective internal controls Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Program Title: Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Corona Virus Relief Fund Assistance Listing Numbers (ALN): 21.023 and 21.019 Federal Award Years: Year ended December 31, 2023 Pass-through Grantor and identifying numbers: Pierce County; SC-108112, SC-108282, SC-108719, SC- 108080 Criteria: 2 CFR 200.303(a) requires that “the non-Federal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).” Condition and Context: Helping Hand House has a lack of segregation of duties and internal controls when it comes to the processes related to the requirements of activities allowed, allowable costs / cost principles, period of performance, and reporting. Through the samples related to testing internal controls, we identified the following:  14 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.023 and 17 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.019 lacked sufficient evidence of approval of disbursements of rental assistance.  46 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.023 and 40 out of 60 selections for ALN 21.019 in which the same person was involved in preparing the underlying support for expenditures, approving them, and also reviewing and approving the invoices remitted to the Pass-through Grantor for reimbursements. This is a condition identified using a statistically valid sample. Cause: Management also failed to implement proper segregation of duties and internal controls related to the activities surrounding the administration of the federal award programs. Effect: The lack of segregation of duties related to these areas heightens the risk of potential errors and even fraud as it relates to ensuring that the expenditures are appropriate for the award and appropriately remitted for reimbursement. This also weakens the Organization’s ability to ensure compliance with the awards’ requirements. Question Costs: None Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that Helping Hand House establish written policies and procedures related to the programs stating explicit roles of each individual involved in the process. We also recommend that management conduct regular risk assessments and conduct monitoring functions over the internal controls to ensure that they are effectively working and appropriately documented. Views of Responsible Officials: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-004: Material Weakness Due to Unsupported Administration and Program Operations Costs Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Treasury Program Title: Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Corona Virus Relief Fund Assistance Listing Numbers (ALN): 21.023 and 21.019 Federal Award Years: Year ended December 31, 2023 Pass-through Grantor and identifying numbers: Pierce County; SC-108112, SC-108282, SC-108719, SC- 108080 Criteria: Charges to federal awards must meet the requirements of Title 2 U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards Subpart E - Cost Principles. Specifically CFR 200.400(d) indicates the Organization must support the accumulation of costs and provide for adequate documentation to support costs charged to the Federal award. Condition and Context: Administration and program operation costs charged to the award for the period ended December 31, 2021 lacked supporting documentation to verify whether there were equivalent administrative and program operation expenses incurred by the Organization. All budgets approved by the Pass-through Grantor allowed for such costs to be reimbursed by the award as long as adequate documentation of how the costs were determined was retained. Since the organization did not retain any such documentation, there is no way of knowing if a portion or all of those administration or program operation costs related to actual activities that were performed related to these programs. The Organization most certainly did incur administration and program operation costs that were legitimate to be remitted to the award. However, with no controls in place to ensure that these costs were appropriately accumulated and documented, the amounts reimbursed by the programs might not be appropriate. During our audit, we were able to fully quantify the full amount of administration and program operations costs that were inappropriately supported through discussions with management of the Organization and reviewing the reimbursement requests that were submitted to the Pass-through Grantor. The amounts included in the questioned costs below is the entire amount of such costs that were charged to the program during the year ended December 31, 2021. Cause: Helping Hand House did not have processes and controls in place to ensure that documentation to ensure that administrative and program operation costs that were charged to the program were appropriately documented. Effect: There is the potential that the Pass-through grantor may require a repayment of a portion or all of the program and administrative costs that were paid for by the program. As such, a loss contingency disclosure has been included in the notes to the financial statements to indicate that there is the potential that the Pass-through Grantor may require some of these amounts to be repaid. This also is the reason for the qualified opinion in the Report On Compliance for Each Major Federal Program. Known Questioned Costs for ALN 21.023: $329,572 Known Questioned Costs for ALN 21.019: $164,757 Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that Helping Hand House develop and document procedures and controls for how administrative and program operation costs will be allocated to the federal awards. This information should be retained so that it can be made available at the request of the Pass-through Grantor, the auditor or other relevant parties. Views of Responsible Official: See Corrective Action Plan.
Finding 2021-005: Submission of the Data Collection Form Criteria: 2 CFR section 200.512(a) states that the data collection form and reporting package must be submitted the earlier of 30 calendar days after receipt of the auditor’s reports or nine months after the end of the audit period to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse (FAC). If the due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday, the reporting package is due the next business day. Condition and Context: The reporting package for the year ended December 31, 2021 was not submitted by September 30, 2022 to the FAC. Cause: The Organization’s audit for the year ended December 31, 2021 did not begin until November of 2023. This was due to the forensic investigation that is mentioned in Finding 2021-001. The Organization communicated the delay to the appropriate parties. Effect: The Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards were not available in a timely manner in order to allow for timely submission of the data collection form related to ALN 21.023 and 21.019. Questioned Costs: None Repeat Finding: Not applicable. Recommendation: We recommend that the data collection form is filed timely in the future. In order to do so, steps should be taken to ensure that the appropriate oversight is exercised and controls are put in place to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the financial data which will enable the audits to be completed on a more timely basis. Views of Responsible Official: See Corrective Action Plan.