Audit 37276

FY End
2022-09-30
Total Expended
$59.39M
Findings
4
Programs
1
Organization: Partners in Nutrition (MN)
Year: 2022 Accepted: 2023-07-11

Organization Exclusion Status:

Checking exclusion status...

Findings

ID Ref Severity Repeat Requirement
38909 2022-002 Material Weakness - M
38910 2022-002 Material Weakness - M
615351 2022-002 Material Weakness - M
615352 2022-002 Material Weakness - M

Programs

ALN Program Spent Major Findings
10.558 Child and Adult Care Food Program $68,571 Yes 1

Contacts

Name Title Type
C6ATHHFBAE88 Aaron Twait Auditee
6313329174 Matthew Burke Auditor
No contacts on file

Notes to SEFA

Title: Note 3 - 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: N Rate Explanation: The Organization has elected not to use the ten-percent de minimis indirect cost rate allowed under the Uniform Guidance. The accompanying schedule of expenditures of federal awards (the Schedule) includes the federal award activity of the Organization under programs of the federal government for the year ended September 30, 2022. 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: Note 4 - GOING CONCERN 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: N Rate Explanation: The Organization has elected not to use the ten-percent de minimis indirect cost rate allowed under the Uniform Guidance. On May 27, 2022, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) moved to terminate the Organization from operating its CACFP program and withheld all payments. The suspension of payments applied to all claims submitted but not yet paid. The Organization had the option to appeal the termination and has exercised this option. On October 14, 2022, the Organization received a final appeal decision from MDE and has been terminated as a sponsor of the CACFP program.With the termination, management believes this raises substantial doubt about the Organizations ability to continue as a going concern for the next twelve months from July 7, 2023. Management intends to finance operating costs over the next twelve months with existing cash on hand.
Title: Note 5- CONTINGENCIES 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: N Rate Explanation: The Organization has elected not to use the ten-percent de minimis indirect cost rate allowed under the Uniform Guidance. Subsequent to year-end, the Organization was named in a federal indictment involving an unrelated organization sponsoring the CACFP program for MDE. The Organization has not been indicted and is only named in the indictment as a result of the Organization transacting with sites and individuals who were charged in the indictment. It is unknown at this time whether the Organization will see further involvement in the indictment. As mentioned in Note 4, MDE terminated and disqualified the Organization from operating its CACFP program and withheld all payments in response to the ongoing noncompliance to the performance standards of the CACFP program during the year ended September 30, 2022. During the period January 2022 through May 2022, there were claims which were submitted to the Organization, but not submitted to MDE, as the Organization was terminated from operating the CACFP program. The Organization determined these claims to be unrecognizable due to uncertainty regarding whether the stipulated conditions in the contract with MDE were met. These claims are estimated to be approximately $35 million and have not been recorded in the Organizations financial statements as part of revenue or receivables from MDE and as part of expenses or payables due to sites or reported within the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards.

Finding Details

FINDING REFERENCE NUMBER 2022-002 FEDERAL PROGRAM Child and Adult Care Food Program COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENT Subrecipient Monitoring TYPE OF FINDING Material Noncompliance and Material Weakness in Internal Control Statement of Condition The auditor noted the following issues during testing of compliance requirements: 1. There was one instance out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the Organization failed to collect all invoices and receipts from the subrecipient site, resulting in the spreadsheet tracking the subrecipient sites? allowable food and non-food expenditures being incomplete. In addition, there was one instance out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the spreadsheet tracking the subrecipient sites? expenditures was corrupted and could not be opened. By failing to track food costs, the Organization was unable to verify whether the nonprofit service program sites generated an excessive nonprofit food service program balance or take corrective action to monitor the appropriate use of such excessive nonprofit food service program balances in future periods. 2. There were two instances out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the Organization could not locate the monitoring visit forms. 3. There was one instance out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the Organization retained a 10% administrative fee despite the Sponsor Agreement indicating a 15% admin fee. The error resulted in the subrecipient site being over-reimbursed by $282. 4. There were two instances out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the subrecipients? Site Information Form was incomplete. The forms were missing contact names and dates of birth, hours of operation, licensed capacity, average daily attendance, meal times, and whether the food is prepared by the site or obtained from a vendor. Criteria or Specific Requirement 1. In regard to the first issue noted above, CACFP sponsors are required to maintain data in order to determine if a nonprofit food service program site is generating an excessive nonprofit food service program balance defined as a profit exceeding three months? average program operating expenses. 2. In regard to the second issue noted above, CACFP sponsors are required to retain subrecipient site monitoring forms to support that monitoring visits were performed throughout the year. 3. In regard to the third issue noted above, the Organization is to retain an administrative fee for the percentage stated within the Sponsor Agreement. 4. In regard to the fourth issue noted above, CACFP sponsors are required to retain information regarding the subrecipient sites? operations to ensure that the sites are eligible to participate in the CACFP and the information required to effectively perform subrecipient monitoring procedures is on file. Questioned Costs Not applicable. Effect The Organization did not comply with the subrecipient monitoring requirements established by the Federal Agency. Cause During fiscal 2021, and continuing into fiscal 2022, the Organization experienced significant growth in the number of subrecipients under its sponsorship and the number of claims processed, largely due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the systems of controls in place were inadequate to meet demands for services. There was a lack of staffing to handle administrative and program responsibilities, as well as a lack of oversight to identify errors and gaps in documentation. Recommendation The Organization should expand staffing to better manage caseloads and meet the demands of administrative and program responsibilities. In addition, the Organization should implement a quality control function to ensure that processes in place are operating effectively. Lastly, the Organization should perform checks of documentation periodically to ensure that no documentation is missing, or if there is a lack of documentation, that it is addressed and corrected timely.
FINDING REFERENCE NUMBER 2022-002 FEDERAL PROGRAM Child and Adult Care Food Program COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENT Subrecipient Monitoring TYPE OF FINDING Material Noncompliance and Material Weakness in Internal Control Statement of Condition The auditor noted the following issues during testing of compliance requirements: 1. There was one instance out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the Organization failed to collect all invoices and receipts from the subrecipient site, resulting in the spreadsheet tracking the subrecipient sites? allowable food and non-food expenditures being incomplete. In addition, there was one instance out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the spreadsheet tracking the subrecipient sites? expenditures was corrupted and could not be opened. By failing to track food costs, the Organization was unable to verify whether the nonprofit service program sites generated an excessive nonprofit food service program balance or take corrective action to monitor the appropriate use of such excessive nonprofit food service program balances in future periods. 2. There were two instances out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the Organization could not locate the monitoring visit forms. 3. There was one instance out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the Organization retained a 10% administrative fee despite the Sponsor Agreement indicating a 15% admin fee. The error resulted in the subrecipient site being over-reimbursed by $282. 4. There were two instances out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the subrecipients? Site Information Form was incomplete. The forms were missing contact names and dates of birth, hours of operation, licensed capacity, average daily attendance, meal times, and whether the food is prepared by the site or obtained from a vendor. Criteria or Specific Requirement 1. In regard to the first issue noted above, CACFP sponsors are required to maintain data in order to determine if a nonprofit food service program site is generating an excessive nonprofit food service program balance defined as a profit exceeding three months? average program operating expenses. 2. In regard to the second issue noted above, CACFP sponsors are required to retain subrecipient site monitoring forms to support that monitoring visits were performed throughout the year. 3. In regard to the third issue noted above, the Organization is to retain an administrative fee for the percentage stated within the Sponsor Agreement. 4. In regard to the fourth issue noted above, CACFP sponsors are required to retain information regarding the subrecipient sites? operations to ensure that the sites are eligible to participate in the CACFP and the information required to effectively perform subrecipient monitoring procedures is on file. Questioned Costs Not applicable. Effect The Organization did not comply with the subrecipient monitoring requirements established by the Federal Agency. Cause During fiscal 2021, and continuing into fiscal 2022, the Organization experienced significant growth in the number of subrecipients under its sponsorship and the number of claims processed, largely due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the systems of controls in place were inadequate to meet demands for services. There was a lack of staffing to handle administrative and program responsibilities, as well as a lack of oversight to identify errors and gaps in documentation. Recommendation The Organization should expand staffing to better manage caseloads and meet the demands of administrative and program responsibilities. In addition, the Organization should implement a quality control function to ensure that processes in place are operating effectively. Lastly, the Organization should perform checks of documentation periodically to ensure that no documentation is missing, or if there is a lack of documentation, that it is addressed and corrected timely.
FINDING REFERENCE NUMBER 2022-002 FEDERAL PROGRAM Child and Adult Care Food Program COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENT Subrecipient Monitoring TYPE OF FINDING Material Noncompliance and Material Weakness in Internal Control Statement of Condition The auditor noted the following issues during testing of compliance requirements: 1. There was one instance out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the Organization failed to collect all invoices and receipts from the subrecipient site, resulting in the spreadsheet tracking the subrecipient sites? allowable food and non-food expenditures being incomplete. In addition, there was one instance out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the spreadsheet tracking the subrecipient sites? expenditures was corrupted and could not be opened. By failing to track food costs, the Organization was unable to verify whether the nonprofit service program sites generated an excessive nonprofit food service program balance or take corrective action to monitor the appropriate use of such excessive nonprofit food service program balances in future periods. 2. There were two instances out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the Organization could not locate the monitoring visit forms. 3. There was one instance out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the Organization retained a 10% administrative fee despite the Sponsor Agreement indicating a 15% admin fee. The error resulted in the subrecipient site being over-reimbursed by $282. 4. There were two instances out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the subrecipients? Site Information Form was incomplete. The forms were missing contact names and dates of birth, hours of operation, licensed capacity, average daily attendance, meal times, and whether the food is prepared by the site or obtained from a vendor. Criteria or Specific Requirement 1. In regard to the first issue noted above, CACFP sponsors are required to maintain data in order to determine if a nonprofit food service program site is generating an excessive nonprofit food service program balance defined as a profit exceeding three months? average program operating expenses. 2. In regard to the second issue noted above, CACFP sponsors are required to retain subrecipient site monitoring forms to support that monitoring visits were performed throughout the year. 3. In regard to the third issue noted above, the Organization is to retain an administrative fee for the percentage stated within the Sponsor Agreement. 4. In regard to the fourth issue noted above, CACFP sponsors are required to retain information regarding the subrecipient sites? operations to ensure that the sites are eligible to participate in the CACFP and the information required to effectively perform subrecipient monitoring procedures is on file. Questioned Costs Not applicable. Effect The Organization did not comply with the subrecipient monitoring requirements established by the Federal Agency. Cause During fiscal 2021, and continuing into fiscal 2022, the Organization experienced significant growth in the number of subrecipients under its sponsorship and the number of claims processed, largely due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the systems of controls in place were inadequate to meet demands for services. There was a lack of staffing to handle administrative and program responsibilities, as well as a lack of oversight to identify errors and gaps in documentation. Recommendation The Organization should expand staffing to better manage caseloads and meet the demands of administrative and program responsibilities. In addition, the Organization should implement a quality control function to ensure that processes in place are operating effectively. Lastly, the Organization should perform checks of documentation periodically to ensure that no documentation is missing, or if there is a lack of documentation, that it is addressed and corrected timely.
FINDING REFERENCE NUMBER 2022-002 FEDERAL PROGRAM Child and Adult Care Food Program COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENT Subrecipient Monitoring TYPE OF FINDING Material Noncompliance and Material Weakness in Internal Control Statement of Condition The auditor noted the following issues during testing of compliance requirements: 1. There was one instance out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the Organization failed to collect all invoices and receipts from the subrecipient site, resulting in the spreadsheet tracking the subrecipient sites? allowable food and non-food expenditures being incomplete. In addition, there was one instance out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the spreadsheet tracking the subrecipient sites? expenditures was corrupted and could not be opened. By failing to track food costs, the Organization was unable to verify whether the nonprofit service program sites generated an excessive nonprofit food service program balance or take corrective action to monitor the appropriate use of such excessive nonprofit food service program balances in future periods. 2. There were two instances out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the Organization could not locate the monitoring visit forms. 3. There was one instance out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the Organization retained a 10% administrative fee despite the Sponsor Agreement indicating a 15% admin fee. The error resulted in the subrecipient site being over-reimbursed by $282. 4. There were two instances out of forty CACFP claims tested in which the subrecipients? Site Information Form was incomplete. The forms were missing contact names and dates of birth, hours of operation, licensed capacity, average daily attendance, meal times, and whether the food is prepared by the site or obtained from a vendor. Criteria or Specific Requirement 1. In regard to the first issue noted above, CACFP sponsors are required to maintain data in order to determine if a nonprofit food service program site is generating an excessive nonprofit food service program balance defined as a profit exceeding three months? average program operating expenses. 2. In regard to the second issue noted above, CACFP sponsors are required to retain subrecipient site monitoring forms to support that monitoring visits were performed throughout the year. 3. In regard to the third issue noted above, the Organization is to retain an administrative fee for the percentage stated within the Sponsor Agreement. 4. In regard to the fourth issue noted above, CACFP sponsors are required to retain information regarding the subrecipient sites? operations to ensure that the sites are eligible to participate in the CACFP and the information required to effectively perform subrecipient monitoring procedures is on file. Questioned Costs Not applicable. Effect The Organization did not comply with the subrecipient monitoring requirements established by the Federal Agency. Cause During fiscal 2021, and continuing into fiscal 2022, the Organization experienced significant growth in the number of subrecipients under its sponsorship and the number of claims processed, largely due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the systems of controls in place were inadequate to meet demands for services. There was a lack of staffing to handle administrative and program responsibilities, as well as a lack of oversight to identify errors and gaps in documentation. Recommendation The Organization should expand staffing to better manage caseloads and meet the demands of administrative and program responsibilities. In addition, the Organization should implement a quality control function to ensure that processes in place are operating effectively. Lastly, the Organization should perform checks of documentation periodically to ensure that no documentation is missing, or if there is a lack of documentation, that it is addressed and corrected timely.