Noncompliance with Documentation, Approval, and Time Reporting Requirements for Grant Expenditures Finding Type. Material Noncompliance; Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance (Activities Allowed and Unallowed, and Allowable Costs/Cost Principles) Federal program(s). U.S. Department of Education - Title I, Part A - Improving Basic Programs (ALN 84.010); passed through the Michigan Department of Education; All project numbers. Criteria. Per 2 CFR §200.303, the recipient must establish, document, and maintain effective internal controls over federal awards that provides reasonable assurance that the recipient is managing the federal awards in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Per 2 CFR §200, Subpart E, the District is required to ensure that grant funds are used in compliance with regulatory provisions and spent only for the reasonable and necessary costs of the program. Expenditures charged to grants for purchased services should be supported by documents that demonstrate that services were received for the benefit of the program, in accordance with approved agreements with those vendors providing the services. The District should ensure that payment is supported by details of services provided (by whom, when, and how much). Per 2 CFR §200.430, charges to federal awards for salaries and wages must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. Condition. During testing, we identified 1 instance out of 40 disbursement selections tested in which the District was unable to provide supporting documentation for charges incurred under the grant. Additionally, we noted 15 instances out of 40 samples tested where the District could not provide evidence of review and approval for grant expenditures. Finally, we identified 3 instances out of 40 samples tested where the hours reported on timesheets did not agree with the hours charged to the grant. Cause. The District did not have the proper controls in place to ensure that documentation of services provided were being reviewed prior to payment of related invoices. The District also did not maintain a strong system of financial record-keeping during the year which made it difficult for the District to provide invoices in a timely fashion when requested. Finally, the District did not have a system in place to properly review time sheet entry against hours actually charged to the grant. This condition was the result of a lack of internal controls for both payroll and disbursements in place to ensure that expenditures under the grant are independently approved before expenditures are incurred, proper records are maintained and grants are properly charged. Effect. The District’s failure to maintain supporting documentation for certain grant expenditures, provide evidence of review and approval, and accurately report time charged to the grant increases the risk of noncompliance with federal requirements under 2 CFR Part 200. These deficiencies create an increased risk of questioned costs which could ultimately lead to disallowed costs and the potential repayment of grant funds to the granting agency. Additionally, inaccurate reporting and weak internal controls diminish the reliability of financial information submitted to the grantor, reduce accountability, and heighten the risk of errors or fraudulent activity. Questioned Costs: None reported insofar as questioned costs are only required to be disclosed when known or likely questioned costs exceed the threshold of $25,000 established by the Uniform Guidance. Recommendation. We recommend that the District review its written policies and procedures over federal awards to ensure that controls are in place that will require that all expenditures for either payroll or disbursements have the appropriate documentation and evidence of review and approval prior to payment. View of Responsible Officials. The District will review its written policies and procedures over federal awards to ensure that all expenditures have the appropriate documentation and evidence of review and approval prior to payment.
Written Policies Required by the Uniform Grant Guidance (Repeat) Finding Type. Immaterial noncompliance Federal program(s). U.S. Department of Education - Title I, Part A - Improving Basic Programs (ALN 84.010); passed through the Michigan Department of Education; All project numbers. U.S. Department of Education -Special Education Cluster (ALN 84.027 and 84.173); passed through the Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency; All project numbers. Criteria. The Uniform Guidance requires a non-federal entity that has expended federal awards for a grant awarded on or after December 26, 2014 to have written policies pertaining to: 1) Payments (draws of federal funds and how to minimize the time lapsing between the receipt of federal funds and the disbursement to contractors/employees/subrecipients) (§200.302(6)); 2) Allowability of costs charged to federal programs (§200.302(7)); and 3) Compensation (personnel and benefits policy) (§200.430 and §200.431). Condition. Although the District has processes in place to cover these areas, there are no formal written policies covering payments, allowability of costs, and compensation. Cause. This condition appears to be the result of a time lag in identifying the requirement and developing a plan for compliance. Effect. As a result of this condition, the District did not fully comply with the Uniform Guidance applicable to the above noted grants. Questioned Costs. No costs have been questioned as a result of this finding. Recommendation. We are aware that the District is evaluating options using internal and external resources to take corrective action. We recommend that the District proceed with its selected option as soon as practical, but no later than the end of the next fiscal year. View of Responsible Officials. As noted, the District has processes in place that cover all grant guidelines related to federal funds. However, upon bringing it to our attention that these policies should be in writing, we are making every endeavor to comply. The District is currently working on drafting policies that will meet the criteria set out in the Uniform Guidance.