Audit 379189

Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund - COVID 19 – CFDA No. 84.425. Condition: During the audit of submitted claims, it was found that there was a lack of sufficient review procedures to ensure proper verification of costs. Specifically, several instances of duplicated expenditures were identified within the claims. The same costs were submitted more than once for reimbursement, resulting in questioned costs. Criteria: The Organization's internal controls should require that claims be thoroughly reviewed for accuracy and completeness before submission. This includes verifying that costs are not duplicated and ensuring proper documentation supports each expenditure. Additionally, the previously submitted claims included in the period of performance should be monitored to prevent duplication. Cause: The review process did not involve cross-checking with previous claims or documentation to identify and prevent the submission of duplicate costs. Effect: As a result of inadequate claim reviews, the organization has submitted claims containing duplicated costs. These duplicated expenditures have resulted in questioned costs, which may need to be refunded. The failure to detect and prevent such errors could lead to non-compliance with funding requirements. Questioned costs: $505,820. Auditor’s recommendation: It is recommended that the organization implement a more thorough review process for all submitted claims. This should include cross-checking current claims against previous claims to detect and prevent duplicated costs. A system should be implemented to track claims and associated costs more effectively, ensuring that no expenditure is claimed more than once.