Audit 397330

Finding No. SA 2025-001 – Inadequate Internal Controls Over SEFA Reporting Type of Finding: Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance Criteria or specific requirements: Federal regulations require recipients to report federal expenditures in the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) for the fiscal year in which the expenditures were incurred, regardless of when reimbursement is requested or when allocation decisions are made. Condition: During our review of federal expenditures reported on the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) for ALN 15.504, we noted that certain costs totaling $2,184,561, incurred in the prior fiscal year, were not reported on the prior year’s SEFA. Instead, these expenditures were recorded and charged to the grant award in the current fiscal year. Effect: Failure to report expenditures in the appropriate period results in incomplete and inaccurate federal expenditure reporting, noncompliance with Uniform Guidance, and potential misstatements affecting major program determination and federal oversight thresholds. Cause: The expenses were inadvertently omitted from the prior year’s SEFA because the project is supported by multiple funding sources, and management postponed charging certain costs to this federal award until confirming that matching requirements had been fully met. As a result, several expenditures were recorded in the current fiscal year rather than in the period in which they were incurred. Repeat Finding: Yes, see Summary Schedule of Prior Year Audit Findings 2024-003. Recommendation: We recommend that the Agency: 1. Strengthen internal controls over SEFA preparation by implementing a comprehensive year-end reconciliation process to ensure all federal expenditures are captured in the appropriate fiscal year. 2. Establish a clear cost allocation protocol for multi funded projects to ensure expenses are charged to the appropriate award in the fiscal year they are incurred. 3. Provide targeted training to staff involved in multi‑funded projects to reinforce SEFA timing requirements and the importance of timely expense allocation. Views of responsible officials and planned corrective actions: The Agency acknowledges the auditors' findings and agrees that improvements are necessary to strengthen internal controls over the preparation of the SEFA. The Agency has taken immediate steps to correct the errors identified in finding SA 2025-001 and is implementing additional controls to ensure that SEFA amounts are recorded accurately and timely for current and future fiscal years. Management will establish a clear year-end cutoff process to ensure that federal expenditures are recorded in the appropriate fiscal period. A formal review step will also be implemented to verify the completeness and accuracy of reported amounts prior to finalizing the SEFA. Collectively, these measures will help ensure that federal expenditures are consistently reported in the correct fiscal year going forward. Person Responsible: Steve Carrigan - Sr. Director of Administrative Services Implementation date: July 1, 2026