Audit 403339

Finding 2024-002 – Untimely and Inaccurate Preparation of the Schedule of Federal Awards (SEFA) (Sig-nificant Deficiency) Financial Reporting / Internal Control Over Compliance CFDA Title and Number: 97.036 Public Assistance Program – Disaster Grants Name of Federal Agency: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA Internal Control over Compliance: Skills Knowledge and Education (SK&E) CFDA Title and Number: 66.202 Wastewater Treatment Plant Name of Federal Agency: U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Internal Control over Compliance: Skills Knowledge and Education (SK&E) Criteria: The Uniform Guidance (2 CFR §200.510(b)), requires the auditee to prepare a Schedule of Federal Ex-penditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) that accurately reports federal expenditures for each federal award, including the Assistance Listing number, federal agency, pass-through entity (if any), and amount expended for the fiscal year. In addition, (2 CFR §200.302(b)), requires financial management systems that provide for accurate, current, and complete disclosure of federal award expenditures and support reliable financial reporting and reconciled to the general ledger. Condition: The auditee did not timely or accurately prepare the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards. Specifically: • The initial SEFA provided to auditors was significantly later than the requested date, and required signifi-cant auditor inquiry and assistance to complete. • Management did not demonstrate an understanding of the dates and amounts of federal expenditures to be reported on the SEFA. • The SEFA provided to auditors did not include all federal awards. • Required Assistance Listing numbers were not included for federal programs. • The format of the SEFA was not easily reconcilable to the general ledger, and required auditor-identified corrections and adjustments in order to fairly present federal expenditures in accordance with federal re-quirements. Cause: The condition resulted from: • An insufficient understanding of SEFA preparation requirements, including which expenditures to report and how federal awards should be presented; and • Inadequate internal controls over the preparation, review, and reconciliation of the SEFA to the accounting records. Effect or Potential Effect: As a result of these conditions: • There was an increased risk that federal expenditures were incomplete, inaccurate, or improperly reported. • Management’s ability to determine total federal expenditures, for the fiscal year, including evaluation of Single Audit applicability, was impaired. • The entity relied on auditor assistance to identify omitted awards, reconcile amounts and bring the SEFA into compliance with federal reporting requirements, indicating a lack of effective internal controls over federal financial reporting. Questioned Cost: None noted here. Repeat of a Prior-Year Finding: No Recommendation: We recommend the entity strengthen its internal controls over federal financial reporting by: • Developing and documenting procedures for the timely preparation of the SEFA, including identification of all federal awards, correct Assistance Listing numbers, and determination of reportable expenditures. • Establish a process to reconcile the SEFA to the general ledger and to supporting records to ensure com-pleteness and accuracy. • Providing training to appropriate personnel regarding Uniform Guidance SEFA requirements and the de-termination of federal expenditures for reporting and audit threshold purposes. • Establish cutoff procedures to capture year-end accruals/deferred items and ensure completeness of ex-penditures for the SEFA. Views of Responsible Officials: Port of Brookings Harbor acknowledges this finding. Management recognizes that it did not fully understand SEFA reporting requirements. Management is committed to enhancing its under-standing of federal reporting requirements and strengthening internal controls to ensure future SEFA’s are prepared accurately, completely, and in a timely manner. Corrective Action Plan: _________________________ (To be developed by Port of Brookings Harbor and sub-mitted for final report) Planned Implementation Date: ________________ Responsible Persons: District Financial Management, Port of Brookings Harbor