Audit 407209

Criteria: The Company should establish and maintain effective internal control over federal awards to provide reasonable assurance that the award is managed in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the award. Adequate documentation must be maintained to support internal control activities and compliance with federal requirements. Statement of Condition: During our walkthroughs and substantive testing, supporting documentation was not available to allow us to evaluate whether required internal controls were performed. The documents were unavailable due to the expiration of the entity’s document retention period and employee turnover, which resulted in the loss of institutional knowledge about the controls performed during the award period. Because the requested documentation could not be provided, we were unable to verify the performance or effectiveness of internal controls related to the compliance requirement tested. Cause of Condition: The entity did not maintain documentation of internal control activities beyond the minimum required retention period and did not have processes in place to preserve institutional knowledge during employee turnover. As a result, supporting records necessary for testing internal controls over federal awards were no longer available. Effect of Condition: Due to the absence of supporting documentation, we were unable to determine whether internal controls over the compliance requirement were properly designed and operating effectively. This results in the inability to test internal controls and assess control risk at a “low” level. Recommendation: We recommend that management (1) strengthen record retention practices to ensure that documentation of internal control activities is preserved in accordance with 2 CFR 200.334 and is available for future audits, (2) implement procedures to maintain institutional knowledge, particularly during periods of employee turnover (e.g., documented policies, cross-training, centralized recordkeeping), and (3) consider extending retention periods for documents supporting high-risk federal programs or key internal control activities. Management should ensure documentation is sufficient to demonstrate compliance and support internal control operations. Identification of Repeat Finding: This finding is a repeat of the finding noted in the audit for December 31, 2022 as finding 2022-003. Views of Responsible Officials: Management understands and accepts the recommendation as outlined in the Corrective Action Plan.

Criteria: Under 2 CFR 200.512(a), an auditee must submit the single audit reporting package, including financial statements and the schedule of expenditures of federal awards (SEFA), no later than 30 days after receipt of the auditor’s report or nine months after the fiscal year-end, whichever comes first. Company management is responsible for ensuring the financial statements are prepared and issued timely to meet the Single Audit submission deadline established by the Federal Audit Clearinghouse (FAC). Statement of Condition: The auditee’s single audit financial statements were not issued by the required due date. The fiscal year ended on December 31, 2023, making the reporting package due no later than September 30, 2024. However, the audit report date is July 13, 2026, resulting in the late submission of the single audit reporting package to the FAC. Additionally, the audit report for the year ended December 31, 2024 has not yet been issued. Cause of Condition: The delay occurred because of employee turnover and lack of adequate internal controls over financial reporting timelines. The auditee did not have sufficient processes in place to ensure the timely preparation and issuance of financial statements. Effect of Condition: Because the financial statements and reporting package were issued late, the auditee failed to comply with federal reporting requirements, federal agencies and pass-through entities did not receive timely financial and compliance information needed for monitoring and oversight, and the delay increases the risk that financial reporting issues may go undetected or unresolved. Questioned Costs: None. Recommendation: We recommend that management (1) strengthen internal controls over year-end financial reporting to ensure timely completion of the audit, (2) implement a detailed closing schedule and tracking process to monitor deadlines, (3) ensure adequate staffing or external support during the financial statement preparation and audit process, and (4) conduct periodic reviews to confirm compliance with federal Single Audit submission deadlines. Identification of Repeat Finding: The finding is a repeat of the finding noted in the audit for December 31, 2022 as finding 2022-004. Views of Responsible Officials: Management understands and accepts the recommendation as outlined in the Corrective Action Plan.