Finding:
The Uniform Guidance, 2 CFR Part 200, Appendix XI Compliance Supplement, dated May 2024, stipulates for a cost to be allowable under federal awards certain general criteria must be met, including costs that are adequately documented and necessary and reasonable for the performance of the f...
Finding:
The Uniform Guidance, 2 CFR Part 200, Appendix XI Compliance Supplement, dated May 2024, stipulates for a cost to be allowable under federal awards certain general criteria must be met, including costs that are adequately documented and necessary and reasonable for the performance of the federal award. The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) passed through a portion of the Immunization Cooperative Agreement federal award to subrecipients. A total of fourteen subrecipients requested and received reimbursement of program expenses during the fiscal year. Based upon procedures performed, we noted that of the fourteen subrecipients who received federal award reimbursement, three did not provide adequate detailed documentation to support their request for reimbursements. In addition, sixteen of the fifty-four invoices submitted for reimbursement by the subrecipients did not have adequate documentation, resulting in question costs of $5,072,637.00. The documentation which was submitted by the subrecipients and approved by ADPH for payment consisted only of summary information and did not contain detailed information to ensure that reimbursement request costs were necessary and reasonable for the performance of the federal award.
The ADPH did not have adequate policies and procedures in place to ensure that all requests for reimbursement were supported by adequate detailed documentation to ensure all costs are allowed under the federal award.
Recommendation:
The Alabama Department of Public Health should take action to ensure that all reimbursements of expenses are adequately documented, based on true and accurate invoices, and to ensure costs are allowable under the federal award.
Response/Views: We agree with the Examiners' finding; adequate documentation did not exist at the time of the audit to substantiate payments that resulted in questioned costs and improper payments. To confirm the total amount of questioned costs, ADPH's Office of Program Integrity initiated its own ongoing investigation. ADPH also requested the Examiners of Public Accounts to conduct a special program audit which is ongoing. As this process continues, ADPH is requesting additional documentation from the subrecipients, which may affect the questioned costs of this program.
Corrective Action Planned:ADPH will continue to strengthen its internal control system for grant management by conducting ongoing grant training internally and externally which is available for all employees who handle grants. ADPH is strengthening the internal control system for grants management. ADPH has and will continue to develop internal grant training for all employees who handle any phase of grant activities or have managerial responsibility for a grant. ADPH is working to make this training mandatory. The Bureau of Financial Services is continuing to work on staffing up a Grants Management Office and grant tools are being distributed or added to document library for use by ADPH programs such as Risk Assessment Forms and monitoring forms.
Corrective Action within the Immunization Division Completed and Ongoing through August 2025:
There has been a reorganization in leadership within the Immunization Division, however the Department remains committed to hiring additional staff to support grant review and monitoring. Immunization implemented the following procedures:
• Reviews grant guidance semi-annually, or when updated, with program grant monitoring staff to ensure compliance.
• Invoices and supporting documentation are being reviewed for source documents against grant guidance as received by program staff and approved by Operations Manager or Division Director to ensure costs to the grant are reasonable, allowable, allocable, and consistently applied before forwarding to Finance. Finance is conducting further reviews before uploading into STAARS for payment.
• Grant monitoring staff ensures that all reimbursements of expenses are adequately documented, based on true and accurate invoices, and costs are allowable under the federal award.
• Invoices or vague requests requiring additional documentation will be held until the necessary information is provided.
• All program grant staff have access to attend all available Finance and Grant training courses.
• Engages assigned Grant Accountant on a quarterly basis or more frequently as requested.
• There were no new subrecipients to conduct a Risk Assessment within 30 days of a signed grant agreement which will be forwarded to OPI for review.
• Immunization staff conducted Risk Assessments on all the current subrecipients within 60 days which was forwarded to OPI for review.
• Immunization staff, along with Finance and OPI, developed a subrecipient monitoring plan based on the Risk Assessment of each subrecipient. The monitoring plan was completed within 30 days of the receipt of the completed Risk Assessment.
• Copies of all completed monitoring activities, as outlined in the monitoring plan, were forwarded to OPI.
Anticipated Completion Date: September 30, 2025 with ongoing strengthening of internal controls and trainings.
Contact Person(s): Shaundra B. Morris
Chief Accountant & Director of Financial Services Alabama Department of Public Health
Financial Services Bureau The RSA Tower, Suite 1068, 201 Monroe Street
Montgomery, AL 36104
(334) 206-5464
Shaundra.Morris@adph.state.al.us
Burnestine P. Taylor, MD
Medical Officer, Disease Control and Prevention Alabama Department of Public Health
The RSA Tower, Suite 1418, 201 Monroe Street
Montgomery, AL 36104
(334) 206-9380 phone
Burnestine.Taylor@ adph.state.al.us