Eligibility College of the Marshall Islands acknowledges the finding and agrees that several participant files lacked the required eligibility documentation, including proof of citizenship/residency, verification of academic support needed, documentation of age and grade level at initial selection, ...
Eligibility College of the Marshall Islands acknowledges the finding and agrees that several participant files lacked the required eligibility documentation, including proof of citizenship/residency, verification of academic support needed, documentation of age and grade level at initial selection, and confirmation of first-generation or low- income status. These gaps resulted from weak internal controls and the limitations of the previous manual filing system, which hindered proper tracking and retention of eligibility records during the audit fieldwork. To address these deficiencies, the College has upgraded and institutionalized a cloud-based filing system to ensure complete, organized, and easily retrievable participant eligibility documentation. Internal control policies and procedures have been strengthened to require that all eligibility documents including citizenship/residency proof, age and grade verification, academic support need assessments, and first-generation/low-income eligibility forms—are obtained, reviewed, and approved before a student is enrolled and receives any program benefits or stipends. The TRIO Office has implemented a new eligibility checklist and supervisory review process to verify completeness and compliance for every participant file. With the upgraded systems and the support of newly hired skilled staff, the College is now better positioned to maintain accurate eligibility records. Staff have been trained and will continue to be trained twice a year on federal eligibility requirements and documentation standards to prevent recurrence of similar issues in future audits.