Finding Ref. No. 2022-002 Finding: The Uniform Guidance, 2 CFR 200.303, requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal Awards (i.e., auditee management) to establish and maintain effective internal controls over the Federal Award that provide reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is man...
Finding Ref. No. 2022-002 Finding: The Uniform Guidance, 2 CFR 200.303, requires non-Federal entities receiving Federal Awards (i.e., auditee management) to establish and maintain effective internal controls over the Federal Award that provide reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal Award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and terms and conditions of the Federal Award. 20 CFR 604.3(a) requires a State to only pay an individual who is able to work and available for work for the week which Unemployment Compensation (UC) is claimed. Based on work performed on unemployment compensation payments at the Alabama Department of Labor, for the period of October 1, 2021, through September 30, 2022, we identified 243 payments, totaling $58,809.00, which were made to 22 deceased claimants. We also identified an additional 186 payments, totaling $42,276.00, which were made to 27 incarcerated claimants. The combined improper payments to deceased or incarcerated claimants total $101,085.00 for the Unemployment Insurance Program. The Alabama Department of Labor did not have internal controls in place which were adequately designed to identify deceased or incarcerated claimants in a timely manner, in order to help prevent and/or detect improper payments. The lack of a well-designed system of internal controls, to identify deceased or incarcerated claimants, could cause the Alabama Department of Labor to continue to pay benefits to claimants who are deceased or incarcerated. Recommendation: The Alabama Department of Labor should establish and maintain effective internal controls to help ensure payments are not made to deceased or incarcerated claimants. Response/Views: We agree with the finding. Corrective Action Planned: ADOL now utilizes IDV through the Integrity Data Hub (IDH) for death crossmatch, giving ADOL the capability to crossmatch all claimants through the IDV. However, the review process is manual at this time. ADOL continues to pursue a fully automated process with the system vendor. ADOL is also working with the Interstate Connection Network (ICON) through the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) to implement a match of SSN?s with the Social Security Administration?s Prisoner Update Processing System (PUPS). This will allow records to be checked in a nationwide database not just the State of Alabama. Reason for the Recurrence: The cause of this was due to the workload of pandemic claims and the lack of requirements to provide proof of income and employment. Prior to the pandemic a person had to have wages in order to qualify for benefits, eliminating a deceased person of more than 2 years from being monetarily eligible for benefits. Any remaining claimants that had died would be reported by the employer or through returned mail or a surviving of family member. Any notice of deceased person would be reviewed. With no way to verify whether a person was deceased or not, some did pay benefits. Anticipated Completion Date: ADOL implemented checking claims through IDH June 2022. Netacent, the vendor who maintains ADOL?s unemployment system, anticipates the PUPs project to be fully functioning by December 31,2023. Contact Person(s): Brent Langley, Assistant Unemployment Administrator