Corrective Action Plans

Finding 7786 (2022-004)

Material Weakness 2022

AZ

Questioned Costs Procurement, Suspension & Debarment § 200.303 § 200.318 § 200.327

U.S. Department of the Treasury Passed through State of Arizona, Maricopa County (Maricopa County), Federal Financial Assistance Listing #21.027, PE386182260A4 2022 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Finding Summary: The Foundation did not retain documentation to support performa...

U.S. Department of the Treasury Passed through State of Arizona, Maricopa County (Maricopa County), Federal Financial Assistance Listing #21.027, PE386182260A4 2022 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Finding Summary: The Foundation did not retain documentation to support performance of a price analysis nor provide the opportunity for open competition. Additionally, the Foundation did not review for suspension or debarment and required contract provisions were not followed. Management’s Response and Corrective Action Plan: Televerde Foundation has experienced significant growth from inception in March 2020 to fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. We have grown from contributions and grants of $83 thousand and $50 thousand, respectively, in March 2020 to contributions and grants of $236 thousand and $978 thousand, respectively, as of December 31, 2022. During this same period, Televerde Foundation went from 3 employees to 21 employees and experienced significant turnover in finance staff including 2 CFO’s, 2 Controllers, and four staff accountants. The growth combined with lack of a consistent finance team is the primary cause of this deficiency. To address the deficiency, management will perform the actions below. Management will retain and catalog documentation related to price quotes for certain Foundation expenditures. We will update our procurement policy to be consistent with federal guidelines to assist in streamlining the procurement process. We have hired a Grant Administrator and Analyst who is responsible for reviewing contractors against the System for Award Management for suspension or debarment, including subrecipients. Responsible Individuals: Michelle Cirocco, Executive Director Anticipated Completion Date: January 2024

View Audit 10124 Questioned Costs: $1

Finding 7225 (2022-007)

Significant Deficiency 2022

MacOn and Piatt Counties Regional Office of Education No. 39

IL

Reporting Internal Control / Segregation of Duties § 200.303 § 200.510

CONDITION: The ROE did not have sufficient internal controls over the preparation of the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) to ensure all federal expenditures during the fiscal year were reported and information in the SEFA was accurately reported. PLAN: The ROE will work with the...

CONDITION: The ROE did not have sufficient internal controls over the preparation of the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) to ensure all federal expenditures during the fiscal year were reported and information in the SEFA was accurately reported. PLAN: The ROE will work with their contracted accounting firm to review financial statements, including the schedule of expenditures of federal awards, to ensure program titles, assistance listing numbers and other pertinent information is accurate for financial statement presentation. ANTICIPATED DATE OF COMPLETION: The anticipated date of completion is December 2023. CONTACT PERSON: Ms. Jill Reedy, Regional Superintendent

View Audit 9381

Finding 7224 (2022-006)

Significant Deficiency 2022

MacOn and Piatt Counties Regional Office of Education No. 39

IL

Subrecipient Monitoring § 200.303 § 200.332 § 200.501

CONDITION: The ROE did not have adequate controls over subrecipient monitoring in compliance with the Code. PLAN: The ROE retroactively conducted monitoring of the subrecipients of the ARP - Social Emotional Learning grant passed through the ISBE. The subrecipients of this grant were all other RO...

CONDITION: The ROE did not have adequate controls over subrecipient monitoring in compliance with the Code. PLAN: The ROE retroactively conducted monitoring of the subrecipients of the ARP - Social Emotional Learning grant passed through the ISBE. The subrecipients of this grant were all other ROEs in the Area IV hub (ROEs 9, 17, 32, and 54) with funds going out for administration costs. Since it is common knowledge that each ROE is audited annually by the Illinois Auditor General, further audit consideration was unnecessary. The ROE will draft subrecipient monitoring policies and procedures to align with standards. Future monitoring will be scheduled in December 2023. ANTICIPATED DATE OF COMPLETION: New policy and procedures implemented partially in FY23 and fully for FY24. CONTACT PERSON: Ms. Jill Reedy, Regional Superintendent

View Audit 9381

Finding 7223 (2022-005)

Significant Deficiency 2022

MacOn and Piatt Counties Regional Office of Education No. 39

IL

Allowable Costs / Cost Principles Internal Control / Segregation of Duties § 200.303

CONDITION: The ROE did not ensure costs or expenditures were adequately documented, reviewed, and approved to ensure allowability under the federal award. PLAN: Past practice and policy during the FY22 audit, allowed for the Business Manager to sign off on purchase orders and requisitions rel...

CONDITION: The ROE did not ensure costs or expenditures were adequately documented, reviewed, and approved to ensure allowability under the federal award. PLAN: Past practice and policy during the FY22 audit, allowed for the Business Manager to sign off on purchase orders and requisitions related to monthly, reoccurring bills. New management is working on updated fiscal policies. A new Accounts Payable employee was hired in March 2023 by ROE management and trained by the Business Manager, along with Program Directors, on procedures for expenditures. Procedures have been put into place to ensure that all expenditures are signed by the Program Director or Assistant/Regional Superintendent to indicate review and approval of expenditures. After being signed by a Program Director or Assistant/Regional Superintendent, the expenditure goes to the Business Office where the Business Manager will check for appropriate signatures and will pass on to Accounts Payable for a final check for appropriate signatures and supporting invoices prior to payment. ANTICIPATED DATE OF COMPLETION: This was implemented in March 2023. CONTACT PERSON: Ms. Jill Reedy, Regional Superintendent

View Audit 9381

Finding 7222 (2022-002)

None 2022

MacOn and Piatt Counties Regional Office of Education No. 39

IL

Internal Control / Segregation of Duties Period of Performance Reporting § 200.303

CONDITION: The ROE did not submit or timely submit the required reports to the Illinois State Board of Education. PLAN: New ROE management is providing close oversight for the timely submission of grant expenditure and performance reports. The Regional Superintendent has created a shared calendar...

CONDITION: The ROE did not submit or timely submit the required reports to the Illinois State Board of Education. PLAN: New ROE management is providing close oversight for the timely submission of grant expenditure and performance reports. The Regional Superintendent has created a shared calendar of submission due dates with the Business Manager and Program Directors. Reminders are sent out via email in advance of the due dates, and then management reviews the grant report submissions in IWAS for accuracy and completion before approving and submitting to ISBE. ANTICIPATED DATE OF COMPLETION: This plan was initiated during the new Regional Superintendent’s appointment to office in October 2022 and has been fully implemented since January 2023. CONTACT PERSON: Ms. Jill Reedy, Regional Superintendent

View Audit 9381

Finding 7202 (2022-001)

Significant Deficiency 2022

Ben Hill County Board of Education

GA

Equipment & Real Property Management Subrecipient Monitoring Reporting § 200.303 § 200.313 § 200.415

FA 2022-001 Strengthen Controls over Equipment Compliance Requirement: Equipment and Real Property Management Internal Control Impact: Significant Deficiency Compliance Impact: Nonmaterial Noncompliance Federal Awarding Agency: U.S. Department of Education Pass-Through Entity: Georgia Department o...

FA 2022-001 Strengthen Controls over Equipment Compliance Requirement: Equipment and Real Property Management Internal Control Impact: Significant Deficiency Compliance Impact: Nonmaterial Noncompliance Federal Awarding Agency: U.S. Department of Education Pass-Through Entity: Georgia Department of Education Assistance Listing Number and Title: COVID-19 - 84.425D - Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund COVID-19 - 84.425U - American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund Federal Award Number: S425D210012 (Year: 2021), S425U2120012 (Year: 2021) Questioner Costs: None Identified Description: The policies and procedures of the School District were insufficient to provide adequate internal controls over equipment and real property management as it relates to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund program. Corrective Action Plans: The Superintendent and CFO for Ben Hill County Schools will assign a lead person to be responsible for ESSER requirements and to assure procedures over real property and equipment are being met. Estimated Completion Date: June 30, 2024 Contact Person: Natalie King, CFO Telephone: 229-409-5500 x 5510 Email: natalie.king@benhillschools.org

View Audit 9358

Finding 7192 (2022-003)

None 2022

Fulton County Government

GA

Subrecipient Monitoring § 200.303 § 200.331

Management concurs with the audit finding. The County’s Subrecipient Monitoring Policy and our compliance review project, initiated in 2022, has allowed us to continue to ensure that all subrecipient’s are monitored during the contract period noted in the contractual agreements. We have identified a...

Management concurs with the audit finding. The County’s Subrecipient Monitoring Policy and our compliance review project, initiated in 2022, has allowed us to continue to ensure that all subrecipient’s are monitored during the contract period noted in the contractual agreements. We have identified and updated the annual monitoring plan to ensure that all subrecipient are monitored and incompliance with the 2 CFR 200.331 federal standards.

View Audit 9342

Finding 6497 (2022-003)

Material Weakness 2022

Palo Alto County Hospital

IA

Material Weakness Reporting Internal Control / Segregation of Duties § 200.303

Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Expansion – Assistance Listing No. 93.912 Recommendation: We recommend that management implement more formal control process surrounding the use of federal awards where there is segregation between individuals identifyin...

Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Expansion – Assistance Listing No. 93.912 Recommendation: We recommend that management implement more formal control process surrounding the use of federal awards where there is segregation between individuals identifying or proposing expenditures/uses of funds and an individual reviewing and approving that expenditure/use. We also recommend for any formal reporting required under federal awards that there be a formal review process where an individual is reviewing and approving the report who did not prepare the report. Documentation of review and approval should be retained in both cases. Explanation of disagreement with audit finding: There is no disagreement with the audit finding. Action planned in response to finding: Health System implemented a formal grant management policy in November 2022. Name(s) of the contact person(s) responsible for corrective action: Collette Johnson, CFO Planned completion date for corrective action plan: November 1, 2022

View Audit 8469

Finding 6496 (2022-002)

Significant Deficiency 2022

Ballet Hawaii

HI

Allowable Costs / Cost Principles Significant Deficiency Internal Control / Segregation of Duties § 200.303

Corrective actions: i. Documented approval of expenditures 1. Approval of expenditures will be documented and retained. 2. Responsible individuals: Kenny Lee (Treasurer), Shaina Gonsalves (Office Manager) 3. Anticipated completion date: June 30, 2024

View Audit 8468

Finding 6075 (2022-007)

Material Weakness 2022

Indianapolis Private Industry Council D/b/a Employindy

IN

Questioned Costs Allowable Costs / Cost Principles Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking § 200.303 § 200.403

Prior to the completion of this audit, EmployIndy already made a number of changes to its financial operations. It parted ways with its Chief Financial Officer and procured the services of an outside Certified Public Accounting firm to begin the process of reviewing and updating its financial operat...

Prior to the completion of this audit, EmployIndy already made a number of changes to its financial operations. It parted ways with its Chief Financial Officer and procured the services of an outside Certified Public Accounting firm to begin the process of reviewing and updating its financial operations. In addition, it recently hired an Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations to lead the final development and implementation of updated financial processes. The Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations has worked with EmployIndy’s Board of Directors and Finance Committee to document a plan for improving EmployIndy’s financial operations across the board by the 2nd quarter of Calendar Year 2024. EmployIndy currently provides training to all staff on properly documenting work hours within the time management and payroll system. There is an existing process for correcting and documenting any changes within the time management and payroll system after time has been submitted. In scenarios where it is necessary and allowable to shift EmployIndy staff time charged from one funding stream/cluster to another, Financial Operations staff, under the direction of the Controller, will make updates, including supporting documentation, in both the time management/payroll and financial management systems. Reconciliations between the payroll system and the financial management system will be completed monthly in order to ensure that the information in each system matches and that there is documentation showing that the expenses are allowable and supported. Finally, the Director of Human Resources will ensure that offer letters with pay rates and any subsequent salary adjustments will be documented with approval signatures and retained in personnel files, with proper amounts being updated within the time reporting/payroll system.

View Audit 7960 Questioned Costs: $1

Finding 6071 (2022-006)

Material Weakness 2022

Indianapolis Private Industry Council D/b/a Employindy

IN

Allowable Costs / Cost Principles Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking Subrecipient Monitoring § 200.303 § 200.403

Prior to the completion of this audit, EmployIndy already made a number of changes to its financial operations. It parted ways with its Chief Financial Officer and procured the services of an outside Certified Public Accounting firm to begin the process of reviewing and updating its financial operat...

Prior to the completion of this audit, EmployIndy already made a number of changes to its financial operations. It parted ways with its Chief Financial Officer and procured the services of an outside Certified Public Accounting firm to begin the process of reviewing and updating its financial operations. In addition, it recently hired an Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations to lead the final development and implementation of updated financial processes. The Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations has worked with EmployIndy’s Board of Directors and Finance Committee to document a plan for improving EmployIndy’s financial operations across the board by the 2nd quarter of Calendar Year 2024. As a part of this plan, EmployIndy’s Financial Operations Team, led by the Controller, has already begun to update the expenditure approval process. This process requires that supporting documentation be retained within the financial management system. Additionally, the review and approval process consists of multiple review and approval steps by program management and financial operations staff with specific focus on retention of supporting documentation and clear connections between expenditures being allocated to WIOA and other funding clusters and documentation supporting such allocations. All EmployIndy staff will be retrained on the updated expenditure submission, review, approval, and documentation processes. Additionally, EmployIndy’s Financial Operations, Grants & Contracts, and Program Management teams will provide guidance and training to EmployIndy’s subrecipients and contractors covering the proper process for submitting supporting documentation with invoices or accrued expenditure reports. These documentation requirements will ensure that supporting information directly and clearly ties back to invoices and/or accrued expense reports.

View Audit 7960

Finding 6067 (2022-005)

Material Weakness 2022

Indianapolis Private Industry Council D/b/a Employindy

IN

Questioned Costs Allowable Costs / Cost Principles Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking § 200.303 § 200.403

Prior to the completion of this audit, EmployIndy already made a number of changes to its financial operations. It parted ways with its Chief Financial Officer and procured the services of an outside Certified Public Accounting firm to begin the process of reviewing and updating its financial operat...

Prior to the completion of this audit, EmployIndy already made a number of changes to its financial operations. It parted ways with its Chief Financial Officer and procured the services of an outside Certified Public Accounting firm to begin the process of reviewing and updating its financial operations. In addition, it recently hired an Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations to lead the final development and implementation of updated financial processes. The Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations has worked with EmployIndy’s Board of Directors and Finance Committee to document a plan for improving EmployIndy’s financial operations across the board by the 2nd quarter of Calendar Year 2024. As part of the improvement to financial operations, EmployIndy will provide updated training to all staff covering the proper process for submitting, reviewing, approving, and retaining supporting documents for expenditures. The existing procedure includes a multi-step review and approval process for all expenditures, including those in the WIOA and other federal funding clusters. Additionally, EmployIndy’s Financial Operations, Grants & Contracts, and Program Management teams will provide guidance and training to EmployIndy’s subrecipients and contractors covering the proper process for submitting supporting documentation with invoices or accrued expenditure reports. These documentation requirements will ensure that supporting information directly and clearly ties back to invoices and/or accrued expense reports.

View Audit 7960 Questioned Costs: $1

Finding 5955 (2022-112)

Significant Deficiency 2022

State of Arizona

AZ

Questioned Costs Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking Subrecipient Monitoring § 200.303 § 200.513 § 200.521

Assistance listing number and program name: 93.568 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance 93.568 COVID-19 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Agency: Department of Economic Security Name of contact person and title: Molly Bright, DCAD Assistant Director Anticipated completion date: December 31, 2023 Agency...

Assistance listing number and program name: 93.568 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance 93.568 COVID-19 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Agency: Department of Economic Security Name of contact person and title: Molly Bright, DCAD Assistant Director Anticipated completion date: December 31, 2023 Agency’s Response: Concur The Department of Economic Security will address the audit recommendations, as follows: 1. Spend no more than the maximum 15 percent of program monies for weatherization or other energy-related home repairs. The Department will ensure that LIHEAP funds are allocated appropriately, and will confirm that no more than 15% of the total grant award is allocated for use in weatherization efforts or other energy-related home repairs. The Department constructs a detailed working budget document that is utilized for establishing the proper allocation of federal LIHEAP funding for each grant year. The finance team monitors this established budget to verify and corroborate its validity. The finance team will continue to monitor the LIHEAP budget, but will also improve its engagement with the Department’s programmatic staff to ensure sustained monitoring of the LIHEAP grant and expenditure earmarks. 2. Train newer staff administering the program on the program’s weatherization limitation and on the Division’s policies and procedures to review and approve expenditures considering this limitation. The Department has and will continue to host training sessions with all staff members, existing and new, to ensure awareness of and compliance with the 15% funding allocation restriction on weatherization related costs. The Department’s LIHEAP Policies and Procedures Manual have been shared and discussed with the programmatic staff, with a strong focus placed on the weatherization allocation cap. New procedures and Chart of Accounts elements have been created as a result of this finding to guarantee future compliance with the grant restrictions. 3. Enable the feature in the State’s accounting system to alert the Division of an award’s expenditures approaching the limitation to help ensure the Division does not exceed the weatherization limitation when spending program monies. Prior to the fiscal year 2022 Single Audit, the Department was not utilizing the State’s accounting system to budget weatherization separately for a program period year associated with LIHEAP. This procedure has changed effective immediately, allowing for improved tracking and reviewing of the LIHEAP grant spending guidelines. Additionally, it provides the Department with the ability to verify that the allocation of funding for weatherization efforts does not exceed the LIHEAP grant weatherization limitation. 4. Work with U.S. DHHS to resolve the $211,026 the Division overspent for weatherization or other energy-related home repairs, which may involve returning monies to the federal agency. The Department will collaborate with the U.S. DHHS to determine an appropriate course of action.

View Audit 7884 Questioned Costs: $1

Finding 5952 (2022-114)

Material Weakness 2022

State of Arizona

AZ

Questioned Costs Subrecipient Monitoring Allowable Costs / Cost Principles § 200.112 § 200.303 § 200.332 § 200.513 § 200.521

Assistance listing number and program name: 93.558 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 93.558 COVID-19 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Agency: Department of Economic Security Name of contact person and title: Molly Bright, DCAD Assistant Director Anticipated completion date: June 30, 2...

Assistance listing number and program name: 93.558 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 93.558 COVID-19 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Agency: Department of Economic Security Name of contact person and title: Molly Bright, DCAD Assistant Director Anticipated completion date: June 30, 2024 Agency’s Response: Concur The Department will stop the reimbursement of costs to all nonprofit and contracted subrecipients for items that are disallowed and/or restricted by the regulations provided within the provisions of the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) grant received by the Department. Additionally, the Department will obtain all supporting documentation needed to ensure compliance with these regulations prior to disbursing any TANF funding to any subrecipient for the purpose of reimbursement or programmatic funding. The Department will also update its policies and procedures for subrecipient monitoring. Furthermore, detailed training for the Department personnel responsible for reviewing and approving subrecipient reimbursement requests will be provided to ensure personnel are capable of identifying costs that are unallowable under federal regulations. The Department will assess the risk of noncompliance violations for each subrecipient and establish a plan of action to address noncompliance. The plan of action will include an array of training and educational processes to ensure applicable personnel are knowledgeable of TANF compliance requirements and Department contracts. The Department will also monitor subrecipients per updated policies and procedures. The Department will continue to resolve the unallowable costs reimbursed to subrecipients as deemed appropriate by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

View Audit 7884 Questioned Costs: $1

Finding 5947 (2022-122)

Material Weakness 2022

State of Arizona

AZ

Subrecipient Monitoring Reporting § 200.1 § 200.303

Assistance listing number and program name: 93.268 COVID-19 Immunization Cooperative Agreements 93.323 COVD-19 Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases Agency: Department of Health Services Name of contact person and title: Lora Andrikopoulous, Grants Administrator Anticipated co...

Assistance listing number and program name: 93.268 COVID-19 Immunization Cooperative Agreements 93.323 COVD-19 Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases Agency: Department of Health Services Name of contact person and title: Lora Andrikopoulous, Grants Administrator Anticipated completion date: March 31, 2024 Agency’s Response: Concur ADHS will work with the Financial Services Assurance Team, Procurement, Finance Managers, Other internal partners, and Grants to update the process of Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA). The process moving forward will include a communication plan, updates to standard work, creation of new standard work, and additional training.

View Audit 7884

Finding 5933 (2022-125)

Material Weakness 2022

State of Arizona

AZ

Questioned Costs Allowable Costs / Cost Principles Cash Management § 200.303 § 200.305

Assistance listing number and program name: 84.425 COVID-19 Education Stabilization Fund-Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Institutional Portion Agency: Northern Arizona University (NAA) Name of contact person and title: Bradley Miner, Interim Vice President and Comptroller Anticipated ...

Assistance listing number and program name: 84.425 COVID-19 Education Stabilization Fund-Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Institutional Portion Agency: Northern Arizona University (NAA) Name of contact person and title: Bradley Miner, Interim Vice President and Comptroller Anticipated completion date: August 18, 2023 Agency’s Response: Concur See University response section at the end of this report for the corrective action response for finding 2022-125.

View Audit 7884 Questioned Costs: $1

Finding 5930 (2022-126)

Significant Deficiency 2022

State of Arizona

AZ

Questioned Costs Student Financial Aid Eligibility § 200.303

Assistance listing number and program name: 84.425E COVID-19 Education Stabilization Fund—Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF)—Student Portion Student Financial Assistance Cluster 84.007 Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants 84.033 Federal Work-Study 84.038 Federal Perkins L...

Assistance listing number and program name: 84.425E COVID-19 Education Stabilization Fund—Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF)—Student Portion Student Financial Assistance Cluster 84.007 Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants 84.033 Federal Work-Study 84.038 Federal Perkins Loan Program—Federal Capital Contributions 84.063 Federal Pell Grant Programs 84.268 Federal Direct Student Loans 84.379 Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grants (TEACH Grants) 93.364 Nursing Student Loans 93.925 Scholarships for Health Professions Students from Disadvantaged Backgrounds—Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) Agency: Northern Arizona University (NAA) Name of contact person and title: Bradley Miner, Interim Associate Vice President and Comptroller Anticipated completion date: November 30, 2023 Agency’s Response: Concur See University response section at the end of this report for the corrective action response for finding 2022-126.

View Audit 7884 Questioned Costs: $1

Finding 5918 (2022-105)

Material Weakness 2022

State of Arizona

AZ

Subrecipient Monitoring Reporting § 200.303

Assistance listing number and program name: 84.425C COVID-19 Education Stabilization Fund – Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund Agency: Arizona Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting (Office) Name of contact person and title: Sarah Brown, Director Governor’s Office of S...

Assistance listing number and program name: 84.425C COVID-19 Education Stabilization Fund – Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund Agency: Arizona Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting (Office) Name of contact person and title: Sarah Brown, Director Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning & Budgeting Completion date: July 31, 2023 Agency’s Response: Concur All recommendations have been implemented. During fiscal year 2023, the Office took significant corrective action and completed Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) reporting on a monthly basis, as required. Additionally, the Office has worked closely with its U.S. Department of Education program officer to correct inaccurate information previously reported in the FFATA reporting system. Finally, although the Office did not report awards in the FFATA reporting system in a timely manner during fiscal year 2022, it did comply with all U.S. Department of Education GEER annual reporting requirements. The information reported, including awardees, award amounts, and spending to date, is available to the public through the U.S. Department of Education’s federal pandemic relief funding transparency portal (https://covid-relief-data.ed.gov/). The Office has also conducted a staffing assessment and is adding resources to perform reporting activities.

View Audit 7884

Finding 5913 (2022-104)

Material Weakness 2022

State of Arizona

AZ

Subrecipient Monitoring § 200.303 § 200.332

Assistance listing number and program name: 84.425C COVID-19 Education Stabilization Fund – Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund Agency: Arizona Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting (Office) Name of contact person and title: Sarah Brown, Director Governor’s Office of ...

Assistance listing number and program name: 84.425C COVID-19 Education Stabilization Fund – Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) Fund Agency: Arizona Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting (Office) Name of contact person and title: Sarah Brown, Director Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning & Budgeting Completion date: July 31, 2024 Agency’s Response: Concur During fiscal year 2023, the Office took significant corrective action to improve subrecipient monitoring, including assessing each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance, collecting single audits (as applicable) or certified financial statements from new awardees, and requesting and reviewing additional information from grantees related to uses of awarded funds. Moving forward, the Office proposes the following: 1. The Office will annually require grantees to complete a questionnaire to attest whether the entity will be required to obtain a single audit. The Office will collect single audits (as applicable) or certified financial statements in order to review and follow-up on corrective action items related to the grants administered. The Office will conduct grantee training regarding subrecipient monitoring and the requirements for grantees accepting Federal grant awards. 2. The Office staff have attended various training opportunities to improve their understanding of and tools available to them to perform subrecipient monitoring procedures, as required. The Office has also conducted a staffing assessment and has added staff to perform subrecipient monitoring activities.

View Audit 7884

Finding 5911 (2022-120)

Material Weakness 2022

State of Arizona

AZ

Reporting § 200.302 § 200.303 § 200.510

Assistance listing number and program name: N/A Agency: Department of Education Name of contact person and title: Mark Belanger, Budget Director Anticipated completion date: October 31, 2023 Agency’s Response: Concur The Department agrees with this finding and will implement the following: • Trai...

Assistance listing number and program name: N/A Agency: Department of Education Name of contact person and title: Mark Belanger, Budget Director Anticipated completion date: October 31, 2023 Agency’s Response: Concur The Department agrees with this finding and will implement the following: • Train designated staff responsible for preparing the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) on State of Arizona Accounting Manual (SAAM) requirements. • Establish a reconciliation process to validate expenditures prior to submitting report • Staff will review federal resources for Assistance Listing Numbers (formerly CFDAs) to ensure proper title reporting • Designated staff will stay current on all federal regulations and SAAM requirements for reporting

View Audit 7884

Finding 5909 (2022-121)

Material Weakness 2022

State of Arizona

AZ

Subrecipient Monitoring Reporting Internal Control / Segregation of Duties § 200.303

Assistance listing number and program name: 84.010 Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies 84.425D Education Stabilization Fund – Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund 84.425U Education Stabilization Funds – American Rescue Plan Act – ESSER FUND (ARP ESSER) Agency: Depar...

Assistance listing number and program name: 84.010 Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies 84.425D Education Stabilization Fund – Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund 84.425U Education Stabilization Funds – American Rescue Plan Act – ESSER FUND (ARP ESSER) Agency: Department of Education Name of contact person and title: Deidre Mai, Deputy Associate Superintendent of Grants Management Krystal Chacon, Compliance Coordinator of Grants Management Anticipated completion date: January 30, 2024 Agency’s Response: Concur The Department agrees with findings and will implement the following: • Immediately report on the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) Subaward Reporting System the required information for subawards for all federal programs, including the following: o 84.010 Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies o 84.425D Education Stabilization Fund—Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund o 84.425U Education Stabilization Funds – American Rescue Plan Act—ESSER Fund (ARP ESSER). • Develop procedures that follow the State’s accounting manual for reporting subaward actions exceeding $30,000 no later than month-end of the month following the subaward action, as required by the FFATA and federal Uniform Guidance, and implement procedures requiring independent reviews to: o Ensure the subaward data is complete and accurate prior to uploading it to the federal government’s reporting system by crosschecking the agency’s Grants Management Enterprise (GME) System FFATA report against the GME Grant Summary report. o Verify that the subaward data uploaded to the federal government’s reporting system was complete and correctly displayed by crosschecking USASpending.gov data against the GME FFATA and Grant Summary reports. • Identify validation inaccuracies in FFATA data report from state’s GME system. o Develop a new FFATA report with system vendor. o Review and confirm the FFATA data parameters are correct. • Assign new staff to FFATA reporting and train all staff on new procedures. • Add FFATA reporting to Grants Management continuous improvement process goals. • Produce a monthly status report to be shared and reviewed by the Deputy Associate Superintendent of Grants Management.

View Audit 7884

Finding 5884 (2022-113)

Material Weakness 2022

State of Arizona

AZ

Questioned Costs Subrecipient Monitoring § 200.303 § 200.334 § 200.513 § 200.521

Assistance listing number and program name: 21.027 COVID-19 State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Name of contact person and title: Kori Kappes, Finance Administrator Anticipated completion date: June 30, 2024 Agency’s Response: Concur The Department will ensure subaward entities provide all record...

Assistance listing number and program name: 21.027 COVID-19 State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Name of contact person and title: Kori Kappes, Finance Administrator Anticipated completion date: June 30, 2024 Agency’s Response: Concur The Department will ensure subaward entities provide all records to the division relating to federal awards. The Department will also ensure it retains all records for a period of 3 years from the final expenditure report submission date. The Department will continue to resolve the $10,000 of questionable costs as deemed appropriate by the State of Arizona Office of the Governor and the United States Department of Treasury.

View Audit 7884 Questioned Costs: $1

Finding 5859 (2022-107)

Material Weakness 2022

State of Arizona

AZ

Reporting Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking Internal Control / Segregation of Duties § 200.303

Assistance listing number and program name: 21.027 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Agency: Arizona Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting (Office) Name of contact person and title: Sarah Brown, Director Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning & Budgeting Completio...

Assistance listing number and program name: 21.027 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Agency: Arizona Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting (Office) Name of contact person and title: Sarah Brown, Director Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning & Budgeting Completion date: October 2023 Agency’s Response: Concur The Office recognizes the importance of transparency in the utilization of Federal grants and has taken significant corrective action to resolve any inaccuracies in Federal grant reporting. The Office has implemented the following to ensure reporting inaccuracies and program expenditure understatements do not occur: 1. The Office has conducted a comprehensive review and has thoroughly examined the current reporting procedures and identified the gaps that led to the reporting inaccuracies and understatement of program expenditures. This has helped us understand the root causes and implement appropriate corrective measures. 2. The Office has enhanced reporting mechanisms: Based on the comprehensive review noted in response one, the Office is working to develop improved reporting procedures to ensure accurate submission of grant expenditure data. This may include revised standardized templates, improved guidelines, and enhanced communication channels both for Office staff and externally with grant recipients. 3. The Office will strengthen internal controls: The Office has implemented a monthly reconciliation process to review grantee expenditures and fiscal activity to ensure accurate reporting. The Office will continue to improve internal controls to prevent similar issues from occurring in the future. This will involve strengthening oversight, providing additional training to staff members involved in reporting processes, and implementing regular quality assurance checks, along with improved grant recipient monitoring.

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Finding 5834 (2022-106)

Material Weakness 2022

State of Arizona

AZ

Subrecipient Monitoring § 200.303 § 200.332

Assistance listing number and program name: 21.027 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Agency: Arizona Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting (Office) Arizona Office of Tourism Arizona Supreme Court Name of contact person and title: Sarah Brown, Director Governor’s O...

Assistance listing number and program name: 21.027 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Agency: Arizona Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting (Office) Arizona Office of Tourism Arizona Supreme Court Name of contact person and title: Sarah Brown, Director Governor’s Office of Strategic Planning & Budgeting Lena Allen, Director of Outdoor Recreation & Sustainability Alyce Agostino, Financial Analyst, Grant Compliance Agency’s Response: Concur Anticipated Completion date: see below Office Completion date: July 31, 2024 During fiscal year 2023, the Office took significant corrective action to improve subrecipient monitoring, including assessing each subrecipient’s risk of noncompliance, collecting single audits (as applicable) or certified financial statements from new awardees, and requesting and reviewing additional information from grantees related to uses of awarded funds: 1. The Office will annually require grantees to complete a questionnaire to attest whether the entity will be required to obtain a single audit. The Office will collect single audits (as applicable) or certified financial statements in order to review and follow-up on corrective action items related to the grants administered. The Office will conduct grantee training regarding subrecipient monitoring and the requirements for grantees accepting Federal grant awards. 2. The Office staff have attended various training opportunities to improve their understanding of and tools available to them to perform subrecipient monitoring procedures, as required. The Office has also conducted a staffing assessment and has added staff to perform subrecipient monitoring activities. Arizona Office of Tourism Anticipated Completion date: January 31, 2024 • Risk Assessment aspect of finding: The Arizona Office of Tourism (AOT) is now aware and will comply with these requirements. In order to comply, AOT will update processes and procedures to include risk assessments of subrecipients. This process will include both an outline for analysis along with the proper documentation and all necessary actions. • Subrecipient Single Audit aspect of finding: Per 2 CFR 200.332(f) AOT had a process in place for any subrecipient that was awarded through the Visit Arizona Initiative Grant Program over $750,000. As outlined by the audit, 2 CFR 200.332(f) applies for any organization that receives over $750,000 in federal funds even outside of the VAI grant program. To align with this requirement, AOT will create a process for identifying, requesting and reviewing Single Audits. Arizona Supreme Court – Administration Office of the Courts Anticipated Completion date: February 28, 2024 The Judicial Branch, Arizona Supreme Court, has drafted a Risk-Assessment Questionnaire for all Grants in which the Supreme Court is a pass-through grantee, to collect all essential information that is needed to reasonably assess the risk probability of possible subrecipients going forward in accordance with 2 CFR §200.332[b] and [d-e].

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Finding 5829 (2022-109)

Material Weakness 2022

State of Arizona

AZ

Allowable Costs / Cost Principles Reporting Internal Control / Segregation of Duties § 200.303 § 200.334

Assistance listing number and program name: 21.023 COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program Agency: Department of Economic Security Name of contact person and title: Molly Bright, DCAD Assistant Director Anticipated completion date: December 31, 2023 Agency’s Response: Concur The Department of...

Assistance listing number and program name: 21.023 COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program Agency: Department of Economic Security Name of contact person and title: Molly Bright, DCAD Assistant Director Anticipated completion date: December 31, 2023 Agency’s Response: Concur The Department of Economic Security will address the audit recommendations as follows: 1. Develop and implement written policies and procedures to ensure the system used to process ERA claims and report program information produces summarized data on its federal reporting dashboard that are complete and accurate and comply with the federal agency’s reporting guidelines. The Department will develop written policies and procedures to ensure the information produced by the system used for processing ERA claims and program information is accurate and complete when providing this data to the federal reporting dashboard. These policies and procedures will bring the Department into compliance with the federal agency’s reporting guidelines. Department staff will be trained in accordance with the policies and procedures. 2. Follow its policies and procedures to retain all records relating to a federal award for a period of 3 years from the date of its submission of the final expenditure report. The Department will improve its compliance with its Record Retention policies and procedures, and will retain for 3 years all records that are required as outlined within the provisions of the federal awards received by the Department. 3. Verify the ERA-reported program information and the federal reporting dashboard to the underlying system data during each report’s review and approval process. The Department will, during each report’s review and approval process, sample the information from the underlying system prior to submitting it to the federal agency to verify its accuracy. This process will be included within the Department’s written policies and procedures created for ERA federal reporting. 4. Prepare and retain detailed documentation and submitted reports, such as system reports, queries, or screenshots, to support the program information it reports to the federal agency for each ERA award. The Department will assemble and retain all detailed documentation and submitted reports, such as but not limited to the aforementioned items, to provide support for the program information that the Department reports to the federal agency for each ERA award it receives. These documents and reports will be maintained in accordance with the Department’s Record Retention policies and procedures and federal requirements.

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Corrective Action Plans

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