Dear Mr. Waguespack,Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your office's finding related to special tests and provisions requirements. LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport (LSUHSC-S) has reviewed the issues identified by your staff and we concur with the finding.Recommendation:Management sh...
Dear Mr. Waguespack,Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your office's finding related to special tests and provisions requirements. LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport (LSUHSC-S) has reviewed the issues identified by your staff and we concur with the finding.Recommendation:Management should continue to provide training for time and effort certifications.Response with Corrective Action Plan:LSUHSC-S will continue to offer training classes and educational meetings to address the Federal requirements and ensure compliance. The training classes include one-on-one departmental meetings held by the Office of Sponsored Programs on new awards, Department Business Manager and Administrative Staff monthly meetings and research personnel time and effort educational sessions.Name of Contact(s) Responsible for Action PlanAnnella Nelson, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research DevelopmentValarie White, Director, Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP)William Haacker, Assistant Director of Grants AccountingJen Katzman, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Administration and FinanceAnticipated Completion Date: ContinuousRecommendation:Management should also utilize the time and effort certifications and updated PER-3 forms to monitor changes in effort for key personnel and verify that prior written approval is obtained from the federal grantor for changes that exceed the thresholds set in federal regulations.Response with Corrective Action Plan:LSUHSC-S will use both the time & effort certifications and personnel status change forms (PER-3s) to monitor effort percentages on federal grants. The monitoring review will include the departmental business staff and Principal Investigators (Pls).The new grant management software, Cayuse, that should be implemented now in FY2024, could be a source for the automation of time & effort tracking; however, until available, management is reviewing additional avenues to address this institutional internal control to include the re-initiation of the master tracking document reflecting the award's original personnel effort with changes as approved through the internal PER-3 form and/or written approval from federal grantor as necessary.Regarding prior approval for effort changes, OSP is the institution office of record that seeks written approval from the federal grantor if the level of effort is reduced by 25% or more for the PI or any senior/key personnel named in the notice of award per federal requirements. OSP is communicating with the Departmental PIs and Business Managers regarding effort changes throughout the grant year and reviews again with the PIs and Business Managers during annual progress reporting.With the implemented processes, LSUHSC-S should be able to ensure that the time & effort reporting during the grant year is reflective of the award document or if any approved changes from the federal grantor is required prior to annual progress report completion.Anticipated Completion Date: ContinuousName of Contact (s) Responsible for Action Plan:Sheila Faour, Chief Financial Officer, Business and ReimbursementsAnnella Nelson, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research DevelopmentValarie White, Director, Office of Sponsored ProgramsWilliam Haacker, Assistant Director of Grants AccountingJen Katzman, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Administration and FinanceIf you have questions or need additional information, please contact me at (318) 675-5230 or via email at cindy.rives@lsuhs.edu.