Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Action:
Department of Human Services Response
DHS concurs with the finding. The Division of Childcare and Early Childhood Education (DCCECE) utilized a custom software platform to provide payment files to the State’s accounting software, AASIS, t...
Views of Responsible Officials and Planned Corrective Action:
Department of Human Services Response
DHS concurs with the finding. The Division of Childcare and Early Childhood Education (DCCECE) utilized a custom software platform to provide payment files to the State’s accounting software, AASIS, to issue payments to recipients. Within this software, the AASIS coding for Sponsor Administrative costs is coded to CNP Block Consolidated (ALN 10.555) instead of CNP CACFP Sponsor Administrative (ALN 10.558) for the questioned costs of $98,474.00. Expense error corrections were not received timely by managerial accounting staff prior to the close out of SFY2023. Effective August 1, 2023, the division formerly known as DCCECE at DHS transitioned to the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). DHS alerted financial staff with ADE in February 2024 to review the custom software platform to ensure grant expenses are being properly coded now.
Due to depleted grant funds in CNP CACFP Cash in Lieu (ALN 10.558), the questioned costs of $38,341.68 in grants funds were manually moved by DHS Managerial Accounting staff into the CNP Block Consolidated grant. Managerial accounting staff have been retrained to ensure adequate federal funds are available prior to drawing. If manual adjustments are required, the division’s CFO, or their designee, must review and approve manual adjustments prior to the managerial accounting staff executing manual adjustments. DHS Office of Finance is developing an internal control documenting the prior approval process.
DHS will continue to work in cooperation and coordination with ADE to provide all relevant financial information, documentation, or other items necessary for the administrative functions of DCCECE so as not to disrupt any services.
Arkansas Department of Education Response
The Arkansas Department of Education, Finance unit monitors federal grant awards by using separate cost centers for each program and award year within. This process provides transparent delineation of expenses and revenues within the State’s accounting system, AASIS. Additionally, ADE Finance owns an established procedure to reconcile federal grant awards for each month, within 90 days of the month’s end. The reconciliation procedure accounts for all activity within the grants and ensures data is aligned from the federal drawdown system to the State’s accounting system, AASIS.
Anticipated Completion Date:
Department of Human Services Response
3/31/2024
Arkansas Department of Education Response
The itemized CNP programs are reconciled using ADE procedures as of August 1,2023. ADE ensures the accuracy of data from August 1, 2023, through January 31, 2024.
Contact Person:
Name: Misty Eubanks
Title: Deputy Secretary for Operations and Budget and Interim Chief Financial Officer
Agency: Department of Human Services
Address: P.O. Box 1437, Slot S201
City, State, Zip: Little Rock, AR, 72203-1437
Phone Number: 501-320-6327
Email Address: misty.eubanks@dhs.arkansas.gov
Name: Amy Thomas
Title: Accounting Operations Manager
Agency: Arkansas Department of Education
Address: Four Capitol Mall, Room 204
City, State, Zip: Little Rock, AR, 72201
Phone Number: 501-682-3636
Email Address: Amy.Thomas@ade.arkansas.gov