U.S. Department of Agriculture Alcorn State University (ASU) and Mississippi State University (MSU) respectfully submit the following corrective action plans for the year ended June 30, 2022. Audit period: July 1, 2021 ? June 30, 2022 The findings from the schedule of findings and questioned costs a...
U.S. Department of Agriculture Alcorn State University (ASU) and Mississippi State University (MSU) respectfully submit the following corrective action plans for the year ended June 30, 2022. Audit period: July 1, 2021 ? June 30, 2022 The findings from the schedule of findings and questioned costs are discussed below. The findings are numbered consistently with the numbers assigned in the schedule. FINDINGS?FEDERAL AWARD PROGRAMS AUDITS 2022-002: SEFA Reporting (ASU) Cooperative Extension - Assistance Listing No. 10.500 Recommendation: We recommend the institutions review and revise its current reporting procedures and review requirements to ensure that federal expenditures are properly identified and classified. Explanation of disagreement with audit finding: There is no disagreement with the audit finding. Action taken in response to finding: The Office of Grants and Contracts staff reviewed the federal awards support documentation and updated the ALN numbers in Ellucian Banner system, as needed. This preventative measure will enable us to properly identify and classify all federal expenditures. Name of contact person responsible for corrective action: Sabrena Johnson Planned completion date for corrective action plan is May 31, 2023. If the Department of Agriculture has questions regarding this plan, please call Sabrena Johnson at 601-877-4711. 2022-002: SEFA Reporting (MSU) Cooperative Extension - Assistance Listing No. 10.500 Recommendation: We recommend the institutions review and revise its current reporting procedures and review requirements to ensure that federal expenditures are properly identified and classified. Explanation of disagreement with audit finding: There is no disagreement with the audit finding. Action taken in response to finding: Mississippi State University will review and revise current reporting procedures to ensure that federal expenditures are properly identified and classified. Name of contact person responsible for corrective action: Jonathan Tucker, Director of Sponsored Programs Planned completion date for corrective action plan is June 30, 2023. If the Department of Agriculture has questions regarding this plan, please call Jonathan Tucker at jtucker@controller.msstate.edu or 662-325-1930. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) respectfully submits the following corrective action plan for the year ended June 30, 2022. Audit period: July 1, 2021 ? June 30, 2022 The findings from the schedule of findings and questioned costs are discussed below. The findings are numbered consistently with the numbers assigned in the schedule. FINDINGS?FEDERAL AWARD PROGRAMS AUDITS 2022-002: SEFA Reporting (UMMC) Maternal and Child Health Federal Consolidated Programs - Assistance Listing No. 93.110 Recommendation: We recommend the institutions review and revise its current reporting procedures and review requirements to ensure that federal expenditures are properly identified and classified. Explanation of disagreement with audit finding: There is no disagreement with the audit finding. Action taken in response to finding: In December 2022, UMMC filled the vacant role of Director, Post-Award. The new Director, Julie Schwindt, a competent professional with the right education and experience, has been hired to step directly into the role and maintain appropriate oversight and responsibility. Julie has 28 years of previous professional experience in this role and related roles. Prior to the implementation of this corrective action, the Director completed a full review of the reports built in Workday to generate SEFA reporting documents with the assistance of the UMMC Department of Information Systems (DIS). The Director has requested removal or renaming of versions that exist relevant to internal purposes, leaving only the version built for financial reporting named as the SEFA or anything similar. The Director has also asked that SEFA report nomenclature have a beginning prefix or name of ?Post Award? affixed to it. In the event future attrition ever causes similar circumstances and a vacancy in a key role, these updates will minimize the possibility that someone unfamiliar with the process will generate the wrong report in Workday, UMMC?s financial reporting system. These recommendations are being fully implemented as an ongoing review and analysis of the Workday SEFA report. Prior to the issuance of this letter, the Director has reviewed operational procedures and has initiated development of written policies and procedures to both the generation and post-generation quality review of the SEFA. The Director has designed operational procedures (detailed below) related to generation of, and post-generation quality review of, the SEFA report to be completed prior to annual submission to MIHL. These updates ensure the balance of expenditures reported on the SEFA are complete and accurate, as well as, reconcile with the Federal revenues identified on the Statement of Retained Earnings and Changes in Net Position. These updates will be added to the UMMC Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Post Award handbook as written policies and/or procedures. SEFA generation and quality review updates: Any reports previously built within Workday utilizing SEFA in the nomenclature that are not intended to function as the external financial reporting template have been renamed or removed; Additional columns have been built into the SEFA report template in Workday to assist post-generation quality review. Columns for Federal revenues by AWD and F&A rate by award have been added to the SEFA reporting template. Inclusion of these details allows Post Award quality reviewers to easily isolate significant differences between balances; and prior to SEFA completion, a Workday report of all project expenditures for the period by sponsor name will be generated and analyzed by Post Award to compare to programs listed on the SEFA. This comparison will assist in determining the completeness of the SEFA and identify programs or contracts lacking an assigned CFDA/ALN number in Workday. These additional Post Award levels of review will ensure appropriate internal controls are effectively in place to address and withstand internal and external audit review. Name of contact person responsible for corrective action: Julie Schwindt, Director Post-Award Planned completion date for corrective action plan: Corrective action plan has been completed prior to the issuance of this letter. Updates to written policy have been requested and are expected to be in place prior to the current fiscal year end, June 30, 2023. Updates as an operational policy are in place prior to the issuance of this letter. If the Department of Health and Human Services has questions regarding this plan, please email Angela Pesnell at apesnell@umc.edu.