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.