Finding 1073189 (2023-001)

Significant Deficiency
Requirement
AB
Questioned Costs
$1
Year
2023
Accepted
2024-09-13
Audit: 319505
Organization: U.s. Dream Academy, Inc. (MD)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The Academy lacks effective internal controls to compare actual employee time to budget estimates for federal grant charges.
  • Impacted Requirements: Non-compliance with 2 CFR Section 200.303(a) and 2 CFR Section 200.430, risking inaccurate billing and potential questioned costs.
  • Recommended Follow-up: Establish policies to regularly reconcile time slips with budget estimates, particularly during quarterly billings and fiscal year-end reviews.

Finding Text

U.S. Department of Justice 16.726 Juvenile Mentoring Program Grant Period: 10/1/2020-9/30/2024 Contract Number: 2020-JU-FX-0009 Criteria: Under 2 CFR Section 200.303(a) a non-Federal entity is required to establish and maintain internal controls over compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal grant. In addition, under 2 CFR Section 200.430 Compensation – personal services, charges to Federal awards for salaries and wages must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. Budget estimates may be used for interim accounting purposes but budget estimates alone do not qualify as support for charges to Federal awards. The entity’s system of internal controls must include a process to review after-the-fact interim charges made to a Federal award to budget estimates and make any necessary adjustments such that the final amount charged to the Federal award is accurate, allowable and properly allocated. Condition: The Academy’s internal control processes do not include a comparison of actual time charged on the employee’s time slip to the budget allocation charged the grant to determine if the budget estimates reflect reasonable approximations of the activities actually performed. Effect: Without internal controls operating effectively, it is possible that the Academy could be at risk to be out of compliance with the applicable compliance requirements. Cause: Additional federal and other restricted grants resulted in employee’s time being allocated across additional funding sources. In addition, the Academy was working with the grantor on a budget adjustment. Questioned Costs: Known questioned costs: $5,573; likely questioned costs $29,683. Perspective: There is no observable evidence of the Academy’s review and reconciliation of time slips to budget estimates which affects both the allowable activities and allowable costs requirements. Repeat Finding: No Auditor’s Recommendation: We recommend the Academy establish policies and procedures to reconcile the percentage of hours charged on time slips to the budget estimates used to bill the Federal grantor. This should be done in conjunction with quarterly billings (or other determined regular interval), at fiscal year end, and at the end of the grant year (if different from the Academy’s fiscal year). Views of Responsible Officials: See Corrective Action Plan

Categories

Questioned Costs Allowable Costs / Cost Principles Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 496747 2023-001
    Significant Deficiency

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
16.726 Juvenile Mentoring Program $633,398
16.818 Children Exposed to Violence $410,093
84.425U Covid-19 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief $112,560