Finding Text
Criteria: Accurate financial reporting and compliance with the Uniform Guidance require a strong internal control system, including proper segregation of duties and consistent management oversight.
Condition: The Senior Director of Housing & Facilities is responsible for the custody of assets and for authorizing and recording transactions, with no regular oversight occurring. While an independent contractor assists with annual closing, there is no documented review process during the rest of the year.
Effect: Reliance on a single individual for critical accounting functions, without systematic reviews, undermines the reliability of financial information. Errors and irregularities may go undetected, thereby increasing the risk of material misstatement and noncompliance with federal requirements.
Cause: Staffing constraints and an informal approach to internal controls have resulted in one individual performing incompatible functions. Management oversight once documented by weekly meetings between the Senior Director of Housing & Facilities and the CEO are no longer occurring.
Recommendations: Management should strongly consider reallocating routine accounting tasks, such as preparing deposits and reconciling bank statements, to different staff members. Alternatively, you could increase the scope and frequency of the outside bookkeeper’s involvement, ensuring that these critical functions receive timely and objective review. Furthermore, it is advisable to reinstate documented, periodic management reviews of both financial and compliance-related data. These regularly scheduled reviews will help detect errors, strengthen accountability, and support adherence to the requirements of the Uniform Guidance.
Management Comments: We concur with this finding and recognize the need for a more robust control environment. We plan to reevaluate staff responsibilities, expand the documentation of oversight procedures, and implement structured, recurring reviews of financial transactions and compliance-related data to ensure compliance with Uniform Guidance requirements.