Finding Text
Duplicate Expenditure Claimed and Reimbursed for a Federal Program - Title I grant to LEAs 84.010 CONDITION - A check was written for a reimbursable expenditure under the Title I program in the amount of $111,914.19 and subsequently voided. Then, another check was written to replace the first check. Both amounts were claimed for reimbursement under the program. During the audit process, the expenditure was identified as a duplicate and an adjustment was made to record the overclaimed amount due back to the SC Department of Education. CRITERIA - Complete, accurate, and timely bank reconciliations are a key component of the District’s internal control system. Monthly bank statement reconciliations should be performed on a timely basis. Additionally, procedures should be in place to ensure that reconciliations are reviewed by someone independent of the preparation process. Any reconciling items, including long outstanding items, should be investigated and resolved on a monthly basis. CAUSE - District finance personnel were heavily involved in preparation for and performance of the fiscal year 2023 audit, which was not completed until August of 2024. Intensive work on the audit during this period made it difficult to complete the preparation and review of certain bank reconciliations on a timely and complete basis. EFFECT - In certain cases, the District did not fully employ the important internal control provided by complete, accurate, and timely bank reconciliations. In one instance, the District understated its bank balance and overstated expenditures. RECOMMENDATION - The bank statements should be reconciled each month in a complete, accurate, and timely manner and carefully reviewed for accuracy.