Finding Text
Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Education
AL Program: Student Financial Assistance Cluster - 84.063 Federal Pell Grant
Federal Award No.: Title IV HEA Program OPE ID 01034300
Area: Special Tests and Provisions: Verification
Questioned Costs: $53,441
Criteria:
34 CFR 668.54(a); FSA Handbook Application and Verification Guide, Chapter 4 requires an
institution to establish written policies and procedures that incorporate the provisions of 34 CFR
668.51 through 668.61 for verifying applicant information for those applicants selected for
verification by ED. Institutions shall require each applicant whose application is selected by ED
to verify the information required for the Verification Tracking Group to which the applicant is
assigned. However, certain applicants are excluded from the verification process as listed in 34
CFR 668.54(b). A menu of potential verification items for each award year is published in the
Federal Register, and the items to verify for a given application are selected by ED from that menu
items for each award year can also be found in the annual FSA Handbook, Application and
Verification Guide, Chapter 4. Institutions shall also require applicants to verify any information
institution has reason to believe is inaccurate and
Condition:
For 6 (or 19%) of 31 students tested, incorrect verification procedures were performed by the
College. Standard verification (V1) was performed instead of the required custom verification
(V4). , whereas V4 requires verification
their statement of education purpose.
For 1 (or 3%) of 31 students tested, verification worksheet is missing and required verification
procedure is not performed.
For 5 (or 16%) of 31 students tested, discrepancies were found in the verification worksheet versus
.
For 3 (or 10%) of 31 students tested, corrections required for ISIRs were not made.
Cause:
The College did not effectively monitor compliance with applicable verification requirements.
Effect:
The College is in noncompliance with applicable verification requirements.
Recommendation:
The College should enhance training programs for staff involved in the verification process to
ensure they are fully aware of the requirements and procedures. Establish robust internal controls
and review mechanisms to ensure that verification worksheets are completed accurately and
consistently with ISIRs. Implement a tracking system to ensure that all required corrections to
ISIRs are performed in a timely manner.
Views of responsible officials
The College acknowledges the finding. Refer to their corrective action plan.