Finding 1148220 (2021-002)

Significant Deficiency
Requirement
AB
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2021
Accepted
2025-07-22

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The District reported errors in claimed expenditures due to inadequate internal controls over the review and approval process.
  • Impacted Requirements: Compliance with CFR 200.303(a) is at risk, as the District failed to maintain effective internal controls for managing federal awards.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Update internal control policies to ensure all claimed amounts are supported by documentation and that records are properly retained.

Finding Text

Department of Health and Human Services Federal Assistance Listing/CFDA #93.498 Provider Relief Fund and American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural Distribution Applicable Federal Award Number and Year – Period 1 TIN #870212456 Activities Allowed or Unallowed and Allowable Cost/Cost Principles Significant Deficiency in Internal Control Over Compliance and Noncompliance Not Considered Material Criteria: CFR 200.303(a) establishes that the auditee must establish and maintain effective internal control over the federal award that provides assurance that the entity is managing the federal award in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and conditions of the federal award. Condition: The District claimed and reported expenditures that contained errors based upon the underlying documentation. Additionally, the District did not have internal controls in place to review and approve allowable expenditures separate from the preparer. Cause: The District had multiple individuals identifying and compiling eligible costs, however, the District did not have an internal control process in place to ensure a secondary review and approval of eligible expenditures that were summarized from the underlying supporting spreadsheets to the final expenditure listing. The summary spreadsheet was used to claim allowable costs under the federal program. Additionally, not all supporting documentation was retained. Effect: There is a potential that costs may be claimed and reported are not allowable or amounts claimed may not be supported during a subsequent examination. Questioned Costs: None reported. Context: A nonstatistical sample of 60 supplies, services, and payroll transactions out of a population of approximately 1,476 totaling $3,100,530 were selected for testing. The sample contained errors in two transactions in which the amounts claimed on the Period 1 report were not supported by invoices. The amounts claimed not supported by invoices totaled $2,097 out of a total sample value of $2,021,539. Repeat Finding from Prior Years: No Recommendation: We recommend the District modify internal control policies to ensure amounts claimed for this program agree to underlying documentation and to ensure the records are retained to support the amounts. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees with the finding.

Categories

Allowable Costs / Cost Principles Significant Deficiency

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 571778 2021-002
    Significant Deficiency
  • 571779 2021-003
    Material Weakness
  • 571780 2021-004
    Significant Deficiency
  • 1148221 2021-003
    Material Weakness
  • 1148222 2021-004
    Significant Deficiency

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
93.498 Provider Relief Fund and American Rescue Plan (arp) Rural Distribution $8.27M
93.301 Small Rural Hospital Improvement Grant Program $83,716
93.899 Minority Hiv/aids Fund (mhaf) $61,729