Finding 1159773 (2020-008)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
AB
Questioned Costs
$1
Year
2020
Accepted
2025-10-02
Audit: 370332
Organization: Program of Academic Exchange (NY)
Auditor: Sax CPAS LLP

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: PAX lacked a compliant time and effort reporting system for tracking wages and salaries charged to federal awards.
  • Impacted Requirements: This violates 2 CFR Section 200.430, which mandates accurate records and internal controls for allowable costs.
  • Recommended Follow-up: Management should implement a time sheet reporting system to ensure proper documentation and allocation of employee time to grants.

Finding Text

Criteria: The requirements for allowable costs related to wages and salaries are contained in 2 CFR Section 200.430. This states that salaries and wages charged to federal awards must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must be supported by a system of internal control which provides reasonable assurance that the charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated. Condition: During the year under audit, PAX did not have a time and effort reporting system that met the requirements of the federal cost principles. Citation: 2 CFR 200.430 Cause: PAX did not have an effective internal control system in place for monitoring and documenting wages and salaries charged to the federal awards. Effect: PAX did not maintain adequate documentation to support salaries charged to the federal awards throughout the year. However, they provided attestations and other support to demonstrate that the salaries and wages were accurate, allowable, and properly allocated after year-end as part of the audit process. Questioned Costs: PAX charged $1,109,466 of wages and salaries to the major program. Context: This was a universal matter that impacted the entity as a whole. Repeat Finding: No Recommendation: We recommend that management establish internal control process, such as a time sheet reporting system, to capture which grant each employee spends time on. View of Responsible Officials: See Corrective Action Plan attached.

Corrective Action Plan

In a previous period and by previous auditors, PAX was told that because we were using a percentage of effort calculation in budgeting that time sheets were no longer needed for this purpose. At that time, we abandoned the time sheet process (which was arduous). Based upon current auditor’s advice, PAX will, going forward, establish an effort verification reporting system. This system will accurately capture the effort spent by each employee on specific grants, ensuring proper allocation of wages and salaries to the respective federal awards. Dije Kucana, Comptroller, effective immediately

Categories

Questioned Costs Allowable Costs / Cost Principles

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1159770 2020-008
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1159771 2020-009
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1159772 2020-010
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1159774 2020-009
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1159775 2020-010
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
19.415 Professional and Cultural Exchange Programs - Citizen Exchanges $1.42M