Finding 1160134 (2022-016)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
C
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2022
Accepted
2025-10-06
Audit: 370531
Organization: College of the Marshall Islands (MH)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The College lacks written procedures for cash management, violating federal requirements.
  • Impacted Requirements: Non-compliance with 2 CFR 200.305 and 200.303, affecting fund disbursement and internal controls.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Management should create and implement written policies for cash management and retain documentation for drawdowns.

Finding Text

Finding No.: 2022-016 Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Education AL Program: 84.047A TRIO Upward Bound Federal Award No.: P047A171556-21 Area: Cash Management Questioned Costs: $ Undeterminable Criteria: Per OMB Compliance Supplement April 2022, non-federal entities must establish written procedures to implement the requirements of 2 CFR section 200.305. Specifically, 2 CFR section 200.305(b) states that for recipients other than States, payment methods must minimize the time elapsing between the transfer of funds from the Federal agency and the disbursement of funds by the recipient. Furthermore, 2 CFR 200.303(a) states that the subrecipient must establish, document, and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the subrecipient is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should align with the guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control-Integrated Framework” issued by the COSO. Condition: The College does not have written procedures to implement the requirements set in the criteria above. Furthermore, no detailed listing of expenditures supporting the following drawdowns during the year was on file to ascertain whether the expenditures were incurred prior to the date of the reimbursement request: Drawdown Amount $ 31,928 $ 31,929 $ 44,991 $ 41,652 $112,832 Cause: The College lacks written policies and procedures over cash management, including retaining documentation supporting cash drawdowns. Effect: The College is not in compliance with the applicable cash management requirements. Questioned costs, if any, that may result from inadequate records are not determinable. Recommendation: College management should establish written internal control policies and procedures, including retaining documentation supporting cash drawdowns. Views of Auditee and Planned Corrective Actions: The College agrees with the finding and provides details in its Corrective Action Plan.

Corrective Action Plan

Cash Management College of the Marshall Islands acknowledges the finding and agrees that the absence of written cash management procedures and the lack of supporting expenditure listings for drawdowns created gaps in compliance with federal requirements. These issues stemmed from inadequate internal controls and the limitations of the previous manual filing system, which made it difficult to verify that drawdowns were fully supported by incurred expenditures during the audit fieldwork. To address this, the College has drafted new cash management policies and procedures in accordance with 2 CFR 200.305, which are now being circulated for review and approval. These policies will require maintaining detailed expenditure listings to support every reimbursement request and ensuring that funds are drawn only after related costs have been incurred. The College has also upgraded and institutionalized a cloud-based filing system to ensure complete documentation and easy retrieval of drawdown support records. With the upgraded systems and the support of newly hired skilled staff, the College is now better equipped to comply with cash management requirements. Staff have been trained and will continue to be trained twice a year on federal cash management and documentation standards to prevent recurrence of similar issues in future audits.

Categories

Cash Management

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1160126 2022-008
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160127 2022-009
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160128 2022-010
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160129 2022-011
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160130 2022-012
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160131 2022-013
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160132 2022-014
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160133 2022-015
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160135 2022-017
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160136 2022-018
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160137 2022-019
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160138 2022-019
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160139 2022-020
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160140 2022-021
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160141 2022-021
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160142 2022-021
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160143 2022-022
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160144 2022-022
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160145 2022-023
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160146 2022-023
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1160147 2022-023
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.063 Federal Pell Grant Program $7.50M
84.425 Education Stabilization Fund $3.02M
15.875 Economic, Social, and Political Development of the Territories $1.69M
84.047 Trio Upward Bound $269,114
93.107 Area Health Education Centers $90,102
10.308 Resident Instruction, Agriculture, and Food Science Facilities and Equipment Grants $45,256
47.076 Stem Education (formerly Education and Human Resources) $16,725