Finding 1160398 (2024-002)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
L
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2024
Accepted
2025-10-15
Audit: 370818
Organization: Department of Public Safety (PR)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The Department's Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) was incomplete and misstated, missing one Federal program and containing inaccuracies.
  • Impacted Requirements: Compliance with 2 CFR §200.510, which mandates accurate reporting of all Federal awards, including details on subrecipients and loan programs.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Improve record-keeping for Federal programs and ensure all relevant information is communicated to staff involved in SEFA preparation; implement regular monitoring of Federal program transactions.

Finding Text

FEDERAL PROGRAM ALL FEDERAL PROGRAMS ON THE SCHEDULE OF EXPENDITURES OF FEDERAL AWARDS AWARD NUMBER ALL AWARDS COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENT REPORTING TYPE OF FINDING MATERIAL NONCOMPLIANCE AND MATERIAL WEAKNESS CRITERIA 2 CFR §200.510 Financial Statements, (b) states that the auditee must prepare a schedule of expenditures of federal awards for the period covered by the auditee's financial statements which must include the total Federal awards expended. At a minimum, the schedule must: (1) list individual Federal Programs by Federal agency, (2) for Federal awards received as a subrecipient, the name of the pass-through entity and identifying number assigned by the pass-through entity must be included, (3) provide total Federal awards expended for each individual Federal program and the ALN number or other identifying number when the ALN information is not available, (4) Include the total amount provided to subrecipients from each Federal program, (5) for loan or loan guarantee programs identify in the notes to the schedule the balances outstanding at the end of the audit period. This is in addition to including the total Federal awards expended for loan or loan guarantee programs in the schedule. STATEMENT OF CONDITION During our audit procedures of the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) prepared by the Department, we identified misstatements related to the programs reported in the SEFA. One Federal program was not included in the SEFA, and adjustments were proposed in order to reconcile the information included in the SEFA with the financial statement.PERSPECTIVE INFORMATION The Department failed to identify properly in its records and/or accounting records the Federal grants that they received and expended during the fiscal year, this cause that when the Department prepared the SEFA with the financial statement and for audit purposes the SEFA was incomplete and misstated. STATEMENT OF CAUSE The Department failed to identify the Federal grants expended during the fiscal year and to keep records of the transactions related to the Federal programs in order to properly identify the Federal programs and transactions when the SEFA is prepared causing the preparation of an incomplete and misstated SEFA. POSSIBLE ASSERTED EFFECT The Department may fail to include all Federal programs and total expenditures in the SEFA causing misstatements in the SEFA, errors in the determination if a Uniform Guidance audit is required to the Department and could provoke an incorrect Major Program Determination performed by the auditor, resulting in the most likely exclusion of a Major Program for audit purpose. IDENTIFICATION OF REPEAT FINDING Not applicable. RECOMMENDATIONS We recommend the Department to maintain adequate records related to the Federal programs in order to properly identify the Federal programs/transactions when the SEFA is prepared. Once a Federal award is granted or received, the information must be shared with all personnel involved in the financial statement and SEFA preparation to provide assurance that all required program activities / expenditures are included on the SEFA. In addition, the Department must perform a regular fiscal monitoring over the Federal programs transactions in order to provide reasonable assurance that all Federal programs/transactions are properly recorded and included on the SEFA

Corrective Action Plan

Validate that future federal allocations received in fund 245 are properly classified as federal funds in the SEFA (Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards). To ensure compliance with reporting requirements and fiscal transparency, guidance will be provided to the responsible team regarding the appropriate procedures for identifying, documenting, and accurately reflecting each federal received in the SEFA. This measure is intended to strengthen internal controls, ensure the traceability of federal resources, and facilitate compliance with external audits and applicable regulations. IMPLEMENTATION DATE Immediately RESPONSIBLE PERSON Lumary Ojeda Ocasio

Categories

Subrecipient Monitoring Reporting

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1160399 2024-003
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
97.039 Hazard Mitigation Grant $1.32M
21.027 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds $73,400
97.067 Homeland Security Grant Program $6,330