Finding Text
Finding 2025-002: Subrecipient Monitoring Criteria: The Uniform Guidance (2 CFR §200.332) requires a non-Federal entity to monitor the activities of its subrecipients as necessary to ensure that Federal awards are used for authorized purposes in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. Specifically, the Sponsoring Organization is required to perform specific monitoring activities, including site visits, for its CACFP subrecipients (centers/homes). To ensure that these required monitoring activities are occurring timely and correctly, the Sponsoring Organization's internal controls include a requirement for monthly meetings between the Program Manager and the Monitoring Specialist to review the status of subrecipient monitoring. Condition: During the review of internal controls related to subrecipient monitoring, it was noted that the required monthly meetings between the Program Manager and the Monitoring Specialist were not consistently performed throughout the fiscal year. Specifically, for the 12-month period tested, the required monthly reviews were not documented for 3 out of 12 months. Cause: The lapse in the required monthly reviews was attributed to staff turnover in the program office and competing priorities that diverted staff time away from this control activity. Effect: The lack of consistent management oversight through the required monthly meetings increases the risk that mandatory subrecipient monitoring activities (e.g., required site visits, review of subrecipient documentation) could be delayed, missed, or performed inadequately. This could result in non-compliance by the subrecipients going undetected, potentially leading to inaccurate claims and funds being used for unauthorized purposes. Questioned Costs: None noted. Context: This is the first year this finding has been reported. The internal control deficiency appears to be a breakdown in the execution of the established procedure rather than an absence of a control. Repeat Finding: No. This is the first time this specific finding has been identified. Recommendation: We recommend that management reinforce the importance of this control and implement a documented process to ensure that the monthly meetings between the Program Manager and the Monitoring Specialist occur consistently. This should include establishing a recurring meeting schedule and requiring documentation (e.g., signed meeting minutes, checklist) that demonstrates the review of monitoring status took place each month, even during periods of staff turnover or high-priority competing demands.