Finding Text
2024-005 – Insufficient Financial Management Condition: The Organization drew down more revenues than expenditures incurred. Criteria: The VA Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program regulations (38 CFR Part 78) and the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200.302) require grantees to maintain a financial management system that provides accurate, current, and complete financial information, effective control over federal funds, and adequate documentation supporting all costs charged to the program. Financial management is considered insufficient when accounting practices do not ensure timely, accurate, and supported reporting of expenditures and drawdowns. Effect: Failure to maintain accurate financial data will result in discrepancies between expenditures and draw-downs. It also increases the risk of inaccurate financial results provided at closeout or unauthorized or ineligible expenses charged to the award, which may result in funding shortages for other qualified expenses. Cause: Homeward Bound Adirondack, Inc. failed to provide adequate oversight and internal controls to ensure the maintenance of accurate financial records. Specifically, credit card charges were recorded in the general ledger based on the day the charges cleared rather than the date the costs were incurred. This practice resulted in delays in recording expenditures, causing them to be recorded in the incorrect period. Recommendation: We recommend that Homeward Bound Adirondack, Inc. establish oversight practices to ensure that all revenues and expenses are recorded appropriately and reconciled to the proper drawdown requests. Response: Homeward Bound Adirondack, Inc. agrees with the finding and will implement procedures to address the recommendation in 2025.