Finding 2023-007: Document Retention – Material Weakness Information on the federal program: Federal program is Crime Victim Assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice passed through the Criminal Justice Information Authority. Criteria: Under 2 CFR 200.334, non-federal entities must retain financial and programmatic records, supporting documentation, statistical records, and all other records pertinent to a federal award for the required retention period. Records must be maintained in a manner that allows them to be readily accessible for audit and monitoring purposes. Effective internal controls include maintaining complete, organized, and retrievable documentation to support financial reporting and compliance. Condition: The Organization does not have an effective document retention process or internal controls to ensure that key financial records are consistently preserved, organized, and readily retrievable. Supporting documentation such as invoices, contracts, reconciliations, journal entry support, and grant documentation was frequently incomplete, missing, or delayed in being provided. These gaps resulted in incomplete audit trails and limited management’s ability to demonstrate the completeness, accuracy, and validity of financial information. Cause: The Organization has not designed, implemented, or maintained adequate document retention procedures, nor assigned responsibility to ensure consistent storage, organization, and retrieval of supporting financial documentation. Effect: Without complete and accessible supporting documentation, the Organization cannot substantiate recorded amounts, validate the occurrence or completeness of transactions, or demonstrate the functioning of key internal controls. This increases the risk that material misstatements in the financial statements or noncompliance with federal requirements may not be prevented or detected in a timely manner. Questioned Costs: $29,414 Context: During the audit, we requested various supporting documents needed to verify financial transactions, account balances, and management representations for the period under audit. In multiple instances, the Organization was unable to locate or provide the requested documentation in a timely manner. These difficulties occurred across several financial areas, including invoices, reconciliations, journal entry support, grant-related documentation, and valuation records, indicating that document retention challenges were pervasive rather than isolated to one type of record. Identification as a Repeat Finding: This is not a repeat finding. Recommendation: We recommend that management implement a comprehensive document retention and recordkeeping policy that establishes standardized retention requirements for all key financial documentation, including invoices, contracts, reconciliations, journal entries, and grant support. Management should develop procedures for centralized and secure storage, either physical or electronic, to ensure records are properly preserved and readily accessible. Additionally, periodic monitoring should be performed to confirm compliance with retention procedures, and staff should receive training to reinforce expectations regarding documentation maintenance and timely retrieval. Views of responsible officials and planned corrective actions: Subsequent to this grant commencing, the Organization hired a new grant and partnership specialist. This specialist attaches all relevant support for expenditure to the internal monthly grant reporting and ensures that all expenditures are fully supported by appropriate detail. This detail is on a shared drive with finance and is reviewed by the vice president of finance.