Finding 1201547 (2025-002)

Finding 2025-002 - U.S. Department of Education (ED), Title IV Student Financial Aid Programs - Federal Work-Study Community Service Requirement Not Met and Failure to Report FWS Earnings (significant deficiency): Criteria – Per 34 CFR § 675.18(g), each institution participating in the Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program must use at least 7 percent of its total FWS allocation to compensate students employed in community service activities unless the institution has received an approved waiver from the Department of Education. Per 34 CFR § 675.19(b), institution must maintain fiscal control and accountability over FWS funds and comply with all reporting requirements established by the Secretary. This includes accurately reporting FWS student earnings through required federal systems and maintaining documentation to support reported activity. Condition - Based on documentation provided for the 2024–2025 award year, the institution was authorized a total of $26,649 in Federal Work-Study funds. Of this amount, only $1,057 was identified as wages paid to students employed in community service activities. No documentation was provided to demonstrate that additional community service wages were paid or that a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education of not meeting the required 7 percent community service expenditure threshold. Additionally, during review of the institution’s 2024–2025 Federal Work-Study (FWS) activity, it was noted that FWS student earnings were not reported to the Common Origination and Disbursement (COD) System. The institution’s financial aid records and payroll registers indicate that students earned a total of $23,131 in FWS wages during the award year; however, no corresponding COD submissions or COD acknowledgment files were provided for review to demonstrate that these earnings were reported as required. Cause – The infraction appears to have resulted from failure to monitor compliance with the 7 percent FWS community service requirement and inadequate internal controls to ensure timely and accurate reporting of FWS earnings. Effect – The institution did not comply with the statutory community service spending requirement and FWS earnings were not reported through required federal reporting channels, limiting transparency and federal oversight. Questioned Costs - $0 Perspective – The Federal Work-Study Program includes explicit statutory spending and reporting requirements that are considered key compliance controls. In this instance, the institution expended approximately 4 percent of its authorized FWS allocation ($1,057 of $26,649) on community service wages, compared to the required 7 percent, resulting in a 43 percent shortfall from the required threshold. In addition, 100 percent of FWS earnings identified during testing ($23,131) were not reported to the COD System, as no submission or acknowledgment records were available. Repeat Finding – No Auditor’s Recommendation – We recommend that the institution strengthen monitoring of community service requirements and establish formal FWS reporting controls and perform periodic internal audits of FWS expenditures and reporting to identify and correct issues prior to year-end and federal reporting deadlines. Management’s Response – Per 34 CFR § 675.18(g), each institution participating in the Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program must use at least 7 percent of its total FWS allocation to compensate students employed in community service activities. Based on documentation provided for the 2024-2025 award year, the institution was authorized a total of $26,649 in Federal Work-Study funds. Of this amount, $1,057 was identified as community service wages. No documentation was provided to demonstrate that additional community service wages were paid or that a waiver from ED was requested or approved