Finding Text
Finding No. 2024-007 – Provider Relief Fund Reporting Federal Program ALN 93.498 Provider Relief Fund - CARES Act Name of Federal Agency U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Criteria According to the guidelines governing the Provider Relief Fund (PRF), recipients who received one or more PRF and or American Rescue Plan payments exceeding $10,000, in the aggregate, during a Payment Received Period are required to report in each applicable Reporting Period as outlined in a timetable provided by the Health Resources & Services Administration. The table below is applicable to the funds received by the Corporation: Period Payment Received Period (Payments Exceeding $10,000 in Aggregate Received Period of Availability for Eligible Expenses Period of Availability for Lost Revenues PRF and ARP Rural Portal Reporting Time Period Period 5 January 1, 2022 to June 30, 2022 January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023 January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023 July 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023 In addition, CFR 200.334 states that the recipient and subrecipient must retain all Federal award records for three years from the date of submission of their final financial report. For awards that are renewed quarterly or annually, the recipient and subrecipient must retain records for three years from the date of submission of their quarterly or annual financial report, respectively. Records to be retained include but are not limited to, financial records, supporting documentation, and statistical records. Condition The Corporation could not provide evidence that reporting for Period 5 was made within the reporting time period due lack of access to the HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) portal. Category Non-compliance / Significant Deficiency in internal controls over compliance. Compliance Requirement Reporting Cause The Corporation did not maintain records that the PRF Portal report was made within the required reporting time period. Currently, management cannot access the portal where the report was submitted and therefore, there is no evidence that the report was submitted in a timely matter. Effect As a result of this condition, the grantor may issue warnings and/or impose penalties to the Corporation. Questioned cost None. Context The Corporation was required to submit the Period 5 report by September 30, 2023. Management provided the report but was not able to provide evidence that submission was made on time. Identification of a repeat finding This is not a repeat finding from the immediate previous audit. Recommendation Management should strengthen its internal controls over the administration and compliance monitoring of federal awards to ensure that all reporting and compliance requirements are met in accordance with program regulations. Specifically, the Corporation should establish formal procedures to track federal reporting deadlines, assign clear responsibility for the preparation and submission of required reports, and ensure continuity of access to federal reporting systems in the event of changes in management or personnel. Management should also implement supervisory review procedures to confirm that required reports are submitted timely and retain appropriate documentation supporting compliance with federal reporting requirements. Additionally, the Corporation should establish and enforce policies requiring that all records related to federal awards be maintained for at least three years after the closeout of the award, in accordance with federal regulations. Views of responsible officials and planned corrective actions The Corporation’s management and responsible officers agree with this finding. Please refer to the corrective action plan section for the Corporation’s response on pages 85 to 90.