Finding 1208302 (2025-004)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
L
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2026-04-21
Audit: 399326
Organization: City of Cambridge Massachusetts (MA)
Auditor: KPMG

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The City failed to submit the CAPER report to HUD on time, missing the September 30, 2024 deadline and submitting it instead on February 28, 2025.
  • Impacted Requirements: Compliance with performance reporting requirements, specifically the timely submission of the HUD-4155 CAPER and accurate reconciliation of subrecipient reports.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Establish robust policies and internal controls to ensure all subrecipient CAPER reports are reconciled and submitted to HUD within 90 days of the program year-end.

Finding Text

Finding Number: 2025-004 Program: Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) ALN #: 14.241 Pass-through Entity: N/A- Direct Award Federal Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development Federal Award Year: July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025 Compliance Requirement: Performance Reporting Type of finding: Material weakness and material noncompliance Criteria Performance Reporting for the HOPWA Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report Per HUD, the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) provides annual performance reporting on client outputs and outcomes that enables an assessment of grantee performance in achieving the housing stability outcome measure. The CAPER fulfills statutory and regulatory program reporting requirements and provides the grantee and HUD with the necessary information to assess the overall program performance and accomplishments against planned goals and objectives. Both HOPWA formula and competitive grantees submitting reports after January 1, 2023, must complete and submit the HUD-4155 “Consolidated APR/CAPER” (OMB number 2506-0133). HOPWA Formula Grantees that accept the supplemental funding authorized under the CARES Act should report on the use of supplemental grant funds in the same performance report as their use of entitlement funds. Both formula and competitive grantees are required to submit their completed HUD-4155 no later than 90 days after the close of their program or operating year. Competitive grantees have 120 days after the end of their grant’s last period of performance to submit the final HUD-4155. Grantees should be able to demonstrate that funds disbursed through federal financial systems are traceable in local accounts and accurately reported in Key Line Items in the HUD-4155. Lastly, 2 CFR 200.303(a) states, the nonfederal entity must establish and maintain effective internal control over the federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the nonfederal entity is managing the federal award in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).Condition The City does not have properly designed controls and documented procedures in place to ensure compliance with the following requirements: • CAPER report is submitted to HUD within 90 days of the end of the 12-month program year. • Review of subrecipient’s CAPER to ensure complete and accurate reporting over key line items. Cause Subrecipients are required to submit their individual CAPER reports to the City prior to the City submitting its report to HUD. The City has had difficulty in getting the subrecipients to comply with the CAPER reporting, which is primarily due to staffing issues at the subrecipients. As a result, the City did not submit its CAPER to HUD within the required time-frame. Proper perspective The City failed to submit the CAPER that covers the period from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 to HUD by the September 30, 2024 deadline. The City ultimately submitted the CAPER on February 28, 2025. Additionally, for four of four subrecipients selected for testing, the City was unable to provide documentation that the subrecipients’ CAPER reconciled to the Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS) or the City’s general ledger system. Possible asserted effect Incomplete or inaccurate information from its subrecipients has resulted in the City’s inability to properly comply with HUD’s CAPER reporting requirements. Questioned costs Not determinable Statistical sampling The sample was not intended to be, and was not, a statistically valid sample. Repeat finding Yes, 2024-005 Recommendation We recommend that the City establish policies, procedures, and internal controls to ensure that all subrecipient CAPER reports are reconciled to the IDIS system and submitted to HUD within 90 days of year-end. Views of responsible officials and corrective actions The Audit, while investigating FY25 programs and activities, assessed the FY24 HOPWA CAPER, which was delivered to HUD past its due date. For the FY25 CAPER, a submission by nature of general reporting timelines occurs in FY26, was completed by the grantees on time and submitted to the City on time, including certain specific revisions and corrections, and was delivered to and accepted by HUD by the required submission deadline. The City expects future CAPERs to be submitted in a timely manner as grantees successfully adapted to the new Excel based reporting format.

Corrective Action Plan

Repeat finding 2024-005 The City will establish policies, procedures and internal controls to ensure that all subrecipient CAPER reports are reconciled to the IDIS system and submitted to HUD within 90 days of year end.

Categories

Subrecipient Monitoring Procurement, Suspension & Debarment HUD Housing Programs Material Weakness Period of Performance Reporting

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1208299 2025-001
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1208300 2025-002
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1208301 2025-003
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1208303 2025-005
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1208304 2025-005
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1208305 2025-005
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
14.239 HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM $12.87M
14.267 CONTINUUM OF CARE PROGRAM $5.81M
84.027 SPECIAL EDUCATION GRANTS TO STATES $3.53M
14.218 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS/ENTITLEMENT GRANTS $2.97M
10.555 NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM $2.11M
14.241 HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONS WITH AIDS $1.85M
93.568 LOW-INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE $1.48M
84.010 TITLE I GRANTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES $1.40M
84.425U COVID-19 American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) $1.39M
97.036 DISASTER GRANTS - PUBLIC ASSISTANCE (PRESIDENTIALLY DECLARED DISASTERS) $1.28M
97.067 HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM $1.14M
10.553 SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM $534,328
84.002 ADULT EDUCATION - BASIC GRANTS TO STATES $326,439
10.559 SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN $311,271
66.040 DIESEL EMISSIONS REDUCTION ACT (DERA) STATE GRANTS $302,173
14.231 EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANT PROGRAM $235,968
93.590 COMMUNITY-BASED CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION GRANTS $185,602
84.367 SUPPORTING EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION STATE GRANTS (FORMERLY IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY STATE GRANTS) $184,733
32.009 EMERGENCY CONNECTIVITY FUND PROGRAM $158,827
16.922 EQUITABLE SHARING PROGRAM $153,778
84.048 CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION -- BASIC GRANTS TO STATES $149,569
84.365 ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION STATE GRANTS $115,960
21.027 CORONAVIRUS STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDS $98,324
97.137 STATE AND LOCAL CYBERSECURITY GRANT PROGRAM TRIBAL CYBERSECURITY GRANT PROGRAM $84,700
97.042 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE GRANTS $73,748
32.004 UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES $72,177
14.401 FAIR HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM $63,867
84.173 SPECIAL EDUCATION PRESCHOOL GRANTS $50,725
20.600 STATE AND COMMUNITY HIGHWAY SAFETY $50,188
84.424 STUDENT SUPPORT AND ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT PROGRAM $47,702
84.196 EDUCATION FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH $33,045
16.738 EDWARD BYRNE MEMORIAL JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM $30,555
14.881 MOVING TO WORK DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM $27,942
93.566 REFUGEE AND ENTRANT ASSISTANCE STATE/REPLACEMENT DESIGNEE ADMINISTERED PROGRAMS $27,784
93.788 OPIOID STR $18,996
97.024 EMERGENCY FOOD AND SHELTER NATIONAL BOARD PROGRAM $6,145
84.425D COVID-19 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) $6,114
84.425 EDUCATION STABILIZATION FUND $5,522