Finding 1214767 (2025-001)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
AB
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2025
Accepted
2026-05-15

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: Supervisors/Directors failed to approve employee timecards in Paycom on time, violating the District’s payroll approval policy.
  • Impacted Requirements: This oversight affects compliance with federal regulations (2 CFR §200.430) and risks inaccurate payroll charges to federal grants (PHIG and WIC).
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Management should enhance the approval process and consider internal audits or alerts to ensure timely reviews of timecards before payroll processing.

Finding Text

2025-001 – Payroll Timecard Approvals – PHIG and WIC Programs Federal Program: (“WIC”) Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children Federal Assistance Listing Number: 10.557 Pass-Through Agency: Texas Health and Human Services Commission Pass-Through Grantor Number: HHS000805600001 Federal Program: Public Health Infrastructure Grant (“PHIG”) – CDC Collaboration with Academia to Strengthen Public Health Federal Assistance Listing Number: 93.967 Pass-Through Agency: Texas Department of State Health Services Pass-Through Grantor Number: HHS001313000001 Criteria: Per the District’s Pay and Compensation Policy, Supervisors and/or Directors are required to approve employee time in Paycom no later than 10 a.m. on the Monday prior to Human Resources processing payroll. Paycom is the District’s electronic payroll and timekeeping system used to record employee hours and facilitate supervisor approval of timecards before payroll processing. Timely approval of timecards is an internal control designed to ensure accurate and allowable payroll charges to federal awards, consistent with 2 CFR §200.430 and applicable cost principles. Condition: During testing of payroll timecards:  PHIG grant: 3 employees across 4 payroll periods had timecard hours charged to grant not approved by the Supervisor/Director in Paycom.  WIC grant: 3 employees from a sample of 40 had timecard hours charged to grant not approved by the Supervisor/Director in Paycom. Cause: Supervisors/Directors did not consistently follow the District’s payroll approval policy, resulting in deviations from the required approval workflow. Effect: Payroll hours charged to the federal programs may not have been properly reviewed for accuracy and allowability prior to processing. This represents a control deficiency and a risk of noncompliance with federal award requirements. NORTHEAST TEXAS PUBLIC HEALTH DISTRICT SCHEDULE OF FINDINGS AND QUESTIONED COSTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2025 Recommendation: Management should reinforce the timecard approval process and ensure supervisors review and approve all employee timecards in Paycom prior to payroll processing. Additional monitoring procedures may include periodic internal audits or system alerts to prevent recurrence. Questioned Costs: Based on review of the timecards, no dollar amounts were questioned, as all hours appear reasonable and were properly supported. Total Questioned Costs: $0

Corrective Action Plan

Management’s Views and Corrective Action Plan: Management’s Views: Management agrees with the finding. While the hours charged to the federal programs were reasonable and supported, the lack of timely supervisory approval represents a breakdown in the District’s established internal control procedures over payroll processing. Management acknowledges the importance of ensuring that all payroll charges to federal awards are properly reviewed and approved in accordance with District policy and federal requirements. Corrective Action: The District’s Human Resource Department will verify timecard approvals on Mondays. If Monday falls on a holiday, approvals will be verified on the Friday before. Human Resources will verify that each employee has approved his or her timecard for the prior week and that the employee’s Supervisor or Director has also approved the timecard. For timecards not approved by the employee, an email will be sent to the employee and the Supervisor or Director will be included. For timecards not approved by the Supervisor or Director, an email will be sent to the Supervisor or Director requesting approval, and the CEO will be included. Prior policy did not specify actions when timecards are not approved. Responsible Party: The District’s Human Resources Director and Department Directors Implementation Date: June 1, 2026 Monitoring Procedures: The Human Resources Director will maintain documentation of the weekly review process, including any follow-up communications. Compliance with the timecard approval policy will be periodically reviewed to ensure the control is operating effectively. Any recurring issues will be communicated to executive management for further action. Monitoring procedures were not included in prior policy.

Categories

Internal Control / Segregation of Duties Subrecipient Monitoring Allowable Costs / Cost Principles

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 1214766 2025-001
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
10.557 WIC SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION PROGRAM FOR WOMEN, INFANTS, AND CHILDREN $8.03M
93.967 CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION COLLABORATION WITH ACADEMIA TO STRENGTHEN PUBLIC HEALTH $742,115
93.069 PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS $507,148
93.994 MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES BLOCK GRANT TO THE STATES $243,500
93.991 PREVENTIVE HEALTH AND HEALTH SERVICES BLOCK GRANT $183,714
10.561 STATE ADMINISTRATIVE MATCHING GRANTS FOR THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM $138,264
93.778 GRANTS TO STATES FOR MEDICAID $115,963
93.268 IMMUNIZATION COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS $82,182
93.439 STATE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND NUTRITION (SPAN $70,001
93.323 EPIDEMIOLOGY AND LABORATORY CAPACITY FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES (ELC) $54,255
93.391 ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT STATE, TRIBAL, LOCAL AND TERRITORIAL (STLT) HEALTH DEPARTMENT RESPONSE TO PUBLIC HEALTH OR HEALTHCARE CRISES $36,122
93.116 PROJECT GRANTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS FOR TUBERCULOSIS CONTROL PROGRAMS $23,835
93.008 MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS SMALL GRANT PROGRAM $22,650
93.667 SOCIAL SERVICES BLOCK GRANT $21,486
10.572 WIC FARMERS' MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAM (FMNP) $16,566
93.898 CANCER PREVENTION AND CONTROL PROGRAMS FOR STATE, TERRITORIAL AND TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS $6,898