Finding Text
Finding 2023-002: Internal Control Structure
Housing Choice Voucher, 14.871
Material Weakness – Eligibility, Reporting and Special Tests and Provisions
Repeat Finding 2022-002
Criteria: The Agency is responsible for establishing an effective internal control process to ensure the Agency complies with the requirements governing the Housing Choice Voucher program.
Condition: The Agency has limited employees which makes it difficult for the Agency to have controls beyond the Executive Director's knowledge. As a result, we noted the following deficiencies related to the internal control components which are considered a material weakness:
• Control Activities — The Agency only had the one staff so the Agency has no controls over compliance beyond the Executive Director's knowledge.
• Information and Communication — Communication involves providing an understanding of individual roles and responsibilities pertaining to internal control over financial reporting The Agency had not formally documented the procedures as a reference point for employees to perform their duties. Further, internal control procedures should be documented so that the controls in place can be monitored.
Cause: The Agency has limited resources and one staff.
Effect or Potential Effect: The control deficiencies are deficiencies that result in more than a reasonable possibility that material noncompliance with program requirements could occur and not be prevented or detected
Recommendation: As noted above, the Agency has limited resources and additional controls are not financially feasible in the hiring of additional staff. In addition, the Board of Commissioners is considered a governing Board and the Board performing management or day-to-day activities is not recommended based on our previous experience and is not intended to be a solution to this situation. The Agency is a small entity and the lack of segregation of duties is common among entities with minimal employees and should be recognized as such. However, it is not our intent to establish internal controls as the Agency's Board should make the final determination in the cost versus benefit.
View of the Responsible Officials of the Auditee: The auditee's management agrees with the finding but can not reasonably adopt internal control procedures to correct the material weakness.