Finding 29469 (2022-002)

-
Requirement
E
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2022
Accepted
2023-08-13
Audit: 24426
Organization: 603 Legal Aid (NH)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: Cases were accepted despite clients exceeding income/assets limits without proper waivers or documentation.
  • Impacted Requirements: Client income must be within limits or offset by expenses; necessary agreements must be obtained.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Implement procedures for compliance and conduct internal reviews to ensure all documentation is complete.

Finding Text

2022-002: Compliance finding - Eligibility Legal Services Corporation Basic Field Grant (ALN# 09.130010) Technology Improvement Grant (19043) (ALN# 09.130010) Technology Improvement Grant (GT-TG21T-00007) (ALN# 09.130010) Condition: Cases were accepted with over income and/or over assets with no waivers or offsetting expenses present; Client Agreement and Referral Form (CARF) was sent to client and never returned, yet case was placed with Pro Bono attorney; Client was over income but had unreimbursed medical expenses and due to the listed expenses not being captured in the adjustments, the case was considered not income eligible, but should have been eligible; Applicant withdrew from process before records were provided, leading to no services being provided regardless . Criteria or specific requirement: Client reported income levels must be within the maximum income levels or offset appropriately with listed expenses. Assets must not exceed applicable ceilings. Retainer agreements must be obtained, if necessary, based on level and type of services provided. Cause: Lack of oversight by management. Effect: Copy of needed waivers, expense listing , and/ or CARF was not present in the client files . Questioned costs: No questioned costs were identified. Recommendation: A procedure be implemented to ensure that the Organization remains in compliance and does an internal review to ensure all required documentation is in the client files.

Corrective Action Plan

2022-002 Planned Corrective Action: Every year the Organization complies with an in-depth compliance review for LSC in which at least 75 cases that were closed in the previous grant year are randomly selected using an LSC designated randomization process. Those cases are then individually reviewed for 13 LSC designated errors, in a process called Self Inspection. The resulting information is collected and reported to LSC as part of Ongoing Compliance Oversight. Finally, the Organization must submit a Self-Inspection Certification and Summary Form which lists the number of cases where errors were identified. This process allows the organization to identify trends and make adjustments to protocols and training on an annual basis . The Organization has put in place all necessary protocols to ensure compliance with LSC regulations regarding assessing and documenting client eligibility. Ongoing training and oversight will be provided to intake staff and caseworkers throughout the year to ensure compliance. Responsible Person: Emma Sisti Date of Completion: December 31, 2023

Categories

Eligibility Internal Control / Segregation of Duties

Other Findings in this Audit

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
09.U01 Basic Field Grant $980,663
21.008 Low Income Taxpayer Clinics $122,573
21.027 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds $118,307
21.026 Homeowner Assistance Fund $40,000
16.575 Crime Victim Assistance $37,420
21.023 Emergency Rental Assistance Program $34,611
09.U01 Technology Improvement Grant (19043) $11,443
09.U01 Technology Improvement Grant (gt-Tg21t-00007) $10,607