Finding 371615 (2023-001)

50000 - Eligibility Program Name: Child Nutrition Cluster Federal Financial Assistance Listing Number: 10.553 and 10.555 Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Agriculture Passed through the California Department of Education Criteria or Specific Requirements A child’s eligibility for free or reduced price meals under a Child Nutrition Cluster program may be established by the submission of an annual application or statement which furnishes such information as family income and family size. Local educational agencies (LEAs), institutions, and sponsors determine eligibility by comparing the data reported by the child’s household to published income eligibility guidelines. In addition to publishing income eligibility information in the Federal Register, FNS makes it available on the FNS website at http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/income-eligibilityguidelines. Condition Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance – 14 of 60 students selected for testing had no evidence of review of eligibility determination. Out of the 14, 2 students were improperly marked as eligible for reduced-priced meals. Based on the income eligibility guidelines published and made available on the website noted above, the 2 students should have been determined as eligible for free meals. Questioned Costs There are no questioned costs associated with this finding. Context The District received annual applications from children belonging to households of their family income and size. A non-statistical sample of 60 students were haphazardly selected for testing of compliance requirements. Effect The District is not in compliance with the Eligibility requirements described in the OMB Compliance Supplement. Cause The District did not properly have procedures in place to ensure the eligibility determination of students was accurate. Recommendation The District should implement a process to review, update, and verify the eligibility of students when the annual application or statement which furnishes such information as family income and family size are received and compare the data reported by the child’s household to the published income eligibility guidelines.