Finding 400884 (2023-001)

Significant Deficiency
Requirement
G
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2023
Accepted
2024-06-14
Audit: 308915
Organization: Golden State Finance Authority (CA)
Auditor: Moss Adams LLP

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: Lack of timesheets or time certifications to validate time spent on federal grants.
  • Impacted Requirements: Noncompliance risk with federal guidelines on salary and wage charges due to inadequate internal controls.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Implement controls for certifying salaries and wages at the end of each reporting period.

Finding Text

Criteria: Pursuant to Uniform Guidance 200-430, charges to Federal awards for salaries and wages must be based on records that accurately reflect the work performed. These records must be supported by a system of internal control which provides reasonable assurance that the charges are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated. Budget estimates (i.e., estimates determined before the services are performed) alone do not qualify as support for charges to Federal awards, but may be used for interim accounting purposes, provided that: The non-Federal entity's system of internal controls includes processes to review after-the-fact interim charges made to a Federal award based on budget estimates. All necessary adjustments must be made such that the final amount charged to the Federal award is accurate, allowable, and properly allocated. Condition/Context: During the audit of matching, level of effort, and earmarking we noted that there are no timesheets or time certifications maintained to validate the time spent and matched to the federal grant. Effect: There are no controls in place regarding payroll costs allocated to the federal program to meet matching, level of effort, and earmarking compliance requirements. A reasonable possibility exists that noncompliance could occur and not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Cause: GSFA did not formally document the review and approval of salaries and wages used to meet the program's matching requirements. Questioned cost: None. Recommendation: Management should implement controls to ensure salaries and wages used for matching requirements are certified at the end of each reporting period. Views of responsible officials (unaudited) – Management agrees with the recommendation. Management has subsequently reviewed the salaries and wages used to meet the program's matching requirements for the reporting periods during 2023, and deemed them accurate, allowable, and properly allocated. The subsequent review did not result in any amendments to our filing.

Corrective Action Plan

Management agrees with this recommendation. Management will implement controls to ensure that salaries and wages used for matching requirements are certified by department supervisors at the end of each reporting period to ensure they are accurate, allowable, and properly allocated to the grant. The certification is then approved by both the grant administrator and finance director. Additionally, management is evaluating options for adding timekeeping software, that can be utilized as part of the control.

Categories

Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 977326 2023-001
    Significant Deficiency

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
11.307 Economic Adjustment Assistance $2.81M