Finding Text
Criteria or specific requirement: Per Federal Register Notice of Public Posting Requirement of Grant Information for Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) Grantees dated 5/13/21, institutions are required to submit (in a time and manner required by the Secretary) a report to the Secretary describing the use of funds distributed from the HEERF. According to the OPE Reporting and Data Collection website, quarterly reports should appear on separate documents by quarter and should not be cumulative. Condition: Quarterly student reports were incorrectly reported on a cumulative basis. Questioned costs: None Context: This condition occurred for 2 out of 4 quarterly student reports. Cause: Washington College made every attempt to keep up with guidance for posting quarterly reports to our webpage. While the reports were posted, they totals were cumulative instead of what was spent for that quarter. Effect: The College is not meeting the reporting and information-sharing requirements determined by the Department of Education. As a result, the institution may be subject to additional enforcement actions by the Department of Education including a delay in funding for additional HEERF programs and possibly being determined ineligible for other program funding. Repeat Finding: No Recommendation: We recommend the College obtain an understanding of the reporting requirements established by the grant to ensure reports do not report on a cumulative basis. Views of responsible officials: There is no disagreement with the audit finding.