Finding Text
Federal Agency: U.S. Department of Education Federal Program Title: Student Financial Assistance Cluster Assistance Listing Number: 84.007, 84.033, 84.063 and 84.268 Award Period: July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022 Type of Finding: Significant Deficiency in Internal Control over Compliance and Noncompliance Criteria or Specific Requirement: In accordance with 34 CFR680.309(b) and the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) Enrollment Reporting Guide published by the Department of Education, schools must review, update, and verify student enrollment statuses, program information, and effective dates that appear on the Enrollment Reporting Roster file or on the Enrollment Maintenance page of the NSLDS Professional Access (NSLDSFAP) website. In addition, schools must report enrollment status changes within 30 days of becoming aware of the status change or in its next scheduled enrollment submission if the scheduled submission is within 60 days. Condition / Context: During our testing of 25 students, which is a statistically valid sample, we noted one (1) instance of a student status change failing to be reported to NSLDS. Questioned Costs: None. Cause: Unknown, the status was correctly submitted to the Federal Clearinghouse but failed to automatically `push? or report to NSLDS. Effect: The case identified resulted in noncompliance with the applicable Title IV regulations. Inaccurate information is reflected on the NSLDS database. A student?s enrollment data protects the rights of borrowers by ensuring that loan interest subsidies are based on accurate enrollment data, ensures loan repayment dates are accurately based on the last data of attendance, allows in-school deferments to be automatically granted using NSLDS enrollment data, and provides vast amounts of critical data about the effectiveness of Title IV aid programs, including completion data. Repeat Finding: See prior year finding 2021-005. Recommendation: We recommend the District engage with the Clearinghouse to review applicable reporting procedures to ensure that enrollment and program information is accurately and timely reported to NSLDS as required by regulations. Action taken in response to finding: The District Administration & Records will perform a study of the current business processes to identify data discrepancies. The District will engage the Clearinghouse and review the applicable reporting procedures with the financial aid offices to ensure sound internal controls over reporting and updating of NSLDS enrollment data. Planned completion date for corrective action plan: June 30, 2023.