Finding 50365 (2022-002)

Significant Deficiency
Requirement
B
Questioned Costs
$1
Year
2022
Accepted
2023-03-29

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The food service director failed to obtain required semi-annual certifications for payroll, leading to $25,794 in unsupported costs from federal funds.
  • Impacted Requirements: Compliance with 2 CFR 200.430(a) and Ohio Department of Education guidance on documentation for employee compensation.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Establish controls to ensure all employees complete necessary certifications and documentation for federal funding compliance.

Finding Text

Questioned Cost and Noncompliance 2 CFR ? 400.1 gives regulatory effect for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the Office of Management and Budget guidance, as supplemented by this part. This part adopts in the OMB guidance in subparts A through F of 2 CFR part 200. 2 CFR ? 200.430(a) provides that costs of compensation are allowable to the extent that they satisfy the specific requirements of this part, and that the total compensation for individual employees: 1. Is reasonable for the services rendered and conforms to the established written policy of the non-Federal entity consistently applied to both Federal and non-Federal activities; 2. Follows an appointment made in accordance with a non-Federal entity?s laws and/or rules or written policies and meets the requirements of Federal statute, where applicable; and 3. Is determined and supported as provided in paragraph (i) of this section, Standards for Documentation of Personnel Expenses, when applicable. Furthermore, Ohio Department of Education Grants Management Guidance 2014-002, revised on June 15, 2016 and August 29, 2019, further clarifies these requirements. The type of documentation required is based on the funding source and/or cost objective: ? Semi-annual certifications are allowed when an employee's compensation is funded by only one Federal grant. An employee funded by a federal grant and the General fund would fall under this category. ? Time and effort documentation is used when an employee's compensation is funded by more than one federal grant. ? The substitute system of collecting time and effort is used when an employee?s compensation is funded by more than one grant. Due to a deficiency in internal policies and procedures over compliance, the food service director, who is partially paid by contract from the Child Nutrition Cluster funds, did not obtain semi-annual certifications for payroll and benefit expenditures which resulted in Child Nutrition Cluster actual expenditures of $25,794 not being supported with semi-annual certifications or time sheets and will be considered a questioned cost. Based on the above guidance, the employee should have completed semi-annual certifications as their compensation was funded by a single Federal grant. The District should implement control procedures to verify that all District employees who perform work for federal cost objectives complete semi-annual certifications for single source funded personnel and time and effort documentation for payroll charges for split funded personnel. The documentation should be signed by each individual employee or a supervisor who has firsthand knowledge of the information contained in the documentation

Categories

Questioned Costs School Nutrition Programs Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 50363 2022-002
    Significant Deficiency
  • 50364 2022-002
    Significant Deficiency
  • 626805 2022-002
    Significant Deficiency
  • 626806 2022-002
    Significant Deficiency
  • 626807 2022-002
    Significant Deficiency

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
84.425 Education Stabilization Fund $2.11M
10.555 National School Lunch Program $962,588
84.027 Special Education_grants to States $543,427
84.010 Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies $383,218
10.553 School Breakfast Program $107,169
14.228 Community Development Block Grants/state's Program and Non-Entitlement Grants in Hawaii $82,000
84.367 Improving Teacher Quality State Grants $64,058
84.424 Student Support and Academic Enrichment Program $29,889
84.173 Special Education_preschool Grants $18,335
84.365 English Language Acquisition State Grants $681
10.649 Pandemic Ebt Administrative Costs $614