Finding 505445 (2023-006)

Material Weakness
Requirement
N
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2023
Accepted
2024-11-13

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: The District incorrectly processed 17% of meal benefit verifications, leading to misclassification of student eligibility.
  • Impacted Requirements: Compliance with 7 C.F.R. § 245.6a(c)(1) and § 245.6a(e-f) regarding accurate verification and eligibility determination.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: The District needs to create and enforce procedures to ensure accurate verifications and proper documentation management.

Finding Text

7 C.F.R. § 245.6a(c)(1) states the local educational agency must verify the eligibility of children in a sample of household applications approved for free and reduced-price meal benefits for that school year. 7 C.F.R. § 245.6a(e-f) outline the procedures to be performed by the local educational agency during the verification process, as well as the required changes to be made to the eligibility determinations, as based on the results of the verification procedures. The District was required to verify six students' applications. As required, the District properly requested documentation from the six students, however, 17% of the verifications tested were not properly calculated, based on U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines. Based on the income documentation provided, the application should have been changed from free to reduced price meals, however the District did not use the correct income amount from the provided pay stub and instead changed the application from free to paid. The District should establish and implement procedures to ensure that the required verifications are accurately completed and all necessary documentation is properly maintained.

Categories

Eligibility School Nutrition Programs

Other Findings in this Audit

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
10.553 School Breakfast Program $216,318
32.009 Emergency Connectivity Fund Program $193,280
21.027 Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds $138,836
10.579 Child Nutrition Discretionary Grants Limited Availability $108,000
84.287 Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers $103,687
84.358 Rural Education $64,550
10.555 National School Lunch Program $62,234
84.424 Student Support and Academic Enrichment Program $57,394
84.027 Special Education Grants to States $43,534
84.367 Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (formerly Improving Teacher Quality State Grants) $26,923
84.010 Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies $16,773
84.425 Education Stabilization Fund $7,140
84.173 Special Education Preschool Grants $3,312