Finding 509623 (2023-001)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
B
Questioned Costs
-
Year
2023
Accepted
2024-11-21
Audit: 329220
Organization: Alvis, Inc. (OH)

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: Weak internal controls led to material adjustments needed during the audit, risking misstatements in financial statements.
  • Impacted Requirements: Management must reconcile accounts and maintain records per GAAP, which was not met due to staffing challenges.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Evaluate accounting staff levels and skills, and enhance documentation and training for processes and controls.

Finding Text

Finding 2023-001 - Material Adjustments Criteria: Management is responsible for reconciling the accounts at end of year and ensuring accounting records are kept in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Condition: There were insufficient internal controls over financial reporting requiring material audit adjustments during the audit to prevent the consolidated financial statements from being materially misstated. Cause: Due to staffing turnover and shortages all required entries needed were not recorded and management relied on auditors to propose entries after audit procedures. This is a repeat finding.Effect or potential effect: Most adjustments were due to staffing issues or lack of knowledge of GAAP with new staffing to properly make the required adjustments. The risk with this condition is that necessary adjustment to the consolidated financial statements to record material misstatements may be missed, and there is no control in place to detect and correct this condition. Recommendation: The Organization and accounting industry in general have had some significant staffing issues over the past few years that have led to the issues noted. The Organization needs to:  Assess accounting staff to ensure you have the correct number for size of Organization and proper skill set.  Ensure processes and internal controls are documented and staff has appropriate training. Views of responsible officials: See attached.

Corrective Action Plan

Acknowledgment of Findings We acknowledge the inadequacies in our internal controls over financial reporting that necessitated the material audit adjustments. It is our understanding that these challenges primarily resulted from staffing turnover and a lack of sufficient GAAP knowledge among our former team members. Actions Taken and Planned 1. Staffing Assessment and Recruitment We have experienced significant growth within our team over the past year. It is important to note that the issues raised by the audit are reflective of previous personnel rather than our current team members, who have taken on these responsibilities for the fiscal year ending 2024. Furthermore, we have recognized the necessity for a dedicated revenue cycle role and have recently appointed a Revenue Cycle Manager to this newly defined position. This individual will be tasked with restructuring operational components throughout the organization and redefining all related roles within the Finance department to enhance our internal controls. 2. Enhancement of Staff Development The finance department remains committed to the continuous education and training of our dedicated team members to enhance their capabilities. This initiative includes collaboration with both internal and external subject matter experts. 3. Ongoing Monitoring and Support In September 2024, we initiated the implementation of an automated accounting workflow software, FloQast (FQ). This system enables our team to streamline recurring tasks, maintain checklists, and centralize documentation, thereby improving the accuracy of our financial close data. For instance, FQ provides a consolidated view of the reconciliation status of each account, including balance comparisons to the general ledger, preparers, reviewers, and sign-off dates. Additionally, FQ automatically notifies team members when reconciliations are due or when items are ready for review and alerts them to any unexpected discrepancies. 4. Alvis Staff Responsible: Makesha West, Behavioral Health Divisional Director; Abena Oppong, Developmental Disability Divisional Director; and Jacqueline Neal, VP of Finance.

Categories

Reporting Internal Control / Segregation of Duties

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 509624 2023-002
    Material Weakness
  • 509625 2023-003
    Significant Deficiency
  • 1086065 2023-001
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 1086066 2023-002
    Material Weakness
  • 1086067 2023-003
    Significant Deficiency

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
93.959 Block Grants for Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse $703,417
93.788 Opioid Str $379,752
93.243 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance $170,302
93.323 Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (elc) $126,050
16.575 Crime Victim Assistance $85,047
17.270 Reentry Employment Opportunities $82,799
16.593 Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners $40,770