Finding 547359 (2024-007)

Finding Number: 2024-007 Agency: Department of Health & Human Services Federal Program: Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant to the State ALN: 93.994 Grant Number: 23B04MC47443 Compliance Requirement: Reporting Category: Material Weakness on Internal Control and Noncompliance Criteria 2 CFR Part 200 Section 328 established unless otherwise approved by OMB, the Federal awarding agency must solicit only the OMB-approved governmentwide data elements for collection of financial information (at time of publication the Federal Financial Report or such future, OMB-approved, governmentwide data elements available from the OMB-designated standards lead. This information must be collected with the frequency required by the terms and conditions of the Federal award, but no less frequently than annually nor more frequently than quarterly except in unusual circumstances, for example where more frequent reporting is necessary for the effective monitoring of the Federal award or could significantly affect program outcomes, and preferably in coordination with performance reporting. The Federal awarding agency must use OMB-approved common information collections, as applicable, when providing financial and performance reporting information. 2 CFR Part 200 Section 303 states that the entity must be established and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-Federal entity is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States or the “Internal Control Integrated Framework”, issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Comply with the U.S. Constitution, Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal awards. Evaluate and monitor the non-Federal entity's compliance with statutes, regulations and the terms and conditions of Federal awards. Take prompt action when instances of noncompliance are identified including noncompliance identified in audit findings. Take reasonable measures to safeguard protected personally identifiable information and other information the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity designates as sensitive or the non-Federal entity considers sensitive consistent with applicable Federal, State, local, and tribal laws regarding privacy and responsibility over confidentiality. Condition We could not observe the SF-425 reports for the grant 23B04MC47443. According to the program accountant, the SF-425 report for the current period was due on December 30, 2024, as specified in the Notice of Award. The program requested a waiver to submit the report on January 31, 2025. The Department of Health's Office of External Resources submitted the request through the Payment Management System on January 9, 2025. As of now, the federal government has not responded to this waiver request. Cause The PRDH has not established effective procedures for the timely filing of the required financial reports. Effect The PRDH is not in compliance with the federal regulations on reporting. The inaccurate and untimely reporting prevents the Federal awarding agency and PRDF’s management from monitoring the program financial activities, assessing the achievements of the program, and evaluating the grant award for subsequent years. Questioned Costs None Perspective Information As part of our audit procedures over reporting requirements, we evaluated Federal Financial Reports (SF-425) for the quarter ended on July 31, 2024. The test revealed that the report was not in compliance. Prior Year Audit Finding None Recommendation Management should take appropriate actions to implement internal controls procedures should be enforced to ascertain that required reports are timely filed; otherwise, a waiver or extension of time must be obtained. Views of responsible officials PRDH agrees with the finding. In this case there were three (3) more reports submitted for extension to the federal government, however, with this particular report the PRDH did not receive an answer. However, we have procedures in place in order to meet the reporting requirements to all federal programs be submitted on time. The PRDH is working with the Division of External Resources (Federal Program) to establish and strengthen our internal controls to ensure all federal reports comply with the guidelines established by the Federal Government. Responsible Officials Dr. Manuel Vargas Bernier Program Director 787-765-2929 ext. 4583 Mrs. Diana Ferrer Rivera Senior Accountant 787-765-2929 ext. 4551 Mrs. Lydia Magaly Cabrera Accountant 787-765-2929 ext. 4587 Estimated Completion Date Estimated date of completion immediately.