Finding 5498 (2023-004)

Material Weakness Repeat Finding
Requirement
E
Questioned Costs
$1
Year
2023
Accepted
2023-12-18

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: There is a material weakness in internal controls over compliance related to the Refugee Cash Assistance program, affecting eligibility determinations.
  • Impacted Requirements: The organization failed to follow 2 CFR 200.303(a), which mandates effective internal controls to ensure compliance with federal regulations.
  • Recommended Follow-up: Management should review and strengthen policies and procedures regarding eligibility to prevent future compliance issues.

Finding Text

Finding 2023-004 Administration for Children and Families Federal Financial Assistance Listing #93.566, 2202SDRCMA, 10/01/2021 – 9/30/2023 Federal Financial Assistance Listing #93.566, 2302SDRCMA, 10/01/2022 – 9/30/2023 Refugee and Entrant Assistance – State Administered Programs Eligibility Material Weakness in Internal Control over Compliance Criteria: 2 CFR 200.303(a) establishes that the auditee must establish and maintain effective internal control over the federal award that provides assurance that the entity is managing the federal award in compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. Condition: We noted the following matters during testing which affected 11 participant files; a) Four participant case files were not reviewed through the Organization’s peer review process and two participant case files were not reviewed in a timely manner through the Organization’s peer review process. b) Four instances in which the family’s first month’s prorated cash assistance payment was not properly calculated based upon the date the Cooperative Agreement and Rights and Responsibilities Form was signed by the client. c) One instance in which a family was underpaid based upon their family size and eligibility for the month. d) One instance in which a family was moved from the Refugee Cash Assistance program to another program and the expenses remained to be charged under the Refugee Cash Assistance program. Cause: The Organization experienced staff turnover along with an increase in refugee arrivals during the fiscal year creating an increase in the workload of staff members. In addition, the Organization’s policies and designed controls were not followed. Effect: Ineffective controls over this area of compliance could result in a reasonable possibility that the Organization would provide services to ineligible participants and the Organization would not detect ineligibility in a timely manner. Questioned Costs: $1,005 Context/Sampling: A nonstatistical sample of 35 participant case files out of 153 participant case files were selected for testing which included $83,824 of participant payments out of $353,391. Repeat Finding from Prior Year: Yes, prior year finding 2022-005 Recommendation: We recommend that management review the Organization’s policies, procedures and controls over eligibility with applicable program employees to ensure compliance with the federal program. View of Responsible Officials: Management is in agreement.

Corrective Action Plan

Finding 2023-004 Eligibility Administration for Children and Families FFAL 93.566 Refugee and Entrant Assistance – State Administered Programs Finding Summary: a. Four participant case files were not reviewed through the Organization’s peer review process and two participant case files were not reviewed in a timely manner through the Organization’s peer review process. b. Four instances in which the family’s first month’s prorated cash assistance payment was not properly calculated based upon the date the Cooperative Agreement and Rights and Responsibilities Form was signed by the client. c. One instance in which a family was underpaid based upon their family size and eligibility for the month. d. One instance in which a family was moved from the Refugee Cash Assistance program to another program and the expenses remained to be charged under the Refugee Cash Assistance program. Responsible Individuals: Nathan Beyer, Sheri Ekdom, Tim Jurgens Corrective Action Plan: a. The procedures for case file review will be reviewed to ensure the process can be followed, even when there is turnover in staff. b. The procedures will be reviewed with staff, and an additional review put in place where necessary, to ensure staff are fully trained on how to calculate the arrival date for proration of the first month of payments. c. The procedures will be reviewed with staff, and an additional review put in place where necessary, to ensure staff are fully trained on how to calculate family size and eligibility. d. The procedures will be reviewed with staff for removing a client from the program, and notifying staff to void checks. The checks in question were voided and credited back to the grant for $481.48 and $878.00 in September 2023 which is within the grant’s budget period. LSS is also implementing a new software program to help the review process be more efficient, and less reliant on manual processes. Checks and balances will be integrated into the software, allowing for electronic review of files. The software will also help automate some of the ongoing documentation requirements. Anticipated Completion Date: December 31, 2023

Categories

Questioned Costs Eligibility Material Weakness Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 5496 2023-002
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 5497 2023-003
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 581938 2023-002
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 581939 2023-003
    Material Weakness Repeat
  • 581940 2023-004
    Material Weakness Repeat

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
93.566 Refugee and Entrant Assistance_state Administered Programs $1.61M
10.766 Community Facilities Loans and Grants $853,444
21.023 Covid-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program $603,258
84.002 Adult Education - Basic Grants to States $258,959
19.510 U.s. Refugee Admissions Program $251,000
21.019 Covid-19 Coronavirus Relief Fund $241,152
16.832 Children of Incarcerated Parents Web Portal $239,295
93.623 Basic Center Grant $197,910
93.092 Affordable Care Act (aca) Personal Responsibility Education Program $191,808
93.060 Competitive Abstinence Education (cae) $190,540
84.287 Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers $149,722
14.169 Housing Counseling Assistance Program $149,603
97.010 Citizenship Education and Training $140,482
93.557 Education and Prevention Grants to Reduce Sexual Abuse of Runaway, Homeless and Street Youth $128,388
10.555 National School Lunch Program $124,195
93.235 Affordable Care Act (aca) Abstinence Education Program $105,752
93.583 Refugee and Entrant Assistance_wilson/fish Program $96,260
16.021 Justice Systems Response to Families $88,449
10.553 School Breakfast Program $78,839
16.540 Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention_allocation to States $44,562
10.558 Child and Adult Care Food Program $26,548
93.567 Refugee and Entrant Assistance_voluntary Agency Programs $15,867
16.017 Sexual Assault Services Formula Program $15,319
93.959 Block Grants for Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse $10,000
93.671 Covid-19 Family Violence Prevention and Services/domestic Violence Shelter and Supportive Services $8,978