Finding 558101 (2024-004)

Significant Deficiency Repeat Finding
Requirement
B
Questioned Costs
$1
Year
2024
Accepted
2025-04-30
Audit: 354985

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: One payroll expense was improperly allocated, violating allowable cost requirements.
  • Impacted Requirements: Costs must be reasonable, necessary, and properly documented per 45 CFR 1630.
  • Recommended Follow-up: Strengthen policies and procedures for disbursements to ensure compliance with documentation and allocation standards.

Finding Text

Finding 2024-004 – Allowable Costs (Significant Deficiency and Non-compliance)(Repeat finding) Information on the Federal Program: Legal Services Corporation Basic Field Grant, Award No. 09.610020 Criteria: 45 CFR 1630 requires that costs are incurred, reasonable and necessary, allocable to the grant, adequately documented, and consistent with accounting policies and procedures. Condition/Context: We selected 25 payroll disbursements for testing. Of those 25, one payroll expense was not properly allocated. The payroll disbursement tested was a paid time off buyback allocated 100% to LSC and supporting documentation did not agree to this allocation. Cause: Supporting documentation supported an allocation of 87% of the paid time off buyback but the whole expense was charged to LSC. Effect: The Organization did not comply with allowable cost allocation requirements. Questioned costs: $625 Recommendation: We recommend the Organization strengthen its policies and procedures surrounding the disbursement process to ensure the Organization is in compliance with all required documentation and allocation requirements. Views of Responsible Officials: Management agrees with this finding. See Management’s View and Corrective Action Plan included at the end of the report.

Corrective Action Plan

This finding relates to activities on our Legal Services Field Grant. As part of FRLS’ post 2023 audit review, we implemented an update to our payroll accounting system that streamlined the process for uploading and properly coding employee time, salaries and benefits to the proper grant codes based upon a biweekly time reporting system. The exception created here came from a one-time payout for paid time off and as a result was not properly recorded to the correct grant codes. FRLS will be implementing within the next 60 days an update to its cost allocation policies to ensure any future “nonstandard” payroll payments are properly allocated.

Categories

Questioned Costs Allowable Costs / Cost Principles

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 558102 2024-005
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 558103 2024-006
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 558104 2024-007
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 558105 2024-008
    Significant Deficiency
  • 1134543 2024-004
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 1134544 2024-005
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 1134545 2024-006
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 1134546 2024-007
    Significant Deficiency Repeat
  • 1134547 2024-008
    Significant Deficiency

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
09.020 Legal Service Corporation Basic Field Grant $8.06M
16.575 Crime Victim Assistance $761,657
12.599 Congressionally Directed Assistance $350,486
21.008 Low Income Taxpayer Clinics $162,711
21.023 Emergency Rental Assistance Program $128,497