Finding Text
Cluster name: WIOA Cluster Assistance Listings numbers and names: 17.258 WIOA Adult Program 17.259 WIOA Youth Activities 17.278 WIOA Dislocated Worker Formula Grants Award number and year: DI21-002285 A1, April 1, 2020 through June 30, 2022 Federal agency: U.S. Department of Labor Pass-through grantor: Arizona Department of Economic Security Compliance requirements: Activities allowed or unallowed and allowable costs/cost principles Questioned costs: $25,761 Condition?Contrary to federal regulations and grantor and County policies and procedures, the County?s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Department (Department) spent $25,761 of WIOA program monies for unallowable purposes. Specifically, we found that the Department paid for unallowable purchases and invoices of a third-party nonprofit organization that the Department?s former director helped create while employed by the County and that the County had contracted with to increase the capacity of the local workforce system. Despite the contract between the County and the nonprofit organization not authorizing the nonprofit organization to obligate the County for its expenses or enter into agreements on the County?s behalf, both occurred. The $25,761 of unallowable purchases included: ? $25,431 for the nonprofit organization?s leased building ($18,700), electronic data services ($3,545), utilities invoices ($2,951), and a storage unit ($235). ? $260 for purchases made using County purchasing cards, consisting of gift cards, food and beverages, and board games, $245 of which were for the nonprofit organization?s program outreach activities but not allowed by the program?s requirements or the County?s purchasing card policies and procedures. ? $70 for other purchases made using County purchasing cards that the Department charged to the program but did not have documentation to support their allowability. Effect?The Department received federal reimbursement for $25,761 in unallowable charges it made to the program that it was not eligible to receive and, therefore, is at risk of having to return these monies to the pass-through grantor.1 Further, the Department made $25,761 of grant monies unavailable for their intended purpose. Cause?The County?s lack of internal controls and former WIOA director?s inadequate oversight of the WIOA program contributed to the Department?s spending of WIOA program monies for unallowable purposes. Specifically, the County?s policies and procedures did not include detailed instructions for departments to follow for initiating new vendors with the County and processing vendor invoices using its established accounts payable process through the Finance Department. This, combined with the former WIOA director?s comingling of the nonprofit organization?s financial activities, contributed to the Department directly paying for purchases and invoices belonging to the nonprofit organization despite them not being invoiced to or addressed to the County. In addition, Department staff reported that they believed the nonprofit organization?s purchases and invoices were allowable for the County to pay for and charge to the program; however, they did not maintain documentation to support this justification. Further, the former WIOA director did not provide proper oversight and ensure that the Department followed federal regulations and grantor and County policies and procedures to incur and pay for or reimburse only authorized federal program costs and to maintain documentation to support that the County?s program costs were allowable. Criteria?Federal regulations require the Department to reimburse only those federal program costs that are necessary and reasonable for the federal award?s performance, adequately documented, and allowed by the federal program?s requirements (2 CFR 200.403). The grantor and County policies and procedures contain similar requirements and also require the Department to retain records and other documentation supporting the County?s administration of federal awards for at least 3 years (Navajo County. [2019]. Fiscal Policy Manual, Section 4.4 ).2 Finally, federal regulation requires establishing and maintaining effective internal control over federal awards that provides reasonable assurance that federal programs are being managed in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and award terms (2 CFR ?200.303). Recommendations?The County should: 1. Improve its accounts payable policies and procedures to include detailed instructions for departments to follow for initiating new vendors with the County and processing vendor invoices using its established accounts payable process through the Finance Department. 2. Follow federal regulations and grantor and County policies and procedures requiring it to: a. Incur and pay for or reimburse only authorized federal program costs that are necessary and reasonable for the federal award?s performance, adequately documented, and allowed by the federal program?s requirements. b. Maintain documentation to support that federal program costs it incurs and pays for or reimburses are allowable. 3. Verify all invoices belong to and are addressed to the County prior to payment. 4. Ensure that the Department establishes clear contractual arrangements with entities the Department plans to use to help administer the federal program that comply with County policies and procedures and the program?s requirements. 5. Coordinate with the pass-through grantor to adjust future federal reimbursements requests or repay the pass-through grantor for the unallowable costs the Department charged to the program. The County?s corrective action plan at the end of this report includes the views and planned corrective action of its responsible officials. We are not required to audit and have not audited these responses and planned corrective actions and therefore provide no assurances as to their accuracy. 1 Arizona Department of Economic Security. (n.d.). Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Policy Manual. Retrieved on 3/1/2023 from https://des.az.gov/services/employment/workforce-innovation-and-opportunity-act-wioa/title-i-b-policy-and-procedure 2 Federal Uniform Guidance requires the pass-through entities to follow up, issue management decisions, and resolve subrecipients single audit findings as part of their monitoring responsibilities for ensuring that subawards are used for authorized purposes, in compliance with federal laws and regulations and the award terms, and that the program?s performance goals are achieved (2 CFR ?200.332[d]).