Finding 6075 (2022-007)

Material Weakness
Requirement
A
Questioned Costs
$1
Year
2022
Accepted
2023-12-21

AI Summary

  • Core Issue: EmployIndy failed to maintain proper contracts and timecard approvals for employees charged to the WIOA grant, leading to potential inaccuracies in federal fund expenditures.
  • Impacted Requirements: Noncompliance with 2 CFR 200.403 and 2 CFR 200.303 regarding allowable costs and internal controls over federal awards.
  • Recommended Follow-Up: Implement a multi-stage review process for WIOA expenditures and ensure proper documentation is organized and retained to support reported costs.

Finding Text

Information on the federal program: Federal Agency: Department of Labor Pass-Through Entity: Indiana Department of Workforce Development Federal Program: WIOA Assistance Listing Number: 17.258, 17.259, 17.278 Compliance Requirement: Activities Allowed or Unallowed Audit Findings: Material Weakness, Noncompliance Criteria: 2 CFR 200.403 establishes principles and standards for determining costs for federal awards carried out through grants, cost reimbursement contracts, and other agreements with state and local governments. To be allowable, under federal awards, cost must meet certain criteria: a) Be necessary and reasonable for the performance of the Federal award and be allocable thereto under these principles. b) Conform to any limitations or exclusions set forth in these principles or in the Federal award as to types or amount of cost items. c) Be consistent with policies and procedures that apply uniformly to both federally-financed and other activities of the non-Federal entity. d) Be accorded consistent treatment. A cost may not be assigned to a Federal award as a direct cost if any other cost incurred for the same purpose in like circumstances has been allocated to the Federal award as an indirect cost. e) Be determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), except, for state and local governments and Indian tribes only, as otherwise provided for in this part. f) Not be included as a cost or used to meet cost sharing or matching requirements of any other federally financed program in either the current or a prior period. g) Be adequately documented. h) Cost must be incurred during the approved budget period. Additionally, 2 CFR 200.303 indicates that non-Federal Entities receiving Federal awards must establish 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 terms and conditions of the Federal award. Condition: EmployIndy did not retain up-to-date contracts for 5 out of 8 employees tested and was unable to reconcile fund codes and employee payroll charged to the WIOA grant. It was also noted that for 8 out of 13 timecards selected for testing, it did not appear that the time was approved to be recorded to the WIOA grant. Cause: The condition was caused by a lack of internal controls over EmployIndy administrative payroll processing. Effect: As a result of these matters, expenditures could be inaccurately charged to the federal grant. Questioned costs: There are $23,000 of known questioned costs related to this issue. Context: During our testing procedures over WIOA disbursements for the activities allowed or unallowed compliance requirement, we identified several payroll expenditures charged to the WIOA cluster for which valid contracts were not provided, employee time records did not reflect hours spent on WIOA activities, and reconciliations for the allocation of employee payroll to WIOA were not provided. Identification as a repeat finding, if applicable: Not applicable. This is not a repeat finding. Recommendation: We recommend that management implement a consistent multi-stage review process for expenditures that are to be allocated to the WIOA cluster and that management clearly organize and retain records of purchase to support amounts being listed as expenditures on their SEFA. Views of responsible officials and planned corrective actions: Management acknowledges the finding. See management’s corrective action plan attached to this audit report.

Corrective Action Plan

Prior to the completion of this audit, EmployIndy already made a number of changes to its financial operations. It parted ways with its Chief Financial Officer and procured the services of an outside Certified Public Accounting firm to begin the process of reviewing and updating its financial operations. In addition, it recently hired an Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations to lead the final development and implementation of updated financial processes. The Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations has worked with EmployIndy’s Board of Directors and Finance Committee to document a plan for improving EmployIndy’s financial operations across the board by the 2nd quarter of Calendar Year 2024. EmployIndy currently provides training to all staff on properly documenting work hours within the time management and payroll system. There is an existing process for correcting and documenting any changes within the time management and payroll system after time has been submitted. In scenarios where it is necessary and allowable to shift EmployIndy staff time charged from one funding stream/cluster to another, Financial Operations staff, under the direction of the Controller, will make updates, including supporting documentation, in both the time management/payroll and financial management systems. Reconciliations between the payroll system and the financial management system will be completed monthly in order to ensure that the information in each system matches and that there is documentation showing that the expenses are allowable and supported. Finally, the Director of Human Resources will ensure that offer letters with pay rates and any subsequent salary adjustments will be documented with approval signatures and retained in personnel files, with proper amounts being updated within the time reporting/payroll system.

Categories

Questioned Costs Allowable Costs / Cost Principles Matching / Level of Effort / Earmarking

Other Findings in this Audit

  • 6063 2022-004
    Significant Deficiency
  • 6064 2022-004
    Significant Deficiency
  • 6065 2022-004
    Significant Deficiency
  • 6066 2022-004
    Significant Deficiency
  • 6067 2022-005
    Material Weakness
  • 6068 2022-005
    Material Weakness
  • 6069 2022-005
    Material Weakness
  • 6070 2022-005
    Material Weakness
  • 6071 2022-006
    Material Weakness
  • 6072 2022-006
    Material Weakness
  • 6073 2022-006
    Material Weakness
  • 6074 2022-006
    Material Weakness
  • 6076 2022-007
    Material Weakness
  • 6077 2022-007
    Material Weakness
  • 6078 2022-007
    Material Weakness
  • 6079 2022-008
    Material Weakness
  • 6080 2022-008
    Material Weakness
  • 6081 2022-008
    Material Weakness
  • 6082 2022-008
    Material Weakness
  • 6083 2022-009
    Material Weakness
  • 6084 2022-009
    Material Weakness
  • 6085 2022-009
    Material Weakness
  • 6086 2022-009
    Material Weakness
  • 582505 2022-004
    Significant Deficiency
  • 582506 2022-004
    Significant Deficiency
  • 582507 2022-004
    Significant Deficiency
  • 582508 2022-004
    Significant Deficiency
  • 582509 2022-005
    Material Weakness
  • 582510 2022-005
    Material Weakness
  • 582511 2022-005
    Material Weakness
  • 582512 2022-005
    Material Weakness
  • 582513 2022-006
    Material Weakness
  • 582514 2022-006
    Material Weakness
  • 582515 2022-006
    Material Weakness
  • 582516 2022-006
    Material Weakness
  • 582517 2022-007
    Material Weakness
  • 582518 2022-007
    Material Weakness
  • 582519 2022-007
    Material Weakness
  • 582520 2022-007
    Material Weakness
  • 582521 2022-008
    Material Weakness
  • 582522 2022-008
    Material Weakness
  • 582523 2022-008
    Material Weakness
  • 582524 2022-008
    Material Weakness
  • 582525 2022-009
    Material Weakness
  • 582526 2022-009
    Material Weakness
  • 582527 2022-009
    Material Weakness
  • 582528 2022-009
    Material Weakness

Programs in Audit

ALN Program Name Expenditures
17.258 Wia Adult Program $2.10M
17.259 Wia Youth Activities $1.30M
17.225 Unemployment Insurance $704,968
17.277 Workforce Investment Act (wia) National Emergency Grants $259,911
17.278 Wia Dislocated Worker Formula Grants $184,810
17.207 Employment Service/wagner-Peyser Funded Activities $146,979
84.126 Rehabilitation Services_vocational Rehabilitation Grants to States $128,174
17.285 Apprenticeship USA Grants $124,044
93.558 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families $56,216
14.218 Community Development Block Grants/entitlement Grants $3,992