Finding Text
Federal Program
Student Financial Assistance Cluster
Compliance requirements
Reporting and Special Tests and Provisions - Verification
Criteria or specific requirement
When a student is selected for, and completes, the verification process, their verification status code should be accurately reflected within the COD origination records.
Condition
During testing, we identified that five students of the 40 tested showed a status code within COD origination records that indicated that they had been selected for, and undergone, the verification process. However, upon review of their files, verification was not completed.
Context
For three of the students, they had an action related to their file that needed to be processed within the institution’s verification software. Upon completion of the action, the software automatically indicates that these students were “verified” and populates the “V” status. However, this is actually a file review situation. The process should end with staff removal of the verification status and appropriate update of the verification code. For two of the students, the staff member working on their file accidentally opened the 2022-2023 ISIR when they intended to work on a review of the 2023-2024 ISIR. The staff member recognized their error, but they did not get all fields corrected.
Cause
Turnover within the student financial aid department led to new employees that were unaware of the need to update the verification status code after a file review. That turnover was also responsible for employees not knowing what fields must be corrected when they mistakenly work on a student’s verification from the wrong fiscal year.
Effect
Students who had not undergone the verification process were reported to COD as having done so.
Recommendation
We recommend that the College review its controls to ensure that accurate data is reported.
Views of responsible officials
See Corrective Action Plan.