Finding Text
Type of finding: Federal Award
Situation: Significant deficiency; Compliance with federal regulations.
Assistance Listing No: All Programs
Compliance Requirements: Reporting
Prior-Year(s) Audit Finding(s): None
Questioned Costs: Not determined.
Condition:
The Single Audit reporting package, as defined and required in 2 CRF 200.512 for fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, was not submitted timely.
Context:
Despite the Municipality’s best efforts to provide, on a timely basis, the information needed to complete the preparation and subsequent audit of their financial statements, the effects of the major disaster area declaration due to Hurricane Fiona delayed the submission of the Single Audit reporting package of the current year.
Criteria:
As per 2 CRF 200.512, the audit, data collection form, and reporting package must be submitted within the earlier of 30 calendar days after receipt of the auditor’s report, or nine months after the end of the audit period. However, for any 2022 submissions with fiscal periods ending between January 1, 2022, and October 31, 2022, the requirement stating that single audits are due to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse 30 days after receipt of the auditor’s report(s), is waived. These audits will be considered on time if they are submitted within nine months after their fiscal period end date.
Cause:
On September 18, 2022, Puerto Rico was declared a major disaster area due to the passage of Hurricane Fiona. As a result of this declaration, the OMB granted a six-month extension for all single audits that cover recipients in Puerto Rico and have due dates between September 18, 2022 and December 31, 2022. For June 30, 2021, the extended due date was March 31, 2023. The Municipality benefited from this extension and submitted their financial statements and data collection form on January 2, 2023. The due date of the current fiscal year, June 30, 2022 however was not extended and was also due on March 31, 2023. This situation prevented the timely submission of the current fiscal year Single Audit reporting package.
Effect:
Because of the situation described above, the Municipality did not comply with the report submission requirement since the audit was not submitted within nine months after their fiscal period end date.
Auditor’s recommendation:
Management should continue to fulfill their auditee responsibilities as stated in 2 CRF 200.508 which among other things, require management to prepare appropriate financial statements and provide the auditor with access to personnel, accounts, books, records, supporting documentation, and other information as needed for the auditor to perform the audit to ensure that subsequent financial reporting packages are submitted timely.
Views of Responsible officials and corrective actions:
The Municipality of San Germán always issues the audit reports on time, the exception was on June 30, 2022 because this year the disaster of Hurricane Fiona passed for Puerto Rico. This complicated all the situation for the Municipality. For this year, the report will be filed on time.
Audit status:
In progress of completion.