Finding Text
Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program-CDFA#14.871, Low Rent Program-CDFA#14.850
2023-001-Inadequate Accounting and Documentation-Allowable Costs/Principles
Criteria and Specific Requirement
(a)-Travel expenses should be correctly classified.
(b)-Direct payments (ACH- no check) should be properly authorized and supported.
(c)-Credits on the Low Rent rental register should be adequately documented. In addition, the rental registers should be reviewed each month before closeout.
(d)-Federal regulations require that certain financial data required by REAC be supported and documented
(e)-Various CFPs and other grants should be properly classified and accounted for
(f)-Sufficient information should be submitted to the outside employed fee accountant to allow the latter to complete a year-end documentary checklist that all points considered by the fee accountant have been adequately addressed
Condition Found
(a)-We noted $4,334 of travel costs that were improperly classified in either Maintenance Expense-Materials or Other Administrative Expenses-Other. The above amounts were reclassified by audit adjustment to travel costs.
(b)-The adopted policy is for direct payments (ACH- without check) to be accompanied by an authorized check request. As a result of early exceptions we noted, we reviewed approximately 100% of the noted direct payments. Only a minority of the direct payments that we reviewed were accompanied by such an authorized written request. In addition, we do not know the documentation or explanation that was viewed by the authorized person, when the requests that we were able to review was signed.
Approximately $55,051 of total payments were made by direct payments. $34,334 and $20,717 were charged to the HCV Fund and the General (Low Rent) Funds, respectively. $49,974 of the total was not supported by adequate documentation. This was $31,586 and $18,388 charged to the HCV and General (Low Rent) Funds, respectively. Much of the unsupported direct payments were travel costs. The total travel costs after reclassifications noted above were $21,336. Of the total travel costs, only $2,723 was paid by check. All tested check amounts contained adequate support. $18,613 of travel costs were paid by direct payments.
(c)-We selected three credits at random on the Low Rent rental register that totaled $4,361 that was spread over three months. We requested documented explanations from management for these credits. However, we did not receive any.
In addition, we noted in our review of month- to- month Low Rent rental revenue charged, that there was a large variance that may have not been initially detected by management. The average dwelling rent charged for 10 months was $5,800. However, the rent charged for January and February 2023 were $10,855 and $1,570, respectively.
We received the accounting information without adjustment or comment on this. Management states that they subsequently found the errors. However, the January variance should have been noted by management before the February rent register was run.
(d)-The unaudited financial statements were conditionally approved by REAC. One of the conditions was that PORTs reported on the VMS was $6,009. However, the amount reported on Financial Data Scheule (FDS) Line 97350 is zero. While this difference is immaterial to the financial statements, REAC expects these numbers to agree. To date, management has been unable to reconcile these numbers.
(e)-In the current year, Accounting coded a $38,573 advance to a ROSS grant. However, the detailed ELOCCS indicates this is instead was an advance on the CFP 2020 program.
In addition, a $46,710 advance was incorrectly classified to the 2021 CFP. Instead, it should have been credited to the 2019 CFP program.
(f)-The fee accountant only partially completed their year- end unaudited checklist, that is prepared by a supervising accountant that reviews the year-end unaudited statements prepared by other members of the fee accounting firm. The fee accountant requested but did not receive the necessary information from management.
Cause
Unknown. Effect
Federal regulations were not complied with. In addition, the accounting information is not as accurate as it should be.
Recommendation to prevent future occurrences
Management should ensure that the above inadequacies are corrected. Internal controls over all of these areas should be improved.
View of Responsible Official
We will comply with the auditor’s recommendation. I do note that we were short of personnel for the entire audit period. I believe that I have staff presently that can do most of the assigned duties. I admit that not all of the deficiencies noted were due to being understaffed, but lack of training (being new to HUD) and understanding. But we will also correct those errors to the best of our ability.