The findings, recommendations, and methodology are presented for the U.S. Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General's audit of the grant award to Project Lifesaver International (Chesapeake, VA) by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under its Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Assistance Program.
The grant was intended for Project Lifesaver International (PLI) to provide for the protection, location, and safe return of missing persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias as well as other missing elderly individuals. In addition, PLI uses technologies to assist in addressing the burden that search and rescue places on public safety personnel. The audit's objective was to determine whether costs claimed under the grant were allowable, supported, and in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, guidelines, and terms and conditions of the grant award. Performance was assessed in the areas of financial management, Federal financial report, budget management and control, drawdowns, expenditures, and program performance. Overall, at the outset of the audit, PLI did not have written policies and procedures for grant administration. PLI also charged personnel costs to the grant based on budget amounts rather than actual time spent working on the grant. In addition, PLI was not tracking or reporting program income properly. During the audit, PLI established written policies and procedures for grant administration. Based on the audit findings, four recommendations are offered. They are intended to address $208,036 of dollar-related findings, improve internal controls, and determine whether program income was generated by the grant and spent in accordance with the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Financial Guide. 1 table and appended audit objectives, scope, and methodology; schedule of dollar-related findings; Stakeholders' responses to the audit draft report; and analysis and summary of actions required to close the report