NCJ Number
250220
Date Published
August 2016
Length
32 pages
Annotation
The U.S. Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General (OIG) reports the methodology and findings of its audit of the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP's) Victim Assistance and Victim Compensation formula grants awarded to the Iowa Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General Crime Victims Assistance Division (CVAD) to support eligible crime victim assistance programs that provide direct services to crime victims and to provide assistance for compensation awards to crime victims.
Abstract
The audit's objective was to determine whether costs claimed under the victim assistance and compensation grants were allowable, supported, and in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, guidelines, and terns and conditions of the grants. The audit assessed performance in the following areas of grant management: accounting and internal control environment; grant drawdowns; grant expenditures; program performance and accomplishments; monitoring of sub-grantees; and Federal financial and progress reports. As of September 30, 2015, CVAD had expended $15,467,945 from the six grants reviewed. The audit selected $1,224,987 in expenditures and examined those transactions for compliance with applicable Federal criteria. No exceptions were found in the audit's expenditure testing, and it concluded that CVAD's activities were furthering its program goals of providing services and compensation to crime victims; however, the audit found that CVAD did not provide complete and accurate performance statistics in its progress reports. In addition, CVAD could do a better job in informing sub-grantees that paid membership in the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault or the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence is not required to receive CVAD funding, since some sub-grantees believed this to be true. This report contains three recommendations to OJP regarding what it can do to address the weaknesses and lapses in CVAD's grant management. 3 tables and appended audit scope and methodology, CVAD's and OJP's responses to the draft report, and a summary of actions necessary to close the report