The Washington State Auditor’s office has questioned just over $14,000 in paid vacation-leave spending drawn from a federal grant by the Area Agency on Aging and Disabilities of Southwest Washington.
The audit found that the agency “used grant funds to pay unallowable expenses resulting in actual questioned costs of $2,140,” it says. “We estimate additional likely questioned costs of $11,982.” The audit recommended that the agency establish new internal controls and consult with the state Department of Social and Health Services, which funneled the grant money from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about repayment.
In a response included in the audit document, the Area Agency on Aging notes that it changed its accounting practices immediately upon notification of the problem; that the amount of money involved was “immaterial” — less than 1 percent of the agency’s Older Americans Act grant budget; and that none of its spending was considered an “improper use of funds.”
