Report 2021-611 Recommendation 3 Responses

Report 2021-611: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund: Some University Campuses Did Not Maximize Available Federal Pandemic Funds, and They Prioritized Students Differently When Awarding Relief Funds (Release Date: November 2021)

Recommendation #3 To: University of California

To encourage campuses to obtain additional federal funds that allow them to maximize student services and aid, UCOP should review and evaluate the campuses' reports described in recommendation #2 to ensure that they are consistently identifying expenses eligible for FEMA reimbursement.

UCOP reviewed the information submitted by campuses, and identified instances where there appeared to be variation in FEMA claims submitted by campuses in certain categories of expenses. Campuses were asked to review those areas to determine if there were additional FEMA-eligible claims to be submitted.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Fully Implemented

UCOP obtained information on the UC campuses' COVID expenses and FEMA claims, and provided documentation showing that it followed up with some campuses regarding their FEMA-eligible expenses.

In the template provided to campuses, UCOP provided a list of FEMA-eligible cost categories for campuses to use in reporting of any FEMA claims and/or eligible costs. UCOP received campus submissions on February 11, 2022, and is currently in the process of reviewing and evaluating the reports. As part of its review, UCOP will share information about each campus location's claims by FEMA cost categories to ensure that there is consistency in both identifying and submitting claims to FEMA.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Pending

As described in its response to Recommendation 2, UCOP requested that its campuses submit reports of COVID-related lost revenue and cost impacts. UCOP states that it is in the process of evaluating those reports. We look forward to reviewing the results of that evaluation in UCOP's next response to these recommendations.

All Recommendations in 2021-611

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.