Report 2021-611 Recommendation 7 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 #7 To: University, California State
To encourage campuses to obtain additional federal funds that allow them to maximize student services and aid, the CSU Chancellor's Office should direct each of its campuses to submit a report summarizing all expenses incurred in response to the pandemic between January 2020 and December 31, 2021 and identifying any expenses that are eligible for FEMA reimbursement.
The Chancellor's Office has recommended that campuses review all expenses incurred in response to the pandemic between January 2020 and December 31, 2021 and identify any expenses that are eligible for FEMA reimbursement. To ensure transparency regarding the California State University's (CSU's) use of federal funds, the CSU publishes the status of HEERF and FEMA reimbursement claims on its transparency site at https://stories.opengov.com/csu/published/Hcw9zYmBD. The status of these reimbursement requests is updated weekly.
- Estimated Completion Date:
California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Will Not Implement
We stand by our recommendation. We identified roughly $6 million in potential FEMA-reimbursable costs through a review of HEERF expenses at only three of the 23 CSU campuses. There are likely additional pandemic related expenses at other CSU campuses that are eligible for FEMA reimbursement, as well as pandemic related expenses that were not reimbursed through HEERF. The millions of dollars in potential FEMA reimbursements that campuses have not claimed suggests that the CSU Chancellor's Office should take a more proactive role in ensuring that its campuses obtain these federal funds. Further, the Chancellor's Office's reference to the status of HEERF and FEMA claims is not relevant. Our concern lies with those expenses that have not been submitted for FEMA reimbursement.
All Recommendations in 2021-611
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.