How do I Submit my Provider Relief Audit as a Commercial Organization?
By Erica Olobri, Partner, Assurance Services
Over the past year there has been a lot of guidance on Provider Relief Funds (PRF) and what compliance will be required based on the type of entity being reporting on. This includes executing a separate compliance audit on the use of these funds. The requirements are as follows:
Independent Audit Requirements
Recipients who spend $750,000 or more in federal funds in a single year, including Provider Relief Fund (PRF) payments and other federal financial assistance, are subject to single audit requirements. The report, which is also required of commercial organizations, is due the earlier of 30 calendar days after the receipt of the audit or 9 months after the fiscal year.
Guidance issued for the nonprofit sector states that these funds are to be reported on the schedule of federal expenditures and tested under the Uniform Guidance requirements. Once that compliance audit is completed, it would then be submitted via the Federal Audit Clearinghouse through the preparation and completion of the Data Collection Form for the respective entity. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has announced that a Commercial Audit Reporting Portal will be set up for all for-profit entities to be able to submit their final compliance reports. Commercial organizations have two options under 45 CFR §75.216(d) and § 75.501(i):
- A financial audit of the award(s) conducted in accordance with Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAAP); or
- An audit in conformance with the requirements of 45 CFR §75, Subpart F.
HRSA encourages commercial organizations that have received Provider Relief funds and have gone through the requisite compliance audit to submit their audits to the Commercial Audit Reporting Portal.
Use of the new HRSA portal is fairly straightforward:
- Auditee should use the same credentials as the PRF reporting portal.
- The auditee can either submit the audit directly or assign the submission to their auditor.
HRSA noted that if the organization has already submitted its audit for this fiscal year, there is no requirement to resubmit in this new portal.
HRSA also noted that a commercial organization subject to the single audit requirements that has not previously registered on the PRF portal should submit its audits via email to HRSA’s Division of Financial Integrity at [email protected].
HRSA has added more information to its website, on the Independent Audit Requirements and the FAQs relating to this area: