May Newsletter
5/16/2022
End of Fiscal Year Notice
The state’s accounting system will stop processing payments in mid-June for its annual fiscal year-end closing procedures. Therefore, the Ohio Department of Education will adjust its timetable for approving project cash requests. To ensure timely payment, submit project cash requests to the Office of Grants Management by 5 p.m., Tues., June 14, 2022. Funds can be requested to cover allowable expenses already incurred, as well as advance funds to cover expenses that will be paid June 1 through July 15, 2022. If a request contains an advance amount, please outline how the funds will be expended and the expected liquidation date in the Justification of Need section of the cash request. To receive approval consideration, funds must be for immediate needs within the period specified above and the justification entered for advance funds must provide sufficient detail. Payment cash requests for an advance amount must reflect a June or July advance period that corresponds with the liquidation date indicated on the request. If these guidelines are not met, the Office of Grants Management will delay or return the request unapproved and it may not be paid until after July 1.
Cash management guidelines normally requiring liquidation within five business days of receipt are temporarily relaxed during this time frame. However, please note that all funds must be liquidated in accordance with the dates designated on the request. Having unspent funds after the time frame indicated on the cash request constitutes a violation of cash management guidelines and may result in an audit finding. The Office of Grants Management will review project cash requests as quickly as possible and in the order received. To expedite the process, please attach supporting documentation if the total reimbursement amount is greater than 10 percent of the allocation. If the Office of Grants Management does not receive a cash request by the deadline, it cannot guarantee payment before the system closes for the current fiscal year. This means the payment will be issued when the state accounting system is back online. In addition, the large volume of requests received during this time may result in delays for some payments due to a shortage in state appropriation (spending authority). The Office of Grants Management will process payments that do not meet the deadline or cannot be issued due to lack of appropriation after July 1. In the rare case that you end the fiscal year with a deficit, please review
ORC Section 3315.20| Deficits in special funds.
Budget Revisions and End-of-year Expenses
As the end of the fiscal year approaches, it’s important to remember a fiscal year’s funds should be obligated only to meet a bona fide need arising in the fiscal year for which the award was made. Therefore, ordering and receiving goods and services at the end of the grant period may result in an expense being unallowable if it is determined the expense belongs in the next fiscal year. The Department recommends incurring obligations in sufficient time for goods and services to be received and provide a benefit during the award’s period of performance. Review the guidance “
Factors Affecting Allowability of Costs” for additional information.
The last day to submit budget revisions normally is June 30. However, some grants have an earlier cut off so be sure to check with the program office and submit any necessary revisions by this date.
Title IV-A Code Change and New FER Page
Before books are closed for the end of the year, be sure Title IV-A expenses and receipts are properly coded. At the request of the Department, the Auditor of State changed the Fund Code for Title IV, Part A from 599 to 584 beginning in State Fiscal Year 2022. All Title IV-A expenditures for State Fiscal Year 2022 and beyond should be grouped by the 584 Fund Code. Additionally, you will notice a new page added to the FY22 Consolidated Final Expenditure Report (FER), which can be submitted beginning July 1 and is due Sept. 30, 2022, that will collect Title IV expenditures for each of the allowable activity areas: Well-Rounded Education, Safe and Healthy Students, and Effective Use of Technology. Review
CCIP Note #474 for additional information.
It’s a Good Time to Update OEDS Information
There are several systems within the Department that access vital contact information directly from the Ohio Educational Directory System (OEDS). Therefore, it is very important that your contact information in OEDS always remains current. This is necessary to ensure the appropriate person in your organization receives all communication from the Department. Each LEA has a contact at their organization that is designated to update OEDS. For help with assigning roles in OEDS, contact the
data custodian for your organization type.
Transition from DUNS Number to Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)
The transition from the use of the DUNS number to the new Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) as the primary means of entity identification for federal awards government-wide is complete. UEIs are required in accordance with
2 CFR Part 25. A valid UEI is required before grant applications can be approved in the CCIP. Most organizations were assigned a UEI automatically and should not incur any issues with grant applications. If your organization needs a UEI, please view these
instructions.
Do you have expired funds on your books?
Every year the Office of Grants Administration is contacted by LEAs who have expired funds on their books, usually inquiring about how to return the funds to clean up their books. These balances could be due to refunds or incorrect reporting which sometimes result in the revision of the Final Expenditure Report (FER). In an effort to assist grantees with using these funds before they expire and also help ensure accuracy on the FER, our office may request a cash balance report during the review of your FER.
Submit newsletter topics of interest to the
Office of Grants Administration.