| SUMMARY OF: | State of Alaska, Single Audit for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2008. |
Purpose and Scope of the Report
This report summarizes our review of the State of Alaska’s basic financial statements and the State’s compliance with federal laws and regulations in the administration of approximately $2.54 billion of federal financial assistance programs. The audit was conducted in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America and Government Auditing Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States. It also complies with the federal Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 and the related Circular A-133 issued by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
The report contains an opinion on the basic financial statement of the State of Alaska for fiscal year 2008, recommendations on financial and compliance matters, auditor’s reports on internal controls and compliance, the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards and the Summary of Prior Audit Findings.
Report Conclusions
The basic financial statements for the State of Alaska are fairly presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America without qualification. Additionally, the State’s FY 08 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report includes a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting which is presented by the Government Finance Officers Association.
No draw from the Constitutional Budget Reserve Fund (CBRF) was authorized for FY 08. The Legislature appropriated $3.0 billion from the General Fund to the CBRF during FY 08. Additionally, at the end of FY 08 over $2.0 billion was swept from a variety of General Fund sub-funds and accounts, and transferred to the CBRF.
The State has substantially complied with the applicable laws and regulations in the administration of its major federal financial assistance programs, except for the major federal programs administered by the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS). Insufficient evidence was available to determine compliance with cash management requirements for seven major federal programs and with reporting requirements for four major federal programs at DHSS.
Findings and Recommendations
This report contains 22 recommendations, of which five are unresolved issues from last year. Also three of the recommendations are made to component units: two recommendations for Alaska Housing Finance Corporation and one for the University of Alaska whose audits were performed by other auditors. Some of the recommendations made in this report require significant changes in procedures or a shifting of priorities and, therefore, may take more than one year to implement. The Summary Schedule of Prior Audit Findings in Section III identifies the current status of most prior audit recommendations not resolved by the release of the FY 08 Statewide Single Audit.