Reports

In FY 2022-23, Wisconsin state agencies administered $19.8 billion in federal financial assistance, including $3.8 billion that was expended related to the public health emergency and that was separately identified in the State’s Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards. This audit focused on 22 federal programs that accounted for 61.2 percent of the federal financial assistance administered. We found that state agencies generally complied with federal requirements, and we provided an unmodified opinion on federal compliance for 16 of the programs we reviewed. However, we qualified our...

We provided unmodified opinions on the University of Wisconsin (UW) System’s financial statements as of and for the years ended June 30, 2023, and June 30, 2022. These financial statements account for the financial position and activity of UW System. We conducted this financial audit by auditing UW System’s financial statements in accordance with applicable government auditing standards, issuing our auditor’s opinions, reviewing internal controls, and issuing our auditor’s report on internal control and compliance. We also reviewed UW System program revenue balances as of June 30, 2023.

The Department of Administration prepares the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), which contains the financial statements of the State of Wisconsin prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) prescribed by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. The ACFR includes financial information on state funds, including the State’s General Fund, the Transportation Fund, the University of Wisconsin System, the Unemployment Reserve Fund, and the Wisconsin Retirement System. We provided unmodified opinions on the financial statements and related notes of the...

As part of our financial statements audit of the Unemployment Reserve Fund, which accounts for Wisconsin’s Unemployment Insurance program paid to eligible individuals, we provided an unmodified opinion on the Fund’s financial statements and related notes as of and for the years ended June 30, 2022, and June 30, 2021. We found the assets of the Reserve Fund exceeded liabilities at the close of fiscal year (FY) 2021-22 by almost $1.4 billion. Except for $19.2 million in certain federal allocations, the Fund’s net position, if positive, can be used only to pay unemployment benefits to eligible...

In FY 2020-21, state agencies administered $20.8 billion in federal financial assistance, including $6.6 billion that was expended related to the public health emergency and that was separately identified in the State’s Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards. Our audit focused on 24 federal programs that accounted for 82.3 percent of the federal financial assistance administered. We found that state agencies generally complied with federal requirements, and we provided an unmodified opinion on federal compliance for 22 of the programs we reviewed. However, we qualified our opinion on...

The California Department of Housing and Community Development administers the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program, which received $316 million in federal funding to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic (ESG-CV) for individuals who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Th e following report details our conclusion that the department failed to expedite access to federal funding to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the homeless population.

The economic shutdowns in early 2020 led to historically high numbers of UI claims in a very short time (claim surge), and further shutdowns began in December 2020, raising the potential for additional spikes in unemployment. This audit reviewed EDD’s response to the claim surge, its handling of the resulting backlog of unpaid claims, and the assistance it has provided to individuals through its call center