Controls Over Conservation Innovation Grants

Ensure the identified $1,271,659 of insufficiently supported matching funds is verified and reconciled. NRCS should take appropriate action where applicable.

Define the roles and responsibilities of the national office staff responsible for monitoring the State CIG program.

Revise existing procedures requiring State offices to provide information on the State’s CIG program to the national office annually. The updated procedures should detail the information the national office expects in each report to ensure accurate reporting to Congress.

Ensure the December 2018 report to Congress includes CIG project funding and results from the State awarded CIGs, to include current year and historical data omitted from prior reports, including but not limited to the 129 CIG State awarded projects we identified totaling $8.2 million.

Develop policies that establish timeframes for each part of the CIG payment process, from receipt and review of the payment request and supporting documents through submission of the application to the Accounts Payable Branch.