Lola,
It is important to process with sufficient checks and balances; however, sometimes a program review will occur regardless of the checks and balances. If it occurs it is important to insure that all documentation is provided in a format that the auditors are able to understand. Sufficient checks and balances should insure that the college's records are in good working order.
Thanks, Chyrl
Lysmary,
I agree with you. Related to this subject all institutions must have meetings to give him to follow up to the operation of each area or department and thus to detect in time some irregularity to be able to correct it. This will avoid negative remarks if there were at some time a revision.
I think being ready for a program review is most important, since one can occur at any time. Consistance is key. Trainings and meetings will keep everyone on the same page. Also, double check your work. Mock reviews by your FA Director will help to ensure accuracy of procedures.
Janele,
Consistency is critical to the success to the handling of students and processing FA. I think the idea of mock program reviews are a great idea. This will enable to department to be prepared for one and have an understanding of how this process occurs. Training and re-training is very important and sometimes difficult to work into the busy schedule of FA staff; however, it is important to insure that all team members understand the requirements of their job.
Thanks, Chyrl
I do not currently work in a financial aid office, but it seems that any sensible person would exercise great caution when involved with the distrinution of federal funds. Following the rules, being honest, and being consistent are all of the upmost importance. I would add that carefully documenting the details and reasoning behind any special decisions that are made is probably wise as well. If someone does start to ask questions it is desireable to have an easily accessible honest explanation for your actions.
Valerie,
You do not have to be part of the financial aid office to understand the importance of proper and careful handling of federal funding and documenting whenever there is an unusual situation. I encourage all departments in the college to review their work to insure compliance with all requirements - institutional, state, accrediting, or federal.
Thanks, Chyrl
I agree. It is very important for everyone to receive additional training. Whether it is for learning about new rules or regulations or just a refresher on what has been learned before to prevent any bad habits from taking hold.
Dear Richard,
Do you or your Financial Aid team do anything special to insure that regulatory changes are trained on and diseminated to the appropriate staff at the institution? If you have any insight into the approach you use, I would enjoying hearing it. Some of the best information for sharing with other participants comes from others in the field handling these issues daily.
Sincerely, Chyrl
Consistency in policies and procedures campus wide, checks and balances with other campus departments especially between fin aid, business office and registrar.
Conduct training sessions for staff regularly on changes to federal programs and or reporting requirements. Insure cross campus compliance through sharing information and regulatory changes pertaining to those individual departments.
Brenda,
Your overview of how to guarantee compliance is excellent. It is critical to the FA process for all to be propeely trained and cross-trained to ensure successful processing.
Thanks, Chyrl
I think we have to start preventing triggering a program review with our Policy and Procedures Manual. This is the daily tool the Financial Aid Officer will use to do his work. Initial and continuos training is very important too to keep the staff up to date with changes in regulations, improve customer service, etc. Another tool is to do internal audits to detect mistakes and make any necessary changes in the process before the external auditors come.
Dear Chyrl,
Personally, I think that preparing everyone involved in the process where a program review could be triggered is of critical importance to avoid triggering a review. If everyone involved know what could trigger a review, they will avoid doing such tasks.
After everyone is fully knowledgeable about what not to do, creating a simulation process to internally execute a program review will be the next step. Using an internal or external auditor to run the review and prepare a report pointing the flaws or weak areas where the school should improve to avoid penalties by mistakes that could be purposely or not and take the necessary measures to eradicate such flaws.
Sincerely,
Angela
Keeping the SAF programs and funding in compliance, stay on top of any problems in the area of school administration.
Jeannette,
These are good thoughts; however, do you have any specific approaches or techniques that you use to accomplish this. Do you or your team perform mini-program reviews of your files or maybe have different staff members review different people work. I am sure that you have some ideas that you could share with all of us on the postings.
Best wishes in your continued success with online education.
Sincerely, Chyrl
I agree that a Policy and Procedure manual is an excellent tool. Just be sure that your actual practice reflects these policies and procedures - that is one sure-fire way to an audit finding: you're not doing what your manual says you should be doing. Definitely a preventable "ouchie."
Treat the manual as a living, breathing organism that requires periodic attention. Change it when needed. If your procedures change, make sure your manual is changed commensurate with that new procedure.
Keep in mind that a new pair of eyes can be a huge help with doing a reality check on your P&P manual. If it makes sense to a lay person, then it is probably on target.
Carmen,
All of your thoughts on this area were interesting. Great approaches to insure your are prepared and not surprised by an audit or program review.
Keep up the good work. Best wishes, Chyrl
I really like the language you chose in describing the Policy & Procedure manual. "a living, breathing organism". I have found they are an ongoing process.
Our procedures manual was written several years ago and has not since been updated. My idea on the subject, is for the person actually doing the work to periodically update their procedures to reflect current practices. Over time, even if the external requirements do not change, there are always changes in the way things are actually done. The person responsible for that area is usually the best one to make updates, but they should be reviewed for clarity (understanding) and for preventable problems that may arise from individual changes (checks and balances that might be overlooked or regulatory or legal issues of which the current person in that position might not be aware).
I think it best to review the written document at least annually and document that the review took place. Procedural changes take place anytime there is a change in personnel or regulatory requirements. A suggestion might be for everyone to keep a list of little changes made in their daily operations. Then when the review process comes up, they can have constructive input into changes in the manual. A check/balance for this would include everyone with similar duties "comparing notes" as well as supervisory positions reviewing the information from a different perspective.
I like the idea of a number of participants in the Policies and Procedures review process so that the result includes all of the current policy requirements as well as all of the actual procedures currently in use.
Ruth,
I really appreciate your thorough and thoughtful response to this Forum. It is extremely important that one continues to develop their P&P Manual. I recommend that you evaluate it at least once a year and be mindful of some changes that cannot wait. Also, I encourage the P&P development process to be handle by a team that reviews at least once a year.
Sincerely, Chyrl
As in dealing with any governmental body, consistency and accuracy will help to avoid being "red-flagged". Strong policy and procedure implimentation from the onset is critical.
Michelle,
Consistency and accuracy in the processing and packaging of the students' files are very important. All departments should have Policies and Procedures in place to ensure consistent and accurate processing for all students. If your approach is followed throughout the organization you should never have an issue.
Sincerely, Chyrl
