RI Flagged for Multiple Federal “Non-Compliance” Issues in Latest Auditor General Report
GoLocalProv News Team
RI Flagged for Multiple Federal “Non-Compliance” Issues in Latest Auditor General Report
The Single Audit Report, issued by Auditor General David A. Bergantino, was released on Tuesday by the Joint Committee on Legislative Services.
According to the Auditor General, the "annual Single Audit of the State of Rhode Island for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024" resulted in 70 findings related to the administration of federal programs and the state’s key financial operations.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe report noted "material noncompliance" with federal requirements in "five of the 18 major federal programs audited in fiscal 2024."
"Material noncompliance with certain compliance requirements was specifically noted in the Unemployment Insurance program, Child Care Development Fund Cluster, Children’s Health Insurance Program, Medicaid Cluster, and Disaster Grants – Public," according to the report.
The annual audit is required by both state and federal law as a condition of continued federal assistance.
Speaker of the House Joseph Shekarchi did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Audit in Focus
According to the Auditor General's report:
Expenditures of federal programs totaled $6.75 billion for fiscal 2024, of which $791 million was COVID-related (compared to $1.4 billion in fiscal 2023).
Total federal expenditures in 2024 decreased by $276 million from the prior fiscal year.
The net decrease of $604.2 million in pandemic-related expenditures resulted as enhanced Medicaid funding, FEMA Disaster Assistance, and funding assistance for homeowners and renters expired during 2024, according to the Auditor General.
"Pandemic assistance expenditures are expected to continue to decline through December 31, 2026, the deadline for spending State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funding," said the Auditor General's Office.
GoLocal reported in January 2024, "What does Rhode Island Have to Show for Billions in Federal Spending — See What Officials Say."
More on Report
The Auditor General's report continues:
The Single Audit Report also includes a detailed schedule of federal award expenditures and audit reports outlining internal control deficiencies and noncompliance relating to financial reporting and the administration of federal programs. The report includes the state’s financial statements which were previously communicated in the state’s fiscal 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.
Federal assistance is received under approximately 500 individual programs. Many programs are jointly financed with federal and state funding. Medicaid continues to be the single largest program with fiscal 2024 expenditures totaling approximately $4.0 billion — the federal government shared $2.5 billion of that cost.
Findings
The Auditor General reported that of the "70 findings included in the report, 42 relate to the administration of federal programs, with the remainder relating to the state’s controls over financial reporting (previously issued in March 2025 with the state’s 2024 audited financial statements). Assistance program."
Management’s response and planned corrective actions are included within the Single Audit Report. A Summary Schedule of Prior Audit Findings, which reports the status of findings from prior audits, is also included.
The state’s Single Audit Report was submitted to the Federal Single Audit Clearinghouse on April 30, 2025 — this information is then made available to all federal funding agencies. The Single Audit Report and related Audit Summary are available on the Office of the Auditor General’s website.