REPORT DIGEST ILLINOIS STUDENT ASSISTANCE COMMISSION FINANCIAL AUDIT FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2021 Release Date: June 2, 2022 FINDINGS THIS AUDIT: 1 CATEGORY: NEW -- REPEAT – TOTAL Category 1: 0 -- 0 -- 0 Category 2: 0 -- 1 -- 1 Category 3: 0 -- 0 -- 0 TOTAL: 0 -- 1 -- 1 FINDINGS LAST AUDIT: 2 Category 1: Findings that are material weaknesses in internal control and/or a qualification on compliance with State laws and regulations (material noncompliance). Category 2: Findings that are significant deficiencies in internal control and noncompliance with State laws and regulations. Category 3: Findings that have no internal control issues but are in noncompliance with State laws and regulations. State of Illinois, Office of the Auditor General FRANK J. MAUTINO, AUDITOR GENERAL To obtain a copy of the Report contact: Office of the Auditor General, Iles Park Plaza, 740 E. Ash Street, Springfield, IL 62703 (217) 782-6046 or TTY (888) 261-2887 This Report Digest and Full Report are also available on the worldwide web at www.auditor.illinois.gov INTRODUCTION This digest covers the Illinois Student Assistance Commission’s (Commission) financial audit for the year ended June 30, 2021. Included in the financial statements of the Commission are the Illinois Prepaid Tuition Program (Program), a major fund of the Commission and the State of Illinois and the Illinois Designated Account Purchase Program (IDAPP), a major fund of the Commission. SYNOPSIS • (21-01) The Commission did not have a reconciliation process to provide assurance census data submitted to its pension and other postemployment benefits plans was complete and accurate. FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS LACK OF CENSUS DATA RECONCILIATIONS The Commission did not have a reconciliation process to provide assurance census data submitted to its pension and other postemployment benefits (OPEB) plans that was complete and accurate. During testing, we noted the Commission had not performed an initial complete reconciliation of its census data recorded by the State Employees’ Retirement System of Illinois (SERS) to its internal records to establish a base year of complete and accurate census data. After establishing a base year, the Commission had not developed a process to annually obtain from SERS the incremental changes recorded by SERS in their census data records and reconcile these changes back to the Commission’s internal supporting records. (Finding 1, page 153-154) We recommended the Commission work with SERS to develop an annual reconciliation process of its active members’ census data from its underlying records to a report from each plan of census data submitted to the plan’s actuary. After completing an initial full reconciliation, the Commission may limit the annual reconciliation to focus on the incremental changes to the census data file from the prior actuarial valuation, provided no risks are identified that incomplete or inaccurate reporting of census data may have occurred during prior periods. Commission officials accepted our recommendation and stated after Fiscal Year 2021 the Commission completed an initial full reconciliation and implemented an annual reconciliation process. AUDITOR’S OPINION The auditors stated the financial statements of the Commission as of and for the year ended June 30, 2021, are fairly stated in all material respects. This financial audit was conducted by Crowe LLP. JANE CLARK Division Director This report is transmitted in accordance with Section 3-14 of the Illinois State Auditing Act. FRANK J. MAUTINO Auditor General FJM:JGR