PR: Violence Against Women Act: 7 Out of 10 Grant Recipients Flunk Audits

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Rebecca Stewart

Violence Against Women Act: 7 Out of 10 Grant Recipients Flunk Audits

Washington DC / April 25, 2018 – A summary of Department of Justice audits, being released today, reveals that 34 out of 47 recipients of VAWA funds – 72.3% — were found to be “Generally Non-Compliant” by auditors from the U.S. Department of Justice. A finding of “Generally Non-Compliant” reveals an agency failed to meet minimum standards across a broad range of indicators.

The audits also unearthed $14.7 million in Unallowable or Unsupported costs, an average of $313,180 per agency surveyed. The 47 audits were conducted during the period 2013 to 2017. A summary of the 47 audits is available (1).

The report of widespread VAWA non-compliance comes amidst a recent Washington Post article about an abuse shelter in Prince Georges County with long-standing problems of poor management. Titled, “Mice in the Couches, Mold on the Walls,” the report revealed how lack of proper oversight and collusion led one shelter resident to declare, “It was a living hell.” (2)

In 2013, Sen. Chuck Grassley reported, “The Inspector General conducted a review of 22 VAWA grantees from 1998 to 2010. Of these 22, 21 were found to have some form of violation of grant requirements ranging from unauthorized and unallowable expenditures, to sloppy recordkeeping and failure to report in a timely manner.” (3)

Another report identified cases of embezzlement of funds by abuse shelter managers (4). In 2016, Laura Ewing, former employee of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, was sentenced to three years of probation for unlawfully writing 34 checks payable to herself (5).

When grant resources are misused, victims lose out. The Coalition to End Domestic Violence urges lawmakers to assure strong accountability measures are included in the upcoming VAWA reauthorization.

Citations:

The Coalition to End Domestic Violence is working to reform the Violence Against Women Act by addressing the underlying causes of domestic violence, promoting family preservation, and ensuring due process: www.EndToDV.org