Phòng Kế toán và quản lý thông tin B-283392 17 Tháng Chín, 1999 danh dự Lawrence H. Summers thư ký của Kho bạc Thưa ông Bộ trưởng: đối chiếu số dư Quỹ của các cơ quan liên bang với các tài khoản kho bạc tiếp tục là một vấn đề quan trọng góp phần không có khả năng của chúng tôi để làm cho ý kiến về Mỹ của chính phủ năm tài chính năm 1998 báo cáo tài chính. | GAO Report to the Secretary of the t reasury er 1999 FINANCIAL AUDIT Issues Regarding Reconciliations of Fund Balances With Treasury Accounts GAO AIMD-99-271 GAO This is trial version-- United States General Accounting Office Washington . 20548 Accounting and Information Management Division B-283392 September 17 1999 The Honorable Lawrence H. Summers The Secretary of the Treasury Dear Mr. Secretary Reconciliations of federal agencies Fund Balances with Treasury accounts continue to be a significant problem contributing to our inability to render an opinion on the . government s fiscal year 1998 financial statements. In our March 1999 audit report on the 1998 Financial Report of the United States Government we reported that several míỹor agencies were not effectively reconciling cash We also reported that there continued to be billions of dollars of unresolved gross differences between agencies and the Department of the Treasury s records of cash disbursements as of September 30 1998. We previously reported similar problems for fiscal year Federal agencies record their budget spending authorization in Fund Balances with Treasury accounts and increase or decrease these accounts as they collect or disburse funds. Treasury designed various procedures and controls-called the reconciliation process-aimed primarily at ensuring the reliability of receipt and disbursement data reported by agencies. This monthly reconciliation process similar in concept to individuals reconciling personal checkbooks with a bank s records each month is intended to be a key internal control over the federal receipts and disbursements that flow through these accounts. As part of our audit of the . government s fiscal year 1998 financial statements we continued our efforts to monitor and evaluate the overall effectiveness of agencies reconciliation processes for Fund Balances with Treasury accounts. In addition we followed up on Treasury s actions