Coordinated Review Effort (CRE)2015-16 School Year

Karen Franklin, SNSDistance Learning October 1, 2015

Who•Arkansas Department of Education,

Child Nutrition Unit (ADE, CNU)• Area Specialist(s)• Assistant Director(s) – Usually Karen or

Nancy• New Area Specialists will be traveling with

all current Area Specialists and Assistant Directors for training

Who•United States Department of

Agriculture (USDA)• Go on reviews with ADE, CNU staff during

school year• ADE, CNU will usually know ahead of time

and advise Child Nutrition Director (CND) of USDA participation in the review

What•Coordinated Review Effort (CRE)•Monitor the School Food Authority

(SFA) – we often call this the School District• Ensure that SFA is following all

federal and state requirements in order to get reimbursed for meals served to students

What•Coordinated Review Effort (CRE)•Required at least one time every

three years•2015-16 is the third year in the

three year cycle. If the SFA has not been reviewed in last two years it will be reviewed this year

When• The CRE Announcement Letter

will provide the dates of your review

• The letter will be sent about a month prior to the review

• The letter will be addressed to the Superintendent and copied to the CND

When• If there are problems with the review dates on the Announcement Letter, contact the person sending the letter to discuss possible alternate dates•Planned surgery•School Holidays

When•Rare occurrence to change dates•Area Specialists and Assistant

Directors have worked hard to set all review dates for the year•Changing one SFA review dates has

a waterfall effect• Especially with the training of new

area specialists

WhereDue to the nature of all the details the review entails, it is necessary to give the Reviewer(s) a quiet, comfortable work area with easy access to Child Nutrition records while at the school district.

This area needs to be area that allows for confidentiality.

WhyThe United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires the completion of a monitoring review once every 3 years. This is to insure the School Food Authorities are in compliance and meeting the Performance Standards (P.S.).

Performance Standard 1

P.S. 1: Certification/Counting/Claiming • All children receiving meals at free or

reduced price have source eligibility documents to support the benefit

• Meals accurately counted • Meals accurately recorded • Meals accurately consolidated• Meals accurately reported through a

system which consistently yields correct claims

Performance Standard 2

P.S. 2: Meal Components Meals claimed for reimbursement contain food items/components as required by program regulations (meets meal pattern for age group served)

On-Site Review Form• It is HIGHLY recommended that the district take

time to complete the On-Site Review form in its entirety for all serving sites as preparation for the CRE. This will help identify potential issues with the monitoring review.• On-Site Review form can be found on the Forms

page of the Child Nutrition Unit website• If when completing the On-Site Review form

there are ANY questions, contact your Area Specialist for clarification. It is better to correct this prior to the review.

Important Documentation Required Prior to the Review

This documentation must be sent to Area Specialist for the specified claim month and date listed in your Announcement letter.

Mail, fax or email Daily Record forms: Separated by school as listed on the Schedule A for 2015-16BreakfastLunchSnack (if applicable)

Important Documentation Required Prior to the Review

Indicate for each serving day of the review month:• Number of free eligible students at

that school• Number of reduced eligible students

at that school• Number of free meals served• Number of reduced meals served• Number of paid meals served to

students

Important Documentation Required Prior to the Review

• Part of the Area Specialist job PRIOR to the on-site portion of the review is to confirm the district has added and consolidated the claim accurately

• In addition, this information is required to determine which school(s) within the district will be reviewed

Important Documentation Required Prior to the Review

If, when you receive your announcement letter, you believe the district will not be able to send the required documentation by the due date listed on the letter contact the Area Specialist immediately to determine if the documentation will need to be submitted for a prior month.

Entrance ConferenceThe Area Specialist will schedule a time and date for the Entrance Conference • Superintendent• ADE• Child Nutrition Director• Anyone else Supt. or CND

wants to attend

Exit ConferenceThe Area Specialist will schedule a time and date for the Exit Conference • Superintendent• ADE• Child Nutrition Director• Anyone else the Reviewer,

Superintendent or CND wants to attend

Exit ConferenceThe Area Specialist will discuss ALL review findings with superintendent at the exit conference, including technical assistance provided, suggested corrective action, etc.

CRE Letter of Findings• CRE Findings letter will be mailed to

superintendent and copied to CND• Will include all deficiencies noted during the

review• Even deficiencies corrected at time of review

• Findings letter may be copied to other people or agencies as appropriate, for example:• Legislative Audit• Wellness Committee Chairperson• Health Department• USDA Southwest Regional Office

Corrective Action PlanFor any and all deficiencies found during the review, the SFA MUST provide a Corrective Action Plan (CAP). The Letter of Findings will include a DATE the CAP is due to ADE CNU.This DATE is very important. The School District MUST provide the CAP by the date requested.

Corrective Action Plan must address the areas of non-compliance and include any back up documentation required (for example revised verification collection report or sign in sheets from staff training).

Corrective Action PlanFiscal action is required for all violations for P.S. 1 & 2 which includes:1. Certification of eligibility for meal

benefits (applications, lists, etc.)2. Issuing benefits (rosters, class lists,

checklists, tickets)3. Meal counts and claiming4. Meal component errors

Follow-up ReviewIf the district FAILS the first CRE a Follow-up review (second CRE) is required.

If a district has problems but does not FAIL the CRE, follow-up visits may occur (announced or unannounced) to ensure the Corrective Action Plan submitted by the school district has been implemented and that it is WORKING to correct the problem(s) identified.

Technical AssistanceIf issues arise and technical assistance will resolve the issue, technical assistance will be provided. TA could be provided:• prior to the review• at the time of the review• after the review

If you have any questions prior to, during, or after the review, please contact your Area Specialist or Reviewer.

Questions and Answers