California A.G.

Repost: 2018 nonprofit risk alert is available. New edition adds discussion on valuation of GIK as rebuttal to California AG.

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.

Update:  This is a repost of an article on June 11, 2018. As I mentioned last summer, some newly added comments in this risk alert entered heavily into the decision by an Administrative Law Judge finding the charities complied with GAAP.

Some particular items of note for those who enjoy deep inside-baseball tidbits from the accounting world: 

  • discussion of GIK, especially paragraph .53 was added this year,
  • discussion in paragraphs .53 and .176 are directly responsive to the AG’s argument,
  • there is an overlap of ARL staffing with the R&D sector & auditors of that sector, and
  • the hard-fought, everybody-does-it-so-that-makes-it-right, spend-$475K-to-fight-the-IRS position on mebendazole has changed from the previously no-good, can’t-rely-on-it, non-representational pricing guide from five years ago now being the AICPA recommended standard for pricing.

So, here are some on-point comments from last summer with a few minor updates:

 

The AICPA has released the 2018 edition of Not-for-Profit Entities Industry Developments.

If you are a CPA serving the not-for-profit community, you need to read this document each year. It provides a survey of the accounting and auditing issues affecting the nonprofit world.

If you are an auditor, there are several other risk alerts you ought to be reading every year.

If you are working for a nonprofit, these alerts would give you a good survey of accounting issues in general and the audit issues your CPA will be dealing with this year.

Valuation of Gifts in Kind

(more…)

Jim Ulvog

Preliminary ruling in favor of charities for the California AG’s cease and desist order for GIK valuation – part 5

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.

In resolving the Cease and Desist order against three charities, the Administrative Law Judge hearing the appeal cited paragraph .58 of the 2018 Audit Risk Alert as being directly on point.  I perceive the comments in the 2018 risk alert were prepared in light of the AG’s case.

Paragraphs in the section containing .58 will be quoted for more context since that will likely be helpful for people reading all the way through this series of posts.

Introduction to this series of posts explained the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing the appeal of the California AG’s C&D order ruled in favor of the charities on the GAAP compliance issue.

The basis for his decision was that the charities’ expert witnesses were more persuasive than the government’s expert witness.

Another post illustrated why attorneys quibble so vigorously and described the remaining issue of whether the charitable solicitations by the charities are misleading.

Previous post explained where the case is now and the remaining issue of allegedly misleading solicitations.

2018 Audit Risk Alert

This discussion is new in the 2018 risk alert. Maybe I missed it, but word searches and browsing the 2012 and 2014 through 2017 risk alerts did not reveal more than a couple of brief mentions of GIK valuation with those comments not much deeper than identifying GIK as an issue.

(more…)

Jim Ulvog

Preliminary ruling in favor of charities for the California AG’s cease and desist order for GIK valuation – part 4

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.

 

Introduction to this series of posts explained the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing the appeal of the California AG’s Cease and Desist order against three charities has decided in favor of the charities.

The basis for his decision was that the charities’ expert witnesses were more persuasive than the government’s expert witness.

Yesterday’s post illustrated why attorneys quibble so vigorously and described the remaining issue of whether the charitable solicitations by the charities are misleading.

Today’s post mentions where the case is now and the remaining issue of allegedly misleading solicitations.

Is GAAP the real world?

The ALJ discusses his reasoning for continuing the hearing to address the allegedly mislead appeals, raising the entertaining question of whether this separate world with its rarefied atmosphere containing its own set of exquisitely detailed rules we call GAAP has an overlap with the real world where actual people actually reside and lead actual lives.

Additional testimony and a separate decision will resolve that issue for this case.

The ALJ’s comments:

(more…)

Jim Ulvog

Preliminary ruling in favor of charities for the California AG’s cease and desist order for GIK valuation – part 3

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.

Introduction to this series of posts explained the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing the appeal of the California AG’s Cease and Desist order against three charities has decided in favor of the charities.

The basis for his decision, as mentioned yesterday, was that the charities’ expert witnesses were more persuasive than the government’s expert witness.

Are the charities’ appeals misleading?

The remaining issue in the case is whether the charitable solicitations were misleading to donors.

The state alleged that the financial statements did not comply with GAAP and as a separate matter that solicitations to donors were misleading.

(more…)

Jim Ulvog

Preliminary ruling in favor of charities for the California AG’s cease and desist order for GIK valuation – part 2

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.

Introduction to this series of posts yesterday explained the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing the appeal of the California AG’s Cease and Desist order against three charities has decided in favor of the charities.

Preliminary ruling

The ALJ concluded that the testimony from the charities’ expert witnesses was more persuasive than that of the AG’s expert witness.  On that basis, the ALJ concluded the AG did not prove its case that the financial statements were in violation of GAAP.

I will summarize and quote some of the comments in the transcript and provide select quotes on the assumption many of my readers won’t download and read the transcript for the day. As a matter of my style choice, I will only use the first letter of the last name of witnesses and attorneys.

The basis for conclusion is whose arguments were more persuasive. The ALJ decided the charities had better expert witnesses.

He said:

(more…)

Jim Ulvog

Preliminary ruling in favor of charities for the California AG’s cease and desist order for GIK valuation – part 1

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.

On December 11, 2018, the administrative law judge (ALJ) hearing the case by the California Attorney General against Food for the Poor (FftP), MAP International (MAP), and Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) announced his preliminary determination.

The ALJ concluded that the state did not prove its claim that the financial statements of the three charities violated GAAP.

(more…)

Jim Ulvog

Recap of known state and federal interest in medical GIK

Superior court facade in downtown Los Angeles, California. Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.

There are a number of state and federal actions visible for financial reporting by charities. Focus of the efforts currently is valuation of GIK and the impact of those valuations on fund raising appeals. Perhaps a recap of those efforts will provide some helpful context to the charity community.

Update: End of this post describes the change in accounting over the last seven years in terms of how to value meds that legally may not be distributed in the U.S.  Hint: a 180 degree change.

Today is the 9th day of out of 15 days scheduled for hearings on the California AG’s cease and desist order (C&DO) for MAP International (MAP), Food for the Poor (FftP), and Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB).

Here is the list of publicly visible Attorneys General who are focusing on financial statements of the large medical GIK charities:

California:

(more…)

Jim Ulvog

Filings to seek depositions in the California AG’s cease and desist orders regarding three charities

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.

The battle over the AG’s cease and desist order is in the appeal stage. Hearings are in day 6 out of 15 scheduled days.

The appeal is taking place in the state Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH). An Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) is overseeing the appeal.

This is the second in a series of posts describing some of the filings in the public record regarding the enforcement action and the appeals by the charities.

I have one stray follow-up comment to my previous post and then will dive into the filings about obtaining depositions from people living outside the state. Those individuals are not subject to an order to appear in person before the OAH.

Might want to get a fresh cup of coffee. This will be a long read. If you are at all interested in this case, you will find lots of interesting background info here.

Oh, everything I mention here is based on public documents available from the OAH.

Follow-up on Pro Hac Vice – FftP filed with OAH to get one of their attorneys granted Pro Hac Vice permission to practice in the state. This attorney is the lead litigator for the law firm on non-profit issues. Of note is the motion says it is unopposed by the AG. The OAH ruled they do not have authority to grant Pro Hac Vice. I don’t fully understand the reasoning, but I think it is essentially that the state bar or a court grants such status and the OAH is neither the state bar nor a trial court that can grant the permission. So, another motion, running 60 pages in length, was filed with the Superior Court of the county of Los Angeles. That court agreed it had authority and granted the attorney Pro Hac Vice status.

The docket shows a notice filed by MAP regarding Pro Hac Vice. I didn’t read it and assume it was announcing the same results for their counsel. I didn’t see anything on the docket from CMMB.

Protocol for naming individuals mentioned in filings

As I started this series of posts, I pondered how to name the individuals that are mentioned.

Full name? Initials? First name and initial of last name? No name?

Here is my conclusion:

For only the expert witnesses, my posts will list the person’s full name. Those individuals want to be in the public eye and want to be known as an expert. It looks like they usually speak in public on a regular basis. Thus I am comfortable listing their full name.

For everyone else in the case, such as management and staff of the charities along with partners and staff of CPA firms, it is different. They did not sign up to be in the public spotlight, so I’ll skip their last names. My posts will list their first name and first initial of the last name. I’ll also list job title or job description along with their employer when pertinent. Those in the know already know who has been dragged into the case.

Obtaining permission to obtain depositions

The AG wanted to depose a number of people who reside outside California but cannot be compelled to attend a hearing by the OAH. Thus the process the AG had to follow is request the ALJ to approve taking depositions.  The charities can file objections, which they did. (Charities unsuccessfully claimed these constitute discovery, which is not allowed under OAH regulations.). After addressing objections, the ALJ then issues orders allowing certain people to be deposed. The AG then goes to the Superior Court to request an enforceable order for those individuals to be deposed.

(more…)

Jim Ulvog

Court filings in California AG’s cease and desist order against three charities

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.

I’m reading through the filings for the AG’s cease and desist order against MAP International, Catholic Medical Mission Board, and Food for the Poor. The hearing on the order is underway this week. It will continue for the next two weeks, according to the schedule.

Although the filings are public information, they are not available on the Internet. Instead, they must be obtained directly from the state. It took several phone calls, and getting forwarded to another office, but I did reach the person responsible for responding to media requests. When I finally reached the right person, she was extremely helpful and very prompt.

So, I now have a huge amount of reading to do.

As time is available over the next few days and weeks I will comment on different things visible in the filings.

 

A few preliminary thoughts.

This is a major battle. The charities are responding accordingly.

(more…)

Jim Ulvog

Hearings start tomorrow on California AG’s Cease and Desist Orders against three charities

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.

Calendar at the Office of Administrative Hearing’s website still shows the appeal hearings on the AG’s Cease and Desist Order start tomorrow, November 27, at 10 a.m. in downtown Los Angeles. Hearings continue the next 14 days at 9 a.m.

(more…)

Jim Ulvog

Comments in financial statements of three charities appealing California AG’s Cease and Desist Order. Part 3 of 3.

Appeals of the AG’s C&D Order will be heard by an administrative law judge. Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.

There are a number of pieces of information of public interest in the most recent financial statements for the three charities who received cease and desist orders from the California Attorney General. The appeal hearings start in a week, on November 27, 2018.

Part 1 of this series provided background, an executive summary, and a short discussion of Catholic Medical Mission Board’s disclosed accounting policy. Part 2 discussed the Food for the Poor financials.

This post will discuss the MAP International financials. Might want to get a fresh cup of coffee since this is a long read because it quotes the accounting policy in 2017 and 2016 along with a transition comment from the 2014 financials.

Previous post discussed the 12/31/16 financials for FftP, 9/30/17 financials for CMMB, and 9/30/16 financials for MAP.  FftP and MAP have since issued their next year’s report; CMMB has not.

MAP International

The 9/30/16 financials were available for issue on February 2, 2017, about 4 months after year-end.

The audited financials for the year ending September 30, 2017 have a date on the audit report of September 27, 2018. That means the 9/30/17 financials were released, or available for issue, on 9/27/18, about twelve months after the fiscal year-end. Audit report is from the Lawrenceville, Georgia office of Capin Crouse.

This means the 2017 financials were prepared with knowledge of the AG’s allegations and known status of the case as of September 2018.

(more…)

Jim Ulvog

Comments in financial statements of three charities appealing California AG’s Cease and Desist Order. Part 2.

At issue in the AG’s claim: how should pallets of donated meds be valued if restricted by donor for distribution overseas? Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.

There are a number of pieces of information of public interest in the most recent financial statements for the three charities who received cease and desist orders from the California Attorney General. The appeal hearings start in about a week, on November 27, 2018.

Part 1 of this series provided background, an executive summary, and a short discussion of CMMB’s financials. This post discusses the Food for the Poor (FftP) financials. Part 3 will discuss the MAP financials.

Previous post discussed the 12/31/16 financials for FftP, 9/30/17 financials for CMMB, and 9/30/16 financials for MAP.  FftP and MAP have since issued their next year’s report; CMMB has not.

Food for the Poor

(more…)

Jim Ulvog

Comments in financial statements of three charities appealing California AG’s Cease and Desist Order. Part 1 of 3.

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.

Just checked on the most recent financial statements for the three charities who received cease and desist orders from the California Attorney General. The appeal hearings start in a week, on November 27, 2018.

Found a number of pieces of information in the financials that are of public interest to this developing story. Will point out some of the information now. Later on, as time allows, I’ll provide some commentary on the disclosures.

Previous post discussed the 12/31/16 financials for FftP, 9/30/17 financials for CMMB, and 9/30/16 financials for MAP.  FftP and MAP have since issued their next year’s report; CMMB has not.

This discussion will be in three parts.

Executive Summary

All three charities disclose they use wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) to value donated medicine.

(more…)

Jim Ulvog

Appeal of three Cease and Desist Orders from California AG set for hearing before an administrative law judge.

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.

Here are the hearing dates for the three charities accused by the California AG of overstating revenue and program expenses.

As you recall, the AG filed cease and desist orders against three charities. The charities have all appealed the order.

The calendar for the appeals can be tracked at the Office of Administrative Hearings website.  On the right side of the page, third option from the top, is Calendar – General Jurisdiction.

Scheduling info is:

(more…)

Jim Ulvog

Food for the Poor settles allegations in Michigan AG’s Cease and Desist Order

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.

On October 1, 2018, Mark Hrywna reports in Nonprofit Times that Food For the Poor Settles With Michigan AG. The settlement calls for FFP to pay the state $300,000 and to revise its fundraising appeals.

Action is based on 2015 financial data. The filed data shows 96.5% of all expenses are categorized as program services, according to the article.  The AG asserts that if gifts-in-kind are excluded, program services would be about 67%.

The AG issued a cease and desist order in December 2017. More on that later in this post.

Might want to get a fresh cup of coffee. This will be a long read.

My summary of the numbers mentioned in Attorney General’s Cease and Desist Order:

 $ total expense $program  $ supporting svc  prog %
 per filing             1,157.5    1,117.0                     40.5 96.5%
 GIK             1,033.3    1,033.3
 cash exp.                124.2         83.7                     40.5 67.4%

 

One particular fundraising pitch is mentioned in the article. FFP conducted a “6 Cents Appeal”, in which it claimed, quoting the article quoting the campaign, that “It only takes 6 cents to provide a meal for a starving child.” The AG took exception to this campaign for multiple reasons. More later in this post.

Article says FFP denies the accusations which leaves us in the typical situation seen in such settlements:  While denying the quite serious allegations, the charity will write a $300,000 check from donor funds to pay the state since they did nothing wrong and change their fundraising materials, all of which was actually fine, with both those actions done voluntarily since they didn’t do anything inappropriate.

Dropping the smart alack tone, I really do understand why such comments are absolutely necessary in negotiating a settlement, especially since the California AG still has a separate Cease and Desist Order under appeal. It still rubs me the wrong way, but that’s just me.

Press release from AG

(more…)

Jim Ulvog