Audit Response Plan.

Meet a real audit with the right professionals, accurate records, and composure, because when an audit comes, the response determines the outcome and it is not a solo task.

The fourth step of protecting against clawbacks, when an audit is under way.

Part A. Get the right people, from the start

A nonprofit accountant experienced in your program, and an attorney where the audit is large or touches truthfulness (professionals engaged)

Board informed (a material audit is a governance matter) (yes / no)

Part B. Respond well

Organize the requested records, respond accurately and only to what is asked, meet every deadline, and let the professionals guide the strategy, especially on anything touching truthfulness. Never guess, minimize, or misstate to an auditor.

Part C. Learn from it

Feed what the audit found back into the Service Documentation Standard and the Self-Audit Protocol, so the next look-back is easier. Lessons fed back

The edge, not optional: billing a government payer for services not delivered as documented is fraud under laws, including the False Claims Act, that carry penalties far beyond repaying the money, including personal and criminal exposure. Never handle a serious audit alone, and the instant a question of truthfulness arises, get an attorney.

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