Appendix B – Methodology
| Methodology | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Interviews | The audit team held interviews with employees in SDPM, Centralized Operations Division, Finance and Program Policy to understand internal controls, training, roles and responsibilities, compliance with policies, risk assessment process regarding income offsets, and to corroborate the document review. |
| Direct observation | The audit team conducted virtual direct observation of processes with selected VAC employees for first applications and recalculations to obtain an understanding of and assess the effectiveness and adequacy of the controls and compliance with policies, guidelines, and processes. |
| Documentation review |
The audit team reviewed documentation to determine whether VAC employees have access to the appropriate tools and training (guidance, methodologies, and procedures) for making IRB calculation decisions. The audit team reviewed documentation to determine if employee roles and responsibilities for IRB calculations are clear and properly communicated. The audit team reviewed departmental legislation and regulations to understand key requirements. The audit team reviewed documentation to determine whether VAC has adequately documented its risk management practices related to income offsets and whether they have appropriately responded to the identified risks by implementing internal controls. |
| File review | The audit team conducted a review of IRB first applications to assess compliance with key components of the IRB policy, and to determine if proper documentation was obtained to support the calculations. |