AGA TOPICS Newsletter

Louisiana State Office Allows Leave, Reimbursement for CGFM

Louisiana’s Office of the Legislative Auditor is now providing educational leave and reimbursement to employees who earn AGA’s CGFM certification. The office, which employs a large number of certified public accountants in the state of Louisiana, recently changed its policy to allow employees educational leave to take the three examinations. Employees who earn their CGFM certification can also be reimbursed for the costs of educational courses and the examination fees, for a maximum of $1,000. Before the change, staff had to pay those fees out of their own pockets.

“When you have the support of management, it encourages staff to go forward and get additional certifications,” said AGA Past National President Jullin Renthrope, CGFM, manager in the financial audit division. “We are encouraging our staff to pursue the certification because it directly applies to what we are doing.” The Legislative Auditor’s Office oversees more than 3,500 audits of state and local governments and other quasi-public entities.

Renthrope said staff in the office’s compliance audit, performance audit and financial audit divisions could all benefit from earning the CGFM certification, a broad-based credential that covers financial management at all three levels of government.

“I’ve always thought that as many as possible should obtain that certification,” Renthrope said. Governmental accounting is a specialized field that is not widely taught at colleges and universities. Attending the preparatory classes, studying and passing the three CGFM Examinations provides a solid base of knowledge. “It’s an excellent opportunity to put them far ahead of anybody without that level of knowledge in the government arena,” Renthrope said.

He said more private-sector accountants who work with government agencies are earning their CGFM certification. “We need to jump on this bandwagon too, so we can be competitive with these accounting and auditing firms,” he said.

The Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office joins a growing list of government entities that recognize the CGFM—through reimbursement of fees, course costs, or even pay increases in some cases.

By: Christina M. Camara