Review of COVID-19 Cares Act Marine Fisheries Assistance Grant Program

We conducted a limited review of the New Jersey COVID-19 CARES Act Marine Fisheries Assistance Grant Program administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). We evaluated whether DEP took appropriate steps to prevent and detect fraud, waste, abuse, and improper payments in its administration of the program; whether program recipients disclosed other sources of COVID-19 assistance received; whether program recipients had been made “more than whole” by their receipt of assistance from the Fishery Program; and whether program recipients had accurately documented their annual revenue and March to June revenue for the period 2015 to 2020. Overall, OSC found that DEP acted in accordance with federal guidance, which prioritized the rapid distribution of funding and allowed for self-certifications and self-reporting. But quick payments should not have been the only goal.