Federal Reports

Between March 2020 and March 2024, the Department of State (DoS) issued more than 12 million nonimmigrant U.S. visas without conducting in-person interviews or collecting fingerprints.  At the time, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) frontline officers at U.S. ports of entry conducting inspections were unaware that some foreign nationals had not been fully screened by DoS, thereby missing an opportunity to conduct enhanced screening and inspection prior to admission to the United States. 

In August 2022, the PACT Act significantly expanded veterans’ eligibility for benefits and services for conditions related to toxic exposure. The expansion added further complexity to VBA’s claims determination process, particularly given the voluminous guidance issued for nonpresumptive conditions—those conditions for which service connection cannot be granted on a presumptive basis. Notably, the law opened a new path for service connection for veterans with nonpresumptive conditions related to toxic exposure risk activity (TERA). The VA OIG conducted this review from October 2023 through May 2025 to determine whether VBA staff processed decisions in compliance with TERA procedures under the PACT Act that denied nonpresumptive conditions. The OIG focused on denials because of the potential impact of incorrect decisions on benefits received by veterans.

The review found VBA’s oversight lagged in ensuring accurate processing of nonpresumptive conditions under the PACT Act. While VBA took steps to improve PACT Act claims processing, these efforts have not remedied the problem of various inaccuracies related to nonpresumptive conditions. An OIG statistical analysis estimated 61 percent of all nonpresumptive, TERA-related decisions under the PACT Act that VBA denied from May 1 through August 31, 2023, had processing errors—some of which could have affected veterans’ benefits. For example, some errors showed that claims processors did not accurately identify toxic exposure claims, research and verify veterans’ participation in a TERA, request a medical exam and opinion regarding toxic exposure, or appropriately include key information in decisions for nonpresumptive conditions. Furthermore, PACT Act guidance is difficult for staff to navigate because it is frequently updated and spread among several different sources. VBA needs to improve its oversight to mitigate and prevent inconsistencies and errors. VBA concurred with the OIG’s three recommendations to correct processing errors, consolidate guidance, and evaluate controls.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, authorized $1 billion in appropriations for the purchase and installation of renewable energy, energy storage, and other grid technologies. The Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office (GDO) will administer the $1 billion through the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund (PR-ERF) Program, which focuses on energy resilience investments to grow Puerto Rico’s clean energy economy, while pursuing the goal to meet 100 percent of its electricity needs with renewable energy by 2050.
We initiated this inspection to determine the GDO’s readiness to implement the PR-ERF Program.

We found that the GDO was not fully prepared to implement the PR ERF Program, as it had not developed the requisite oversight tools and resources to conduct separate and appropriate oversight to ensure that it will meet its intended goals and objectives. We identified six areas related to the GDO’s implementation of the PR-ERF Program where additional oversight and resources are needed.

The lack of preparedness and planned oversight occurred due to the GDO’s reliance on other entities. Specifically, while the GDO delegated management and execution duties to other entities, it did not assess the readiness and ability of these entities to oversee the PR-ERF Program, nor prepare a plan to oversee the work performed by these entities.

The GDO’s ability to achieve PR-ERF Program objectives is vulnerable without the establishment of independent, robust oversight, and resources.

To address the issues identified in this report, we have made one recommendation that, if fully implemented, should help ensure that the GDO’s oversight tools and resources are adequate for the PR-ERF Program.  

What Was Inspected
The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted an inspection of two DFC loan finance agreements. The agreements reviewed involved the FS India Solar Ventures Pvt. Ltd. (First Solar) and Biological E Limited (Bio E) projects, which are both based in India. DFC’s loan agreements with First Solar and Bio E totaled $500 million and $50 million, respectively. The OIG’s inspection objective was to evaluate each project’s compliance with agreement terms and progress with established impact metrics. 

What Was Found
The OIG found that DFC officials did not receive the annual environmental and social (E&S) reports for Bio E required under the finance agreement. Additionally, DFC’s oversight of the First Solar project could be strengthened to monitor ongoing E&S compliance with deliverable requirements under the finance agreement. The OIG found mixed progress on the impact outcomes for both projects. Both the Bio E and First Solar agreements required the submission of specific document deliverables 
throughout each project’s lifecycle and annual reporting on established impact outcomes.

The OIG inspection determined that:
•  DFC did not adhere to established internal policies and procedures, resulting in insufficient E&S monitoring of the $50 million Bio E investment.
•  DFC officials did not receive the annual E&S reports for Bio E required under the finance agreement, and one deliverable was received three months after the deadline specified in the finance agreement.
•  DFC officials did not follow policies and procedures for maintaining the required project deliverables within Insight.
•  DFC did not obtain required annual audits from several of First Solar’s supply chain material and component supplier vendors, nor did it verify that identified monitoring procedures for the construction of the First Solar facility were followed with respect to labor and working condition standards.
• The Bio E project made progress meeting two core impact projections, while the First Solar project is still in the process of achieving its impact projections.
 

• The universal service obligation (USO) guarantees all citizens within a country affordable, consistent postal service, regardless of location. However, declining mail volume and market competition have made it harder for postal operators worldwide to sustain the costs of providing the USO.
• To address these challenges, many countries are modifying their USOs by reducing delivery days, slowing service standards, changing requirements for the network of post offices, or reducing the scope of products within the USO. Depending on the country, the authority to change the USO may rest in national law, a government ministry, or a postal regulator.
• The United States’ USO legal framework is unique because there is no government department directly responsible for postal policy or a specific formal process to adjust it. Except for the six-day delivery mandate, postal law defines the USO in broad qualitative terms, which allows the Postal Service discretion to interpret the USO and adjust parameters, such as service standards or retail access, to balance service quality and financial sustainability.
• Should a reevaluation of the United States’ USO framework take place in the future, the experience of other countries highlights the value of assessing user needs and engaging stakeholders to promote an evidence-based, transparent approach to reviewing the USO.