Federal Reports

The Minority Business Development Agency’s (MBDA’s) Business Center program is a network of centers supporting minority business enterprises that are funded through cooperative agreements with private-sector entities, state entities, native entities, and institutes of higher education. MBDA has an oversight role to ensure that Business Centers meet the terms and conditions of their cooperative agreements and report accomplishments in a consistent, accurate manner.

We conducted this audit to follow up on a 2017 audit that found issues with how MBDA administers the Business Center program. The objective for this audit was to determine the adequacy of MBDA’s oversight of the MBDA Business Center program to ensure requirements are met.

We found significant issues with MBDA’s oversight and monitoring of its Business Center program, similar to our 2017 audit. Specifically, we found that MBDA did not (1) sufficiently monitor Business Center activities for compliance with award requirements, (2) ensure performance metrics reported by Business Centers were accurate and reliable, (3) address Business Center single audit findings, and (4) perform required Business Center site inspections. Consequently, MBDA cannot ensure that Business Centers comply with award terms and conditions. Further, MBDA cannot ensure that Business Center program goals are being met.

We recommended that MBDA consider improvements to monitoring and oversight when finalizing its plan for continuing operations as it implements Executive Order 14238.

This document discusses EAC OIG's planned oversight activities for fiscal year 2026.

The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) reviewed aspects of community care utilization at the VA Boston Healthcare System for fiscal year 2024. The system, part of Veterans Integrated Service Network 1, includes three VA medical centers and several outpatient clinics. VA direct care (provided at VA facilities) and VA community care (delivered by providers in the community paid by VA) were compared.

The patient population consists of 58,324 patients who received medical care at the system or through community care paid for by the system. Nearly all received primary and mental health care through VA direct care. About 97 percent of patients received specialty care services exclusively through VA direct care. Inpatient community care accounted for 12 percent of acute care bed-days. Most community care referrals were requested due to drive times.

The OIG assessed referral processes, appointment timeliness, and use of disqualified providers for community care services. About 83 percent of direct and 84 percent of community care referrals were activated within two days. Appointment setting met timeliness standards in 55 percent of direct and 53 percent of community care referrals. Over 90 percent of referrals were completed within 90 days of the requested date. However, some referrals lacked documentation of scheduled appointments.

The OIG found no community care referrals for primary care and less than 3 percent for mental health care. About 66 percent of mental health and 61 percent of specialty care community appointments met timeliness standards. No disqualified providers were found. 

In response to three recommendations, the System Director concurred with two recommendations and described enhancing reports of metrics for scheduling, completed appointments, wait times, and facility access and identifying opportunities to improve and refine practices. The System Director concurred in principle with one recommendation and committed to educating staff on consult documentation practices.

In keeping with its responsibilities under the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, the OIG monitored the audit of TVA's fiscal year 2025 financial statements performed by Ernst and Young LLP (EY) to assure their work complied with Government Auditing Standards. Our review of EY's work disclosed no instance in which the firm did not comply in all material respects with Government Auditing Standards.