Federal Reports

Why We Did This Report

We conducted this evaluation to identify state-level trends in Resource Conservation and Recovery Act enforcement data for large quantity generators from 2020 through 2024.

Summary of Findings

From 2020 through 2024, the EPA and some authorized states did not fully meet their commitment to inspect all large quantity generators, or LQGs, within that five-year period.

From 2020 through 2024, the Department of Homeland Security, through the DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), contracted with N5 Sensors, Inc. (N5) to develop and deploy wildfire detection sensors that did not consistently detect fires or alert state and local partners to aid response efforts.  Failure to detect wildfires early and notify first responders can result in the increased loss of life and property, and otherwise avoidable costs associated with rebuilding damaged communities.   Both technological limitations and environmental factors caused wildfire sensor issues.  The wildfire sensors required additional training and operational data to improve AI algorithms for fire detection.  Wind speed and direction also negatively impacted the performance of wildfire sensors.   S&T’s contract with N5 ended on December 31, 2024.  As of April 2025, the S&T had no plans to further fund wildfire sensor detection technologies. 

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is commencing the Fiscal Year 2026 AbilityOne Commission (Commission) Financial Statement Audit.  The objective of the audit is to express an opinion on whether the Commission’s financial statements are presented fairly, in all material respects, in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

The Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990, P.L. 101-576, as amended by the Government Management Reform Act, P.L. 103-356, requires 24 major agencies of the Federal Government to prepare and submit audited financial statements.  For Federal entities not covered by the Chief Financial Officers Act, the Accountability of Tax Dollars Act of 2002 requires those Federal agencies and entities to prepare and submit audited financial statements to the Office of Management and Budget and Congress. 

The audit will be performed in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards (GAGAS), established by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Government Auditing Standards (2024 Revision).  The independent public accounting (IPA) firm Harper, Rains, Knight & Company (HRK) will conduct the audit, and the OIG will provide oversight as required by the IG Act of 1978, as amended.

Please be advised, the monitoring conducted by the OIG of HRK is not a product in accordance with GAGAS. The IPA firm is the principal auditor, and the OIG will not express an opinion on the U.S. AbilityOne Commission’s financial statements, internal controls over financial reporting, or compliance with laws and regulations. 

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is initiating an evaluation of the Commission’s information security program pursuant to the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA). 

The objective of the evaluation is to determine the effectiveness of the Commission’s information security program and practices.  The evaluation will assess information security program controls to support the OIG’s reporting of FISMA metrics into the Department of Homeland Security’s CyberScope application.  The independent public accounting firm Harper, Rains, Knight & Company will conduct the evaluation with the OIG providing oversight as required by the IG Act of 1978, as amended.

This review will be performed in accordance with the Quality Standards for Inspection and Evaluation issued by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. 

The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a healthcare inspection in response to an inquiry from Congressman Pete Aguilar and a complaint regarding patient care involving a nurse practitioner (NP) and physician assistant (PA) in the hematology/oncology section at the VA Loma Linda Healthcare System (system) in California. The OIG initiated the inspection in May 2025, conducted a site visit in June, and continued off-site inspection activities through November 2025.

The OIG determined that two of the NP’s patients, and two of the PA’s patients had hematology/oncology clinical care concerns. The Chief of Staff assessed the four patient cases through appropriate reviews; however, the Chief of Staff delayed the initiation of two peer reviews by approximately five months. Credentialing documentation confirmed that the NP and PA were credentialed and met Veterans Health Administration (VHA) requirements to provide hematology/oncology care at the facility. Service leaders supervised the NP and PA by completing focused and ongoing professional practice evaluations and appraisals, but delays occurred in completing the NP’s initial focused professional practice evaluation and a focused professional practice evaluation for additional privileges. Interviews revealed leaders’ lack of awareness of requirements and lack of a tracking system may have contributed to these delays. Ongoing professional practice evaluations were also historically late, though service leaders took corrective actions before the site visit. The OIG found the Chief of Staff had not designated collaborating physicians for the PA, which was corrected after OIG identified the issue.

The System Director concurred with the OIG’s two recommendations and shared plans and actions taken to address timely signing of designation memos for peer reviews and completion of focused professional practice evaluations. The OIG will continue to monitor VHA’s management changes to ensure effective programs for veterans.