Federal Reports

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this inspection report to present the results of our assessment of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) initial response to the Maui wildfire disaster, including staffing, loan application volume, and timeliness of disaster loan approvals. We found SBA’s initial response to the Maui wildfire disaster was timely and effective. On the day of the Presidential disaster declaration, SBA placed personnel in locations throughout Hawaii to support businesses and residents impacted by the wildfires. Within 6 days of the Presidential disaster declaration, SBA representatives were stationed at the first Disaster Recovery Center and Business Recovery Center on Maui and provided timely disaster loan assistance to survivors.While SBA successfully navigated disaster assistance challenges such as increased customer service calls and loan applications, we identified an opportunity for improvement that may be beneficial in future disasters – specifically, a standard way to quickly adjust staffing levels as the volume of activity shifts at each center. We suggested SBA management routinely conduct a staffing needs assessment throughout a disaster to ensure recovery centers are adequately staffed based on customer demand and workload.SBA management disagreed with our suggestion and stated that SBA regularly examines staffing levels and will continue to do so as it navigates future disaster assistance challenges. Management further stated that a new system is not needed because of the existing system that is in place.

This Office of Inspector General (OIG) Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program report describes the results of a focused evaluation of the quality of care delivered in the inpatient and outpatient settings of the VA Central Iowa Health Care System, which includes the Des Moines VA Medical Center and multiple outpatient clinics in Iowa. This evaluation focused on five key operational areas:• Leadership and organizational risks• Quality, safety, and value• Medical staff privileging• Environment of care• Mental health (suicide prevention initiatives)The OIG issued three recommendations for improvement in two areas:1. Medical staff privileging• Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluations by providers with equivalent specialized training and similar privileges• Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation activities2. Mental health• Comprehensive Suicide Risk Evaluation completion

As required by the Inspector General Act of 1978 (as amended), this Semiannual Report summarizes the activities of the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General for the preceding 6-month period.

OIG reviewed the Forest Service to determine the likely level of sophistication an attacker would need to compromise selected USDA systems or data. OIG made one recommendation to FS and reached management decision on it.

2024 Peer Review Results of the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Investigations Division

What We Looked AtThe Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) oversees approximately $350 billion appropriated for FHWA programs and activities by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021. To ensure proper planning and budgeting, each State Department of Transportation (State DOT) must submit a Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) that includes all projects planned for implementation over a period of at least 4 years. Given the amount of funding under IIJA, we initiated this audit. Our objectives were to assess whether FHWA (1) issued guidance to support States’ STIP planning, (2) provided timely technical assistance to support States’ STIP development, and (3) provided continued monitoring and oversight of the Division Offices’ updated STIP standard operating procedures.What We FoundFHWA has not finalized all planned guidance to help State DOTs administer IIJA programs and develop STIPs. As of November 2023, the Agency was working on 4 of 22 guidance areas related to IIJA. Federal control standards call for agencies to communicate the information necessary to achieve objectives. FHWA’s lack of complete guidance may increase the risk that IIJA funding will not achieve intended benefits and cause increased project costs. Furthermore, FHWA’s delays in technical assistance to State DOTs on IIJA-funded projects can impact States’ administrative efficiency. It took the Agency up to 5 months to fulfill two requests from one State DOT. Such delays in other States may increase the risk of adverse effects on STIP development for IIJA-funded projects. FHWA has provided guidance to Division Offices on standard operating procedures (SOPs) for STIP reviews and approvals but lacks policy on reviews of updated SOPs. This lack of policy can increase the Agency’s oversight risks.Our RecommendationsWe made three recommendations to help FHWA improve oversight of STIPs that include IIJA-funded projects. FHWA concurred with one recommendation and partially concurred with the other two. We consider all three recommendations resolved but open pending completion of planned actions.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this management advisory to bring to your attention concerns regarding how the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) manages its Information Technology (IT) systems. OIG has reported on significant IT investment internal control issues over the last 6 years, which the agency has also identified without taking meaningful action to resolve. These issues include:• The governance board did not meet as required to oversee IT investments,• Performance against established baselines was not reported,• Critical system capabilities were missing, and• Corrective actions were not taken for underperforming investments.These issues require immediate attention as a strong IT governance framework enables the agency to achieve mission goals and objectives while safeguarding taxpayer funds. An efficient IT framework will help the agency better deliver SBA programs and services, particularly in times of crisis.SBA management agreed with five recommendations and partially agreed with one. To address these recommendations, the agency is planning to implement corrective measures, including updating applicable policies, procedures, and evidentiary documentation.