Federal Reports

We audited $137.7 million of costs billed to the Tennessee Valley Authority by Framatome Inc. under Contract No. 8786 to determine if costs billed to TVA were in compliance with contract's terms. We determined the costs billed by Framatome Inc. generally complied with the contract except for $80,862.(Summary Only)

Both the Burbank, CA, Main Office and Downtown Station sites are in the California 3 District of the WestPac Area. OIG data analytics identified these two sites as having large retail floor stamp inventory count shortages from October 1, 2019 through January 31, 2021. Retail associates who work at window services do not have a stamp stock inventory assigned and instead work from a shared retail floor stamp inventory. The objective of this audit was to determine whether the Burbank Main Office and Downtown Station properly accounted for stamps, money orders, and cash.

Why OIG Did This Audit The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) use of “other transactions” (OTs), which are special award instruments that are generally not subject to Federal laws and regulations that apply to traditional award instruments, increased by $314 million from 2016 to 2019. The Federal Government generally uses OTs for high-risk, high-reward research and development projects. Although OTs are subject to fewer restrictions than contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements, they must be awarded and administered in a way that ensures proper stewardship of Federal funds.From October 1, 2016, through September 30, 2019 (audit period), the NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) awarded $84.3 million in Federal funds under 29 OTs.Our objective was to determine whether NHLBI complied with applicable Federal requirements for awarding and administering OTs.How OIG Did This AuditOur audit covered a judgmental sample of 12 OTs totaling $71.9 million that NHLBI awarded and administered during the audit period.Our audit procedures focused on whether NHLBI documentation for the sampled OTs provided evidence of compliance with Federal requirements. This audit is responsive to a U.S. Office of Special Counsel complaint referral.

Ryan Kane, a resident of Pennsylvania, was sentenced in U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, to time served, three years supervised release, and a $100 special assessment for his part in an Amtrak ticket fraud scheme. As part of his sentence, Kane was ordered to pay $124,544 in restitution; $35,000 of which is owed solely by Kane and $89,544 of which is owed jointly with co-conspirator Christian Newby. As a condition of his release, Kane was sentenced to 12 months of home detention with electronic monitoring. Kane previously pleaded guilty to theft of government funds after our investigation found that he participated in a scheme to defraud Amtrak and others by using stolen credit card information from more than 10 credit cards to purchase Amtrak tickets online.

The OIG investigated allegations that a Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) superintendent and one of the superintendent’s coworkers influenced the award of a subcontract on a BIE contract to a business owned by a family member of the superintendent. We also investigated allegations that the superintendent instructed other BIE employees to perform work for the family member’s business while on duty.We found no evidence the superintendent directly influenced the award of the contract because we found no evidence that the prime contractor had substantive contact with the superintendent before selecting subcontractors. We did find, however, that the superintendent’s coworker included the family member’s company on a list of recommended subcontractors sent to the prime contractor, which violated standing guidance. This failure may have contributed to an appearance of improper influence.We confirmed that BIE employees assisted subcontractors with tasks at the project site but did not find evidence that, in allowing this, the superintendent’s position was misused to benefit the family member’s business.

This Office of Inspector General (OIG) Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program report provides a focused evaluation of the quality of care delivered in the inpatient and outpatient settings of the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center and multiple outpatient clinics in Michigan and Ohio. The inspection covers key clinical and administrative processes that are associated with promoting quality care. This inspection focused on Leadership and Organizational Risks; COVID-19 Pandemic Readiness and Response; Quality, Safety, and Value; Medical Staff Privileging; Medication Management: Long-Term Opioid Therapy for Pain; Mental Health: Suicide Prevention Program; Care Coordination: Life-Sustaining Treatment Decisions; Women’s Health: Comprehensive Care; and High-Risk Processes: Reusable Medical Equipment.The medical center executive leadership team appeared stable. All positions were permanently assigned and only the assistant director had been in the role for less than a year. Employee survey items revealed that leaders appeared to have created a positive workplace environment where employees felt safe bringing forth issues and concerns. Patient experience survey data indicated satisfaction with inpatient care provided and highlighted opportunities to improve veterans’ experiences in the outpatient settings. The OIG’s review of the medical center’s accreditation findings, sentinel events, and disclosures did not identify any substantial organizational risk factors. Leaders were generally knowledgeable about selected data used in Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning models and should continue to take actions to sustain and improve performance.The OIG issued nine recommendations for improvement in five areas:(1) Quality, Safety, and Value• Improvement action implementation(2) Medical Staff Privileging• Ongoing professional practice evaluations• Provider exit reviews(3) Mental Health• Suicide safety plans• Staff training(4) Women’s Health• Women Veterans Health Committee structure and reporting(5) High-Risk Processes• Daily cleaning schedule• Storage and reprocessing areas temperature and humidity• Staff continuing education