Federal Reports

Under the home health prospective payment system (PPS), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services pays home health agencies (HHAs) a standardized payment for each 60-day episode of care that a beneficiary receives. The PPS payment covers intermittent skilled nursing and home health aide visits, therapy (physical, occupational, and speech-language pathology), medical social services, and medical supplies. Our prior audits of home health services identified significant overpayments to HHAs. These overpayments were largely the result of HHAs improperly billing for services to beneficiaries who were not confined to the home (homebound) or were not in need of skilled services.

An Amtrak Customer Service Representative in Los Angeles, California, received an 18-day suspension on December 7, 2020, and another resigned from the company on December 24, 2020, for violating company policy. Our investigation found that the employees participated in the manual pricing of an Amtrak fare for a family member without authorization. We found that the employees wrongfully extended substantially discounted travel to a family member of one of the employees, causing loss of revenue to the company.

The Inspector General Act of 1978 requires the Inspector General to prepare semiannual reports summarizing the activities of the Office of Inspector General for the preceding six-month periods. The semiannual reports are intended to keep the Secretary and the Congress fully informed of significant findings, progress the Agency has made and recommendations for improvement.

The Office of Inspector General issued this management alert to the Commission to help ensure a stronger future for the AbilityOne program. We synthesized the content of reports on the AbilityOne Commission and Programs using over 100 data points. The reports we analyzed provide specific recommendations that would enhance efficiency and confidence in the Agency, reduce identified deficiencies, and foster program growth. The reports show a consistent failure by Commission senior staff to resolve persistent problems in the management and administration of the Program. Action is needed to address the ineffective stewardship by senior staff. Establishing a sound organizational structure will enable the AbilityOne Program to achieve its potential.

The Postal Service uses trailers, including leased trailers, to transport mail products between plants, major mailers, and businesses. Routine evaluation of the trailer fleet is required to monitor daily trailer utilization and Postal Service policy requires the return or relocation of leased trailers not consistently used for periods of 10 days or more in a month. Our objective was to assess the management of the U.S. Postal Service’s leased trailers.

We investigated allegations that a superintendent with the National Park Service (NPS) promoted his personal real estate business when performing official duties as a park superintendent.We found that the superintendent violated relevant standards of conduct and the Code of Federal Regulations by misusing public office for private gain and by creating an appearance that the Government endorsed the superintendent’s real estate business. We determined that the superintendent attended a board of directors meeting of an NPS partner group while in the official capacity as an NPS superintendent. According to a board member who attended the meeting, the superintendent, wearing an official NPS uniform, gave a member and other attendees his personal business card. The business card listed the superintendent as a real estate agent. The superintendent also used the NPS superintendent title on a personal Twitter account that promoted his real estate business.This is a summary of an investigative report we issued to the NPS regional director.

The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Amendments Act of 1990 (Stewart B. McKinney Act) established the PATH program, which is administered at the Federal level by SAMHSA. SAMHSA awards PATH grants to States using a formula. States use the grants to fund local public and nonprofit organizations, known as PATH providers. The PATH program supports outreach and other services to individuals with serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless. To be eligible for PATH program services, individuals must be age 18 and older, suffering from serious mental illnesses, and homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless. (We refer to these individuals as “consumers” throughout the report.) SAMHSA requires States, as part of their application for PATH funds, to develop their own operational definitions of the terms “homeless individual,” “imminent risk of becoming homeless,” and “serious mental illness.”States awarded PATH funds must enter into formal written agreements with grant subrecipients that address PATH program requirements. Further, States must meet cost-sharing obligations for non-Federal contributions towards their PATH programs. Additionally, at the end of each grant period, grantees are required to submit to SAMHSA a Statewide Annual PATH Report that details their PATH program activities. Finally, States must complete a financial closeout of their PATH grants to determine if PATH program costs were allowable, properly allocated, or if any unused funds should have been returned to the Federal Government. As part of the financial closeout process, States must file a final Federal Financial Report (FFR) that details the amount of Federal and non-Federal costs incurred on their PATH grants (45 CFR § 75.381(a)).New York’s PATH program is administered at the State level by its Office of Mental Health (OMH). For the grant period we reviewed, SAMHSA awarded New York $4.2 million in PATH grant funds, which OMH distributed to 8 counties. These 8 counties contracted with a total of 20 non-profit organizations and local governments to provide PATH services to 4,126 enrolled consumers. In addition to PATH grant funds, these providers received financial assistance from Federal, State, and local government agencies to fund their various programs. OMH requires counties and PATH providers to submit consolidated fiscal reports that include the costs and claiming schedules for all OMH-administered programs they operate, including the PATH program