Federal Reports

During fiscal year 2019, we reviewed package scanning procedures at 25 Postal Service delivery units to determine if employees were properly scanning packages. During our audits, we found that Postal Service employees were not always following package scanning procedures at 21 of the 25 units. Customers rely on accurate scan data to track their packages in real time. When employees do not scan mailpieces correctly, customers are unable to determine the actual status of their packages. By improving scanning operations, management can potentially improve mail visibility, increase customer satisfaction, and enhance the customer experience and the Postal Service brand.

The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (CCDBG Act) of 2014 added new requirements for States that received funding from the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) to conduct comprehensive criminal background checks on staff members and prospective staff members of childcare providers every 5 years. Criminal background check requirements apply to any staff member who is employed by a childcare provider for compensation or whose activities involve the care or supervision of children or unsupervised access to children.

For a covered outpatient drug to be eligible for Federal reimbursement under the Medicaid program's drug rebate requirements, manufacturers must pay rebates to the States for the drugs. However, a prior OIG audit found that States did not always invoice and collect all rebates due for drugs administered by physicians.

This is a review of NEA's Information Security profile including system security controls. Due to security concerns, this information is not published on the internet. You can obtain a copy of the memorandum through a freedom of information act request at the following link: https://www.arts.gov/freedom-information-act-guide.

Aransas County’s procurement policies and procedures are not adequate to meet minimum Federal procurement regulations or address key procurement elements despite guidance and contacts with the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Division of Emergency Management (Texas). We recommended the Regional Administrator, FEMA Region VI, require Texas to continue providing additional technical assistance and monitoring to the County, and provide to DHS OIG documentation supporting FEMA’s actions to that end. FEMA officials agreed with both recommendations. Prior to final issuance of this report, FEMA took action to resolve and close both recommendations. No further action is required

Through its Criminal Alien Program (CAP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can successfully identify aliens charged with or convicted of crimes. However, because ICE relies on cooperation from other law enforcement agencies, it sometimes faces challenges apprehending aliens in uncooperative jurisdictions. ICE’s inability to detain aliens identified through CAP contributes to increased risk those aliens will commit more crimes. Furthermore, having to arrest “at-large” aliens may put officer, detainee, and public safety at risk and strains ICE’s staffing resources. We made four recommendations to ICE focused on improving CAP. ICE concurred with all four recommendations and initiated corrective actions to address the findings.

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The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigated an allegation that an employee in the VA Office of General Counsel’s District Contracting National Practice Group was approved to move his/her office from Pittsburgh to Altoona, Pennsylvania, but continued to improperly receive the higher locality pay for the Pittsburgh area. The OIG substantiated that the employee’s telework agreement did not comply with applicable regulations, which require an employee to report to his or her official worksite twice per pay period when the employee is not in a permanent telework arrangement. In this instance, the employee’s official worksite was Pittsburgh and the employee’s supervisor had approved an exception to accommodate the employee’s caregiving needs for a family member. This approval occurred in 2008, and the telework arrangement remained in effect through at least November 2017. Although exceptions can be granted on a temporary basis, there is no discretion to grant a permanent exception to the requirement that a teleworking employee report to his or her official worksite twice per pay period. There was no evidence that the employee’s supervisors ever reassessed the telework arrangement to determine whether it continued to be appropriate. The OIG determined that the employee and the employee’s supervisors took appropriate corrective action once the issue became known in November 2017, prior to the initiation of the OIG’s investigation. The OIG did not identify any evidence to suggest that the failure to reassess the employee’s telework circumstances was the result of an intentional effort to improperly impact the employee’s locality pay. Accordingly, the OIG did not substantiate misconduct. The OIG makes one recommendation relating to the need to clarify the authority and obligations of telework-approving supervisors within the Office of General Counsel.

The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this review in response to veterans’ benefits claims identified and referred by the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) as being potentially fraudulent. It also addressed whether allegations to the OIG hotline that telehealth questionnaires (without in-person examinations) were being improperly used for benefits determinations. VBA prohibits the use of telehealth for benefit rating purposes. The OIG had previously found problems with the use of disability benefits questionnaires and recommended VBA improve controls on the use of publicly available forms that could be altered to support baseless or exaggerated disability claims. The OIG found claims processors improperly used questionnaires completed by private care providers to determine benefit entitlements without ensuring the examination was done in person. For example, VBA made improper determinations in 41 of the 81 claims the OIG reviewed, amounting to about $613,000 in benefit payments. Many other claims were likely submitted with telehealth examinations. VBA cannot easily identify those examinations improperly used to provide benefits nor correct related claims. VBA did not provide consistent staff guidance, adequately monitor use of telehealth questionnaires, or modify forms to reflect prohibited uses. VBA’s internal controls are inadequate to prevent the use of publicly available questionnaires, which contain an inherent risk of fraud, despite VBA’s risk-mitigation efforts. The OIG recommended the under secretary for benefits consider whether to discontinue using publicly available questionnaires for supporting benefit claims. If use is continued, VBA should update procedures so claims processors know how to handle questionnaires they suspect were completed via telehealth. The OIG also recommended adding to questionnaires whether they were completed in person or through telehealth, and publicly noting that telehealth examinations are not acceptable for determining benefit entitlements.