Federal Reports

Our objective was to determine whether U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) complied with the National Standards on Transport, Escort, Detention, and Search (TEDS) standards.

Beginning in May 2019, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) piloted Rapid DNA technology to verify claimed parent-child relationships.

We present the status of identified environmental concerns related to the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation’s administration of land.

At the request of the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Supply Chain, we examined the cost proposal submitted by a company for transmission construction services. Our examination objective was to determine if the company's cost proposal was fairly stated for a planned 5-year, $25 million contract.In our opinion, the company's cost proposal was overstated. Specifically, the proposed labor markup rates, for recovery of the company's indirect costs, were overstated compared to recent actual costs. We estimated TVA could avoid about $3.5 million over the planned $25 million contract by negotiating reduced markup rates to more accurately reflect the company's recent actual costs. In addition, we found the company's proposed (1) costs for the RFP's fixed price example projects were overstated by $417,189 and (2) equipment rates were not reflective of its actual equipment costs.(Summary Only)

At the request of the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Supply Chain, we examined the cost proposal submitted by a company for transmission construction services. Our examination objective was to determine if the company's cost proposal was fairly stated for a planned 5-year, $100 million contract.In our opinion, the company's cost proposal was overstated. Specifically, the proposed markup rates on craft wages for recovery of the company's indirect costs were overstated compared to recent actual costs. We estimated TVA could avoid about $2.2 million over the planned $100 million contract by negotiating reduced markups to more accurately reflect the company's recent actual costs.(Summary Only)

What We Looked AtWe queried and downloaded 56 single audit reports prepared by non-Federal auditors and submitted to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse between October 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021, to identify significant findings related to programs directly funded by the Department of Transportation (DOT). What We FoundWe found that reports contained a range of findings that impacted DOT programs. The auditors reported significant noncompliance with Federal guidelines related to 12 grantees that require prompt action from DOT’s Operating Administrations (OA). The auditors also identified questioned costs totaling $5,409,880 for five grantees. Of this amount, $2.8 million was related to the Crow Tribes of Indians and $2.4 million to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. RecommendationsWe recommend that DOT coordinate with the impacted OAs to develop a corrective action plan to resolve and close the findings identified in this report. We also recommend that DOT determine the allowability of the questioned transactions and recover $5,409,880, if applicable.

The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a healthcare inspection at the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System (facility) in Aurora to assess allegations that a lack of care coordination and a lack of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance led to a delay in a patient being diagnosed with HCC.The OIG substantiated that a lack of care coordination occurred when the patient transferred between primary care providers, which contributed to a lack of HCC surveillance and varices monitoring. Facility leaders have an unwritten expectation that primary care providers conduct a thorough historical review of the patient’s electronic health record starting with the most recent annual note; however, the OIG found that not all of the patient’s providers conducted historical reviews, but instead focused on current issues and problems identified by the patient.The OIG determined that the patient’s providers, and facility providers in general, did not maintain an accurate problem list, creating another missed opportunity to conduct necessary HCC surveillance. Furthermore, facility providers did not consistently comply with the recommended HCC surveillance for other patients with a similar diagnosis. Surveillance, if done correctly, could have led to an earlier diagnosis of HCC in the patient.The OIG made six recommendations to the Facility Director related to care coordination, developing and updating patient problem lists, reviewing an established patient’s medical record, conducting a clinical review of the care of the patients discussed in the report and determining if adverse events occurred, and ensuring that patients receive HCC surveillance and varices monitoring.