Federal Reports

What We Looked AtThe U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) requires Federal agencies to establish anti-harassment programs, which are designed to identify and resolve harassment issues before they become severe and pervasive. We initiated this review after a previous audit identified concerns about the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Operating Administrations' (OA) anti-harassment policies and procedures. Our audit objectives were to assess the extent to which the Department and its OAs (1) have anti-harassment policies and procedures that comply with EEOC guidance and (2) collect and use data on harassment complaints.What We FoundThe DOT policy in place during our audit complied with 13 of 18 EEOC requirements but did not clearly explain prohibited conduct, require the EEO program to inform the anti-harassment program about all harassment allegations, provide for periodic training of managers, provide for periodic training of employees, or create firewalls between the decision makers for the anti-harassment and EEO programs. It also did not require OAs to develop implementation procedures, and the Department and four OAs did not have them, as EEOC requires. One reason for the gaps was EEOC's evolving and expanding oversight of anti-harassment programs--which led the Department to develop its U.S. DOT's Policy Framework for the Prevention of Harassment and Unprofessional Conduct (Policy Framework) over several years, including throughout our audit. In response to our findings, the Department closed all the gaps we identified and issued the Policy Framework on June 21, 2019. Also, while the Department was responsible for collecting, monitoring, and analyzing harassment data for 10 OAs, it did not have a system in place that met EEOC requirements. However, the Policy Framework establishes data collection requirements that may enhance the Department's and the OAs' ability to identify, address, and stop harassment before it becomes severe or pervasive.Our RecommendationsThe Department concurred with our recommendation for improving DOT's anti-harassment procedures. We consider recommendation 1 resolved but open pending completion of the Department's planned actions.

A prior OIG review found that Medicare made improper and potentially improper payments of $1.9 million to providers for emergency ambulance transports to destinations other than hospitals or skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) with dates of service from calendar years (CYs) 2014 through 2016. As part of that review, we identified $3.2 million in payments for emergency ambulance transports from hospitals to SNFs. Because hospitals are capable of providing emergency services, we conducted this separate review of emergency ambulance transports from hospitals to SNFs to determine the appropriateness of billing for them as emergency ambulance transports.

We audited the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) executive travel expenses to determine if they complied with Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) and TVA’s policies and procedures. Our audit scope included approximately $1.8 million in TVA executive travel expenses occurring from October 1, 2016, through July 31, 2018. Our audit found several instances where TVA executives did not comply with the FTR and/or TVA policies for travel, business meetings, and hospitality including (1) overpaid meal and incidental expenses per diem, (2) excessive meal costs incurred while in travel status, (3) the use of “car services” instead of less expensive modes of transportation in certain locations, (4) foreign travel expenses that did not comply with the FTR and TVA policies, (5) lodging that was not always in compliance with the FTR and TVA policies, and (6) some travel costs that were not reported to the TVA Board of Directors. Additionally, we found domestic airfare was generally in compliance with the FTR, but an area for improvement was identified.In summary, the actions by some TVA executives indicate a “Tone at the Top” that could send a message to TVA employees that management is not committed to the TVA Code of Conduct and compliance with the FTR and TVA policies and procedures. We made 14 recommendations to TVA management to strengthen controls around executive travel by reinforcing the existing TVA travel policy and developing additional guidance to ensure compliance with the FTR. TVA management provided actions they plan to take to address each of our recommendations.