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Brought to you by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency
Federal Reports
Report Date
Agency Reviewed / Investigated
Report Title
Type
Location
U.S. Agency for International Development
Financial Audit of USAID Resources Managed by Centro Internacional de Sade Reproductiva em Moambique Under Cooperative Agreement 72065622CA00012, January 1 to December 31, 2023
Financial Audit of USAID Resources Managed by Associao dos Educadores dos Consumidores de gua in Mozambique Under Cooperative Agreement 72065623CA00002, October 25, 2022, to December 31, 2023
Financial Audit of USAID Resources Managed by Centro de Aprendizagem e Capacitao da Sociedade Civil in Mozambique Under Multiple Awards, January 1 to December 31, 2023
Financial Audit of USAID Resources Managed by Associao Nacional Para o Desenvolvimento Auto Sustentado in Mozambique Under Cooperative Agreement 72065620CA00004, January 1 to December 31, 2023
Financial Audit of USAID Resources Managed by Networking HIV and AIDS Community of Southern Africa Under Multiple Awards, April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024
Financial Closeout Audit of USAID Resources Managed by Africa Resource Centre NPC in Multiple Countries Under Cooperative Agreement 72067419CA00007, January 1, 2023, to May 27, 2024
Audit of the Locally Incurred Costs Schedule of Expenditures of DAI Global, LLC, Small and Medium Enterprise Assistance for Recovery and Transition Activity in West Bank and Gaza, Cooperative Agreement 72029421CA00001, January 1 to December 31, 2023
The expansion of benefits under the PACT Act of 2022 necessitated VBA increasing capacity to process the influx of claims. By September 2023, VBA had sought to hire 2,520 claims processors—veterans service representatives and rating veterans service representatives—and reported exceeding its goal by hiring 3,279 claims processors. The OIG conducted this audit to determine whether VBA followed required steps to hire qualified claims processors using PACT Act funds. In addition, the OIG calculated the attrition rates for claims processors and evaluated measures VBA implemented to retain these staff.
The OIG found VBA’s human resources staff generally followed the required steps to hire qualified claims processors using PACT Act funds from October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2023. In just 2 percent of hires, applicants received an official job offer before their screening results were available; nevertheless, rushing official job offers puts VBA at risk of hiring someone who may not be suitable for federal service. Also, although overall time frames were met, the time to onboard—from acceptance of a tentative offer to starting work—exceeded the guidelines.
As for attrition, the OIG determined the median tenure of claims processors who resigned from VBA during the period in question was about 10 to 12 months, just when they have gained proficiency. Consequently, VBA may not recoup the considerable resources invested in recruiting, hiring, and training staff for this critical position. VBA’s Office of Human Capital Services developed a retention program in July 2022, but participation was voluntary and the program also lacked measurable performance indicators, preventing the OIG team from assessing its success.
The OIG made no recommendations as VBA’s existing controls appeared to ensure human resources staff follow the procedures, but the OIG reported ways to improve those procedures and ongoing retention efforts.
