Federal Reports

We audited WSFR grants awarded by FWS to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to ensure compliance and cost allowability.

I am pleased to present the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Semiannual Report (SAR) to Congress covering the period from October 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024.

When a veteran is unable to secure and maintain a substantially gainful occupation because of service-connected disabilities, VA policy states that the veteran should be rated totally disabled—also referred to as total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU)—for monthly compensation. The VA OIG conducted this review to determine if claims processors were following policies and procedures and accurately deciding claims for individual unemployability. After reviewing two statistical samples of individual unemployability claims (granted and denied claims), the team found claims processors did not consistently follow policies and procedures when processing these claims, resulting in at least $100 million in improper payments (underpayments and overpayments) to veterans from May 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023. The team estimated that 74 percent of granted TDIU claims and 76 percent of denied TDIU claims completed during the review period had at least one claims processing error. These errors occurred because of inadequate system controls, inconsistent interpretations of VBA’s procedures manual by VBA staff, and claims processors’ limited exposure to individual unemployability claims. The OIG made seven recommendations to the under secretary for benefits to help VBA improve the accuracy of individual unemployability claims decisions. These recommendations included updating guidance, enhancing information systems, improving training, and evaluating workload distribution.

During our ongoing audit of the Department of Homeland Security’s learning management system (DHSLearning), we identified a significant risk to the operations, assets, and individuals at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC). We are issuing this management alert to advise CISA and FLETC to take immediate action to mitigate risks associated with using a high-risk contractor (Contractor A) to supply their learning management systems. A DHS internal investigation identified Contractor A as having poor cybersecurity practices. By not taking action to mitigate the control deficiencies, CISA and FLETC may be putting sensitive personally identifiable information (PII) and sensitive law enforcement training information stored and processed by CISA and FLETC’s learning management systems at risk of compromise.

In October 2023, we conducted on-site, unannounced inspections at five U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities in the ElPaso area, specifically three U.S. Border Patrol (Border Patrol) facilities and two Office of Field Operations ports of entry. At the time of our on-site inspection, CBP held 1,426 detainees in custody in the five facilities. We found that Border Patrol held some detainees in both the El Paso Hardened Facility and Santa Teresa station longer than specified in the National Standards on Transport, Escort, Detention, and Search, which generally limits detention to 72 hours. Additionally, Border Patrol experienced challenges staffing El Paso sector centralized processing centersduring migrant surges. Overall, CBP generally met other applicable standards related to food, water, hygiene items, and availability of bedding, toilets, sinks, showers, and medical support to detainees. However, we found a few instances of non-compliance related to medical support, hygiene, and bedding. For example, at the Santa Teresa station, we found Border Patrol did not always refer detainees to onsite contract medical staff, make hygiene items available, or provide clean sleeping mats. In addition, we found data integrity issues with information in Border Patrol’s electronic system of record, e3.