Federal Reports

An Amtrak conductor based in Los Angeles, California, was terminated from employment on August 13, 2024, following an administrative hearing. Our investigation found that the employee violated company policies by failing to report his arrest for driving under the influence.

An Amtrak train attendant based in Charlotte, North Carolina, signed a civil settlement agreement on August 13, 2024, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina. The employee agreed to pay a total of $10,800 in settlement, restitution, and penalties to the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB). Our investigation found that the employee worked a second job while receiving RRB sickness benefits. We found that between July 19, 2021, and January 16, 2022, the employee submitted at least 13 false claims to the RRB for sickness benefits. As a result, the employee received $8,282 in benefits to which she was not entitled.

We found that the bureaus generally did not properly inventory or inspect radio infrastructure as required by the DOI OCIO directive.

The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) conducted this audit because (1) the OIG last audited the DNFSB’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) program in 2014; and, (2) the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 changed processes, roles, and responsibilities concerning federal agency FOIA programs.The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board’s FOIA request processing and communications are sometimes untimely, inconsistent with FOIA requirements, or insufficient to apprise requesters of the reasons for the agency’s decision. Due to outdated information, agency FOIA decisions may conflict with statutory requirements or be inconsistent with statutory requirements.Agency processes must be documented and have adequate controls to ensure data reliability. However, FOIA program records and information are often missing or erroneous. This occurs because the DNFSB lacks controls for its FOIA request management tool, and also lacks an electronic records repository system. As a result, the agency’s FOIA program knowledge management and public reporting could be compromised.The time and materials service contract used for FOIA program support identifies FOIA-specific terms, but some terms were not met. This occurred because the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) was relatively inexperienced and inadequately supported, and the agency’s FOIA program staff did not adequately communicate with the COR. This is important because time and materials contracts are considered high-risk, and thus require enhanced oversight by experienced program staff.This report makes eight recommendations intended to improve and strengthen the agency’s FOIA program.