Federal Reports

We reviewed the Bogalusa Housing Authority’s public housing programs based on the activities included in our annual audit plan and because the Authority has not been audited in more than 15 years. The objective of our review was to determine whether the Authority administered its public housing programs in accordance with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) and its own requirements.The Authority did not always administer its programs in accordance with HUD’s and its own requirements. Specifically, for its Public Housing Operating Fund, the Authority did not always (1) follow requirements when procuring services; (2) maintain adequate supporting documentation for disbursements, and (3) track predevelopment costs. This condition occurred because the Authority (1) did not understand or disregarded requirements, (2) lacked adequate document retention controls, and (3) lacked adequate policies and procedures and staff. As a result, it could not support more than $200,000 paid in public housing funds. For its Housing Choice Voucher Program, the Authority did not always (1) correctly calculate participant income, payment standards, or utility allowances; (2) maintain adequate housing assistance payments contracts; and (3) perform annual utility allowance and payment standard reviews. This condition occurred because the Authority did not understand requirements and lacked processing controls when reviewing participant files. As a result, it paid more than $29,000 in ineligible, unsupported, overpaid, or underpaid housing assistance and could not provide HUD reasonable assurance that its payment standard amounts, housing assistance payment subsidies, and rents were reasonable.We recommend that HUD require the Authority (1) support or repay more than $200,000 to its Public Housing Operating Fund, (2) reimburse its Housing Choice Voucher Program more than $25,000 for ineligible and overpayments, (3) support participant eligibility or repay more than $2,000 in housing assistance, (4) reimburse households more than $700 in housing assistance underpayments, (5) implement procedures and controls to ensure that its program funds are administered in accordance with HUD’s and its own requirements, and (6) obtain staff training.

DOJ News Release

Our objective was to identify and summarize the findings and recommendations in four issued area physical and environmental controls site security reports. The objective of those four audits was to determine whether the Postal Service established effective physical and environmental security controls at processing and distribution centers (P&DC). As part of this audit, we identified other P&DCs where data suggest similar risks and conditions may exist.

HHS, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is subject to Federal audits of its internal activities as well as Federal and non-Federal audits of activities performed by its grantees and contractors. As a followup to these audits, HRSA is responsible for resolving Federal and non-Federal audit report recommendations related to its activities, grantees, and contractors within 6 months after formal receipt of the audit reports. HHS, OIG, prepares and forwards to HRSA monthly stewardship reports that show the status of these reported audit recommendations.

The Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) program, which is overseen by HHS's Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), served between 7,000 and 8,000 children annually from fiscal year (FYs) 2005 through 2011. In FY 2012, the number of children served in the program increased to 13,625. In FY 2014, ORR served 57,496 children and in FY 2015, ORR served 33,726 children. In FY 2016, ORR served 59,170 children. Because of the rapid increase of vulnerable children entering ORR care, and the significant increases in program funding, we are conducting a series of reviews of ORR care providers across the Nation.

As part of HHS's Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) manages the Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) program. ORR awards funds, primarily through grants, to organizations to provide residential care to UAC.Our objective was to assess whether Southwest Key had implemented an adequate information systems security program to protect the personally identifiable information (PII) of UAC.