Federal Reports

We initiated our audit in accordance with our strategic goal to provide the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with services and products to address vulnerabilities, to provide opportunities for improvements, and to recognize positive outcomes. The audit objective was to determine whether the HUD Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) monitored and ensured that its Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013, grantees complied with the Act’s 24-month statutory expenditure requirement.Although it monitored grantees, CPD did not enforce the 2013 Act’s 24-month grantee expenditure requirement. Specifically, CPD allowed the six grantees reviewed to either (1) spend more funds than they had obligated and budgeted, (2) record expenses before an amendment was executed, or (3) record expenses after the 24-month expenditure deadline. These issues occurred because CPD’s actions showed that it did not strictly enforce the Act and its Disaster Recovery Grants Reporting system had material control weaknesses. Further, HUD’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer did not use its financial controls to monitor compliance with the Act. As a result, CPD allowed grantees to improperly receive payments totaling $526 million as of January 19, 2018. In addition, it allowed grantees to revise 1,333 vouchers totaling $1.8 billion from the month in which the original voucher was created to 3 years later. CPD also did not recapture and reallocate unspent funds totaling $524,289, and it did not ensure that grantees reported their activities and expenses in a transparent manner. If CPD does not correct the identified issues, grantees risk misspending $413 million of the remaining $6.2 billion in unspent 2013 Act Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Disaster Recovery funds as of January 19, 2018.We recommend that CPD require the grantees to repay a total of $526 million in ineligible payments made (1) in excess of the amount obligated for a round, (2) before a grant round agreement was executed, (3) after a grant round agreement expired, and (4) with funds that should have been recaptured. We also recommend that CPD (1) adopt and enforce new written policies, procedures, and internal controls for CDBG Disaster Recovery funds that have a statutory expenditure deadline and (2) take action to correct and address the DRGR system material internal control weaknesses.

This evaluation provides insights into how select Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) have used health information technology (health IT) tools to better coordinate care for their patients. Health IT has significantly enhanced providers' opportunities to coordinate patient care across health care settings. Care coordination helps ensure that patients' needs for health services are met across multiple encounters and settings. CMS has identified care coordination as integral to achieving better care, improved health, and lower costs.

A former Amtrak Lead Service Attendant in Chicago, Illinois, entered into an agreement with the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, to participate in the Veteran’s Treatment Court program for a period of two years for the theft of funds from the company. The former employee was also ordered to pay $2,418 in restitution. The former employee was previously arrested on June 1, 2018 and was subsequently terminated by the company on August 23, 2018.

Prior Office of Inspector General reviews of State agencies that serve vulnerable adults who receive services through waiver programs have identified multiple health and safety issues that put vulnerable adults at risk. These reviews included adult day care services received at adult day service centers (centers) in Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Mississippi and services received at adult foster care homes (homes) in Minnesota. We continue to perform similar reviews in other States.