Federal Reports

The OIG investigated allegations that National Park Service (NPS) Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith made an obscene gesture and used vulgar language while standing in the hallway of the NPS headquarters in Washington, DC. Smith and another NPS employee recalled Smith telling a story while they were standing in the hallway together, but they denied that Smith touched himself obscenely or used any vulgar language. Smith acknowledged he gestured with his hands to simulate urinating while telling a story and stated that in hindsight the story and the gesture were not appropriate for work. The other employee said he was not offended by the story or the gesture but also acknowledged that they were inappropriate for the workplace. We found no other witnesses to the incident.

The Office of Inspector General examined NASA’s management of more than $2 billion in annual reimbursable agreements under which NASA agrees to provide domestic and international partners goods, services, or facilities the Agency is not fully utilizing.

Our objective was to assess the U.S. Postal Service’s employee background screening process in the San Francisco, Bay-Valley, and Sierra Coastal districts to determine whether they ensured individuals selected for employment were suitable to maintain the safety and security of the mail and uphold public trust in the Postal Service. We selected the San Francisco, Bay-Valley, and Sierra Coastal districts because they had the highest turnover rates for employees of the eight districts in the Pacific Area.

Provider-preventable conditions (PPCs) are certain reasonably preventable conditions caused by medical accidents or errors in a health care setting. Although Federal regulations and the Nevada State plan require Nevada to prohibit, for inpatient hospital services, payment for PPCs that are not present on admission, Nevada’s policies and procedures were not adequate to properly identify PPCs on claims for inpatient hospital services or determine whether payments for claims containing PPCs should have been reduced. As a result, Nevada may have claimed Federal Medicaid reimbursement for inpatient hospital services related to treating certain PPCs.

The October 2018 Semiannual Report to Congress summarizes the Office of Inspector General’s successful work completed from April 1, 2018, through September 30, 2018, to promote excellence, integrity, and accountability within the programs, operations, and management of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Our audit-related activities resulted in total monetary impacts of $101,154,100, with 187 recommendations made and 133 recommendations closed. Our investigative activities resulted in 37 months of jail time, 156 months of probation, and $601,413 in criminal restitution and $600,000 in civil settlements or recoveries.