Federal Reports

We determined that Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority officials, through its main engineering contractor, presented incorrect data and misinformed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in obtaining a Federal grant of more than $33 million for its pipeline replacement and relocation project. We made four recommendations, directing FEMA to disallow the $33 million in grant funds awarded to the Authority for Project 828 — or $1.4 million if FEMA disallows $31.7 million of ineligible costs we questioned in our previous report (OIG-17-25-D; January 2017); and to coordinate with DHS for any applicable suspension and debarment actions. FEMA concurred with three recommendations. For the remaining recommendation, FEMA is awaiting additional documentation from the grantee and subgrantee before making a determination.

We conducted this audit to evaluate (1) the criteria and process for determining the number and locations of field offices; (2) the U.S. Census Bureau’s plans for reducing costs associated with the fewer number of field offices as part of reengineered field operations; and (3) the planned process for collaboration between the Bureau and the General Services Administration for implementing the area Census office leasing program.

This report was issued in conjunction with the Office of Inspector General for the Railroad Retirement Board's Semiannual Report to the Congress. It was incorporated by reference in the corresponding Semiannual Report which is available at the link below.

To address the threats and opportunities presented by ecommerce, the Postal Service could provide services close to its core competencies to serve ecommerce businesses reliant on return shipping as a part of their business model. The Postal Service is well situated to serve the product returns market and already offers many return shipping services demanded by ecommerce retailers and consumers.

This report summarizes work we initiated and completed during this semiannual period on a number of critical Departmental activities. Over the past 6 months, our office completed 14 audits, inspections, responses to Congressional requests, and public investigative reports—as well as 1 Congressional testimony—addressing programs and personnel associated with the Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA), First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), International Trade Administration (ITA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and the Department itself.

This semiannual report summarizes the activities and accomplishments of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the reporting period October 1, 2017, through March 31, 2018. During this reporting period, the OIG issued four final audit and evaluation reports. The OIG received 339 investigative inquiries, including 108 charge processing issues; 106 complaints related to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; and 10 investigative allegations. The OIG’s completed audit and evaluation work, ongoing and newly initiated projects, and ongoing investigative work includes the following: Completed Audit/Evaluation Work- The OIG contractors Harper, Rains, Knight & Company, P.A. (HRK) audited the financial statements of the EEOC for FY 2017 and issued an unmodified opinion;- The OIG contractors HRK audited the compliance of Fiscal Year 2017 second quarter financial and award data submissions;- The OIG issued its annual report to the Acting Chair validating the Agency’s compliance with the Federal Managers’ Financial Integrity Act (FMFIA). It was concluded that the Agency’s internal control process was conducted in accordance with FMFIA and applicable Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations; and- The OIG contractors, Brown & Company CPAs and Management Consultants, PLLC (Brown & Company) conducted an independent evaluation of EEOC’s information security program for FY 2017. Brown & Company found that EEOC generally has a sound information security program and demonstrated operating effectiveness.Ongoing and Newly Initiated Projects- The OIG contracted with the public accounting firm of HRK to perform the FY 2018 EEOC Financial Statement Audit. Work is currently ongoing;- The OIG requested information from EEOC management to assist in identifying and reporting erroneous or improper payments for FY 2017;- The OIG Evaluation of EEOC’s Use of Data Analytics;- The OIG Evaluation of EEOC’s Interagency Agreements;- The OIG maintains ongoing investigations in several field offices addressing potential concerns such as ethics violations, conflicts of interest, misuse of position, mismanagement, false statements, and falsification of government records.