Federal Reports

Five members of Congress asked the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) to review the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) canine research approval process in response to public concerns about alleged animal welfare and oversight violations. In fiscal years (FY) 2018 and 2019, Congress mandated that the VA Secretary directly approve the use of appropriated funds for canine research. The OIG found VHA conducted eight studies without the former or current Secretary’s direct approval, resulting in the unauthorized use of $393,606 in appropriated funds.VA continued research using canines after the passage of the funding restrictions, in part, because VHA executives perceived that then VA Secretary David Shulkin had approved the continuation of the studies before his March 28, 2018, departure. Former Secretary Shulkin denied approving each study for continuation after funding restrictions were enacted. The OIG did not confirm Dr. Shulkin had directly approved continuation in a March 28, 2018, meeting on his last day as Secretary. VHA also did not have a formal procedure to obtain and document the Secretary’s approval. Unclear communication, inadequate recordkeeping, and failure to ensure approval decisions were accurately recorded and verified all contributed to VHA’s noncompliance. Providing unsupported and potentially inaccurate information on this topic could undermine public trust in VA and unnecessarily detract attention from its important statutory mission—supporting a wide range of authorized research on veterans’ health issues. The OIG recommended the under secretary for health establish a process to obtain the Secretary’s approval for canine research as required by federal law, ensure approval is documented, and prevent appropriated funds from being spent without approval. The OIG also recommended the under secretary report to Congress on FY 2018 and 2019 funds spent on canine research without the Secretary’s approval.

Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Postal Service’s informal grievance oversight. We reviewed informal grievance processes for 10 judgmentally selected facilities in eight Postal Service districts within four Postal Service areas. Specifically, we selected eight facilities based on their high grievance costs and high number of grievance payments and two based on their lower grievance costs compared to similarly sized facilities. These facilities included both processing and retail functions.

Our objective was to review access and wait times for people seeking assistance from, and problem resolution through, the Social Security Administration's (SSA) field offices.

Our objective was to review access and wait times for people seeking assistance from, and problem resolution through, the Social Security Administration's (SSA) field offices.

On March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which provided the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) with $756 million to support the needs of DOI programs, bureaus, Indian Country, and the Insular Areas.As part of the CARES Act, the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) received $69 million from the DOI to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to the CARES Act funding appropriated directly to the DOI, the CARES Act’s Education Stabilization Fund required the U.S. Department of Education to set aside $153.75 million for programs operated or funded by the BIE, in consultation with the Secretary of Interior.The CARES Act money will provide much-needed assistance for Indian schools. This report provides a snapshot of the BIE’s funding and planned expenditures.