Federal Reports

During a review related to VA’s Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses (VET TEC) pilot program, the OIG discovered VA is paying concurrent monthly housing allowance benefits to veterans who are simultaneously enrolled in Post 9/11 GI Bill and VET TEC educational programs. There is no statutory authority prohibiting concurrent payment to a veteran for Post-9/11 GI Bill and VET TEC educational benefits. However, the legislation that established VET TEC created an inconsistency compared to other VA educational benefits programs that prohibit concurrent payments of educational benefits. Congress introduced bills to continue VET TEC as a VA educational program in 2023. This memorandum is meant to convey the information necessary for the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and Congress to determine if additional actions are warranted to address this inconsistency before the continuation of the program. The OIG team selected a sample of 30 unique veterans who simultaneously attended Post 9/11 GI Bill and VET TEC courses and found that all received concurrent monthly housing allowance payments. Those veterans received a total of about $164,500 in concurrent payments. Based on this sample, the team estimated about 208 veterans received concurrent payments from April 1, 2019, to February 28, 2023, for a total of $1.1 million. With the VET TEC pilot program ending in April 2024 and legislation pending to continue it as a VA educational program, VBA and Congress have an opportunity to consider whether new iterations of the VET TEC program should continue to allow veterans to receive concurrent monthly housing allowance payments while simultaneously attending Post 9/11 GI Bill and VET TEC programs.

This interim report presents the results of our self-initiated audit of delivery operations and property conditions at the Inglewood Carrier Annex in Inglewood, CA. The Inglewood Carrier Annex is in the California 5 District of the WestPac Area and services ZIP Codes 90301, 90302, 90303, 90304, and 90305. These ZIP Codes serve about 84,940 people in an urban area.Our objective was to evaluate mail delivery operations and property conditions at the Inglewood Carrier Annex in Inglewood, CA.

This interim report presents the results of our self-initiated audit of delivery operations and property conditions at the Downtown Long Beach Station in Long Beach, CA. The Downtown Long Beach Station is in the California 5 District of the WestPac Area and services ZIP Codes 90802, 90810, 90813, and 90831. These ZIP Codes serve about 134,634 people in an urban area.Our objective was to evaluate mail delivery operations and property conditions at the Downtown Long Beach Station in Long Beach, CA.

This interim report presents the results of our self-initiated audit of delivery operations and property conditions at the Dockweiler Station (also known as the Marvin Gaye Post Office) in Los Angeles, CA. The Dockweiler Station is in the California 5 District of the Westpac Area and services ZIP Codes 90006, 90007, 90018, and 90037. These ZIP Codes serve about 210,829 people in an urban area. Specifically, all of the people in these ZIP Codes are considered to live in urban communities.Our objective was to evaluate mail delivery operations and property conditions at the Dockweiler Station in Los Angeles, CA.