Federal Reports

Our evaluation’s objective was to assess NTIA’s implementation of the Public Wireless Supply Chain Innovation Fund program. We determined the steps NTIA took to award and disburse program funds, the challenges NTIA faced while implementing the program, and the status of awards and disbursements. 

We found that although NTIA has taken steps to mitigate some challenges it faced when implementing the Innovation Fund program, it would benefit from developing a comprehensive strategic plan that would ensure the program’s success. We found that NTIA did not have a sufficient strategy for anticipating emerging industry challenges, had not fully developed program goals and strategic objectives that align with the program’s statutory objectives, and did not develop a comprehensive staffing plan before it began awarding grants. 

The lack of an adequate strategic plan limits NTIA’s ability to effectively measure the program’s performance and mitigate future challenges. With over $853 million in grant funds left to award, issues may continue to arise if NTIA does not improve its program planning.

VA asked the OIG to conduct an audit of a contractor whose billing practices were concerning. The contractor, which provided eligible veterans with wheelchair van and other nonemergency transportation services to and from medical appointments in a certain VA healthcare system, invoiced VA about $11.17 million between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2021, under this contract.

The OIG conducted an assertion-based attestation examination and found the company may not have complied with contract terms related to billing for veteran transportation, resulting in an estimated $1.81 million in potential overbillings between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2021. Of this amount, $1.34 million was related to unclear contract terms and the company’s methodology for billing remote trips with multiple stops as though each drop-off was a separate trip.

The OIG also found that the company used mileage estimates instead of miles traveled and may have misclassified trips, with those errors resulting in potentially overbilling VA by an additional $470,537. According to the contractor, VA did not object or instruct the company to bill differently. VA issued a contract modification in April 2022, addressing billing of remote trips. The OIG found that the vendor complied with the billing terms of the modification for trips identified as remote. Subsequently, VA set a flat fee for each pickup and drop-off, removing the requirement to calculate billings by trip.

Except for the potential overbillings giving rise to the qualified opinion, the OIG team found the company’s assertion that it billed in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract was fairly stated in all material respects. The OIG recommended—and VA agreed—that VA should confer with its Office of General Counsel on whether any funds could or should be recouped.

Section 487(a)(17) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), requires postsecondary schools participating in Title IV programs to annually report data, including data relevant to students’ cost of attendance and financial aid and the schools’ graduation rates, to the U.S. Department of Education’s (Department) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) to the satisfaction of the Secretary The objective of our inspection was to determine whether the National College of Business & Technology Company, Inc., doing business as NUC University (NUC University), reported verifiable data to IPEDS for the 2020–2021 reporting period. We found that NUC University did not always report verifiable data to IPEDS for the 2020–2021 reporting period. The total amount of grant or scholarship aid that NUC University students received for the 2020–2021 reporting period and the number of full-time undergraduate students who were enrolled in the fall of 2020 and seeking their first postsecondary certificate or degree that the school reported to IPEDS were not verifiable. In addition, the number of students who were full-time undergraduate students who began attending the school during academic year 2015–2016, were seeking their first postsecondary certificate or degree, and completed their program of study by the end of academic year 2020–2021 (150 percent of the normal time) that NUC University reported to IPEDS were not verifiable. While not all reported data were verifiable, the average tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, and other expenses charged to full-time undergraduate students who were seeking their first certificate or degree that the school reported to IPEDS for the 2020–2021 reporting period were verifiable. NUC University did not always report verifiable data to IPEDS because it did not design and implement procedures for collecting, consolidating, assessing the reliability of, and reporting data to IPEDS.

This Office of Inspector General (OIG) Healthcare Facility Inspection program report describes the results of a focused evaluation of the care provided at the VA Bronx Healthcare System in New York.

This evaluation focused on five key content domains:
  •    Culture
  •    Environment of care
  •    Patient safety
  •    Primary care
  •    Veteran-centered safety net

The OIG issued no recommendations.

Underground storage tanks (USTs) are a critical part of the Veterans Health Administration’s healthcare facilities. The tanks store fuel for boilers and backup generators, which are essential to operations, especially during power failures. If the tanks are not properly installed and maintained, any chemicals they contain can be released into the environment, posing health and safety risks, such as cancer or adverse effects to reproductive, nervous, cardiovascular, and respiratory system health. The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this audit to determine whether VA is managing USTs according to federally established regulations to prevent corrosion, spillage and overfill, and releases of substances into the environment.

The OIG reviewed 44 regulated VA-owned and -operated USTs at eight selected medical facilities and found that seven facilities, which had 42 of the 44 USTs reviewed, failed to comply with relevant VA and federal requirements from October 1, 2022, through September 2023. Although there were no instances of chemical releases from the reviewed USTs found during the audit, the OIG identified inaccurate records of USTs or related monitoring equipment, prolonged responses to and correction of automatic tank gauge alarms, and inconsistent reporting of regulatory inspections and results. By addressing these concerns with increased oversight, VA can reduce the risk of potential releases that pose significant environmental and health risks to veterans and employees at its medical facilities.

The OIG made seven recommendations, including to provide guidance on correctly and consistently recording UST assets, as well as to ensure the oversight requirements in VHA directives and federal, state, and local codes, laws, and regulations are followed.