Federal Reports

This PRAC fraud prevention alert focused on some of the largest pandemic relief programs: the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (COVID-19 EIDL) program and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and the Department of Labor’s (DOL) pandemic-related Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs. In 2023, the SBA Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the DOL OIG estimated that the total amount of fraud and improper payments for these programs is nearly $400 billion. In this alert, the PRAC estimates the amount of potential fraud across these programs stemming from the use of stolen or invalid Social Security numbers (SSNs), and illustrates how pre-award vetting using the PRAC’s data analytics tools could have mitigated this risk. 

The Office of Inspector General is issuing this management advisory to present the results of our review of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) incomplete reviews of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and grants disbursed to borrowers who self-disclosed their business establishment dates after January 31, 2020.

SBA asserted that the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act requirement for a business to be in operation on or before January 31, 2020, applied only to COVID-19 EIDLs, not Emergency EIDL Advances. The Office of Inspector General disagreed and reiterated the CARES Act requirement that there be no waiver of eligibility for a business that was not in operation on or before January 31, 2020, which included Emergency EIDL Advances.

We made two recommendations for SBA to recover funds disbursed to ineligible applicants and to ensure automated controls are aligned with clearly defined disaster assistance criteria. Management’s planned action to resolve Recommendation 1 does not fully satisfy the intent of the recommendation; therefore, it will remain unresolved. Management’s planned action to resolve Recommendation 2 satisfies the intent of the recommendation; therefore, it will be closed upon issuance of this report.

The U.S. Postal Service needs effective and productive operations to fulfill its mission of providing prompt, reliable, and affordable mail service to the American public. It has a vast transportation network that moves mail and equipment among approximately 315 processing facilities and 31,200 post offices, stations, and branches. The Postal Service is transforming its processing and logistics networks to become more scalable, reliable, visible, efficient, automated, and digitally integrated. This includes modernizing operating plans and aligning the workforce; leveraging emerging technologies to provide world-class visibility and tracking of mail and packages in near real time; and optimizing the surface and air transportation network. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General reviews the efficiency of mail processing operations at facilities across the country and provides management with timely feedback to further the Postal Service’s mission. 

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 Portland Health Care System in Oregon. 

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.