Federal Reports

OIG evaluated SITC’s corrective actions from a prior audit report and the controls over the identification of internet sales of prohibited products for calendar year 2019.

Based on a complaint and a request from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Public and Indian Housing (HUD PIH), we audited the Bay City Housing Authority, Bay City, TX.  The complainant’s allegations included improper procurement of an attorney and board meetings held without proper notice.  HUD PIH expressed concerns regarding the Authority’s financial records and policy adherence.  Our audit objectives were to determine whether the Authority (1) followed Federal and its own procurement requirements for the board’s legal services, (2) paid its administrative costs in accordance with Federal requirements, and (3) conducted its board meetings in accordance with the State of Texas’ requirements.We found that the Authority improperly procured its legal services contract, paid ineligible and unsupported administrative costs, and did not follow Texas’ Open Meetings Act or its own bylaws when conducting board meetings.  These conditions occurred because the board (1) improperly believed an emergency existed, (2) lacked knowledge and training, (3) did not follow the training it received, (4) overruled the executive director, and (5) did not provide proper oversight.  As a result, the Authority (1) paid $20,000 for the board’s personal legal expenses, of which $15,000 was recovered, (2) paid $39,256 in questioned administrative costs, (3) had less funds available to assist its residents, and (4) did not hold proper board meetings or maintain meeting minutes showing that it made valid and documented decisions.We recommend that the Director of the Houston Office of Public Housing require the Authority to (1) recover the remaining $5,000 of ineligible legal service costs paid and ensure that additional invoiced legal service costs totaling $24,250 are not paid; (2) support or repay questioned costs totaling $39,256; (3) update its bylaws, policies, and procedures to reflect current Federal and State of Texas requirements; and (4) take action to address invalid or undocumented board decisions.

The objectives of our audit were to determine whether InspireNOLA Charter Schools (1) reported complete and accurate information on the annual performance reports that it submitted for its 2016 Charter Schools Program Grants to Charter Management Organizations for the Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools (Replication and Expansion grant) and (2) spent 2016 Replication and Expansion grant funds in accordance with Federal cost principles and its approved application. The U.S. Department of Education (Department) awarded InspireNOLA Charter Schools a $4 million, 5-year Replication and Expansion grant on September 27, 2016.Despite certifying that annual performance reports were true, complete, and accurate, InspireNOLA Charter Schools did not include complete and accurate information for all performance measures on which it was required to report in its 2017, 2018, and 2019 annual performance reports for the Replication and Expansion grant. InspireNOLA Charter Schools did not report any information for 16 of 31 required performance measures or provide accurate information for 1 of the 15 required performance measures on which it did report because it did not have a process for ensuring that information for all performance measures is included and the annual performance report is accurate. InspireNOLA Charter Schools also did not retain records supporting 3 of the 15 required performance measures that it reported to the Department.

Our objective was to determine whether the Postal Service properly issued security clearances to contractor personnel at Surface Transfer Centers (STC).STCs are mail consolidation and re-distribution facilities that assist the Postal Service in maximizing the utilization of vehicles and their capacity to transport mail. The Postal Service operates 13 STCs, seven of which are managed solely by STC suppliers who, as of April 2021, employ over 1,000 contractor personnel. The contractor personnel are responsible for performing mail processing operations, with Postal Service personnel overseeing those operations for contract compliance.The Postal Service is obligated to maintain the security of the mail and preserve the public’s trust. The security clearance process is designed to prevent ineligible or unsuitable applicants from having access to the mail, Postal Service assets, and facilities.

Seamless Acceptance automates the entry and verification of commercial mailings by leveraging electronic mailing documentation (eDoc). The eDoc contains detailed information on the mailing, and the Intelligent Mail barcode on pallets, trays, sacks, and mailpieces. Commercial mailings receive workshare discounts for types of mail preparation or mail processing activities (for example, presorting, prebarcoding, and transporting) normally performed by the Postal Service. Seamless Acceptance uses census and sampling verification to validate proper mail preparation for the discounts claimed and postage paid by mailers. The U.S. Postal Service regularly provides feedback to mailers on errors identified and assessments when errors exceed established thresholds. As of July 2021, there were 1,840 participants.Our objective was to evaluate the use of Seamless Acceptance to assess mail quality and mail errors.

This Office of Inspector General (OIG) Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program report provides a focused evaluation of the quality of care delivered in the inpatient and outpatient settings of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System. The inspection covered key clinical and administrative processes that are associated with promoting quality care. It focused on Leadership and Organizational Risks; COVID-19 Pandemic Readiness and Response; Quality, Safety, and Value; Registered Nurse Credentialing; Medication Management: Remdesivir Use in VHA; Mental Health: Emergency Department and Urgent Care Center Suicide Risk Screening and Evaluation; Care Coordination: Inter-facility Transfers; and High-Risk Processes: Management of Disruptive and Violent Behavior.The healthcare system’s executive leadership team appeared stable, with all positions permanently assigned. The leaders had worked together for nine months, although two of the leaders had served in their positions for several years. Employee survey data revealed that staff felt generally respected and discrimination was not tolerated. Patients were generally satisfied with the care provided. The OIG’s review of the medical center’s accreditation findings did not identify any organizational risks. However, the OIG identified concerns with the patient safety and risk management program related to identification of sentinel events and completion of institutional disclosures. Executive leaders were knowledgeable about selected data used in Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning models and should continue to take actions to sustain and improve performance.The OIG issued eight recommendations for improvement in four areas:(1) Quality, Safety, and Value• Surgical work group attendance(2) Mental Health• Suicide prevention training(3) Care Coordination• Patient transfer policy• Patient transfer monitoring and evaluation• Transfer form completion• Nurse-to-nurse communication(4) High-Risk Processes• Disruptive behavior committee attendance• Staff training