Federal Reports

In accordance with guidance from the Office of Management and Budget, we reviewed the “Payment Integrity” section in the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Agency Financial Report (AFR) for fiscal year (FY) 2020. Our objective was to determine whether the Department met the requirements of the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 (PIIA) and accurately and completely reported on improper payments in its AFR and accompanying materials.We found that the Department did not comply with PIIA reporting requirements for FY 2020 because it was unable to provide evidence that risk assessments were performed on three new programs.We were accordingly unable to verify the Department’s representations and the accuracy of the information published in the AFR and so were required to report a finding of noncompliance pursuant to relevant inspection standards.

The objectives of our audit were to: 1. Review the payment integrity section of the fiscal year (FY) 2020 Agency Financial Report (AFR) to determine whether the U.S. Department of Education (Department) is in compliance with the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 (PIIA). 2. Evaluate the Department’s (a) risk assessment methodology, (b) improper payment rate estimates, (c) sampling and estimation plans, (d) corrective action plans, and (e) efforts to prevent and reduce improper payments.The Department did not comply with the PIIA because it did not meet two of the six compliance requirements, as described in Finding 1. Specifically, the Department did not demonstrate improvement in reducing improper payments in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) program. In addition, the Department reported improper payment rates that exceed 10 percent for the Temporary Emergency Impact Aid for Displaced Students (Emergency Impact Aid) and Immediate Aid to Restart School Operations (Restart) programs.

The purpose of this report is to share with the U.S. Department of Education (Department) observations made by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) concerning institutions of higher education (IHE) that ceased to provide educational instruction in all programs of study (closed) and received or had access to coronavirus response and relief aid through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). We found that 17 IHEs that closed on or before December 31, 2020, applied for and were awarded a total of $4,912,675 of HEERF grants by OPE. Of these 17 IHEs, 14 drew down HEERF funds and 3 did not draw down any of their awards. Of the 14 IHEs that drew down their HEERF awards, 8 made drawdowns after the IHE closure date listed in the Postsecondary Education Participants System (PEPS). The total of these post-closure drawdowns was $1,261,329. In addition, 1 of the 14 closed IHEs that drew down funds made a draw of $364,715 one day before closing.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) must review the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS's) compliance with the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019 (PIIA, P.L. No. 116-117) and related applicable improper payment guidance. Ernst & Young (EY), LLP, under its contract with the HHS OIG, audited the fiscal year (FY) 2020 HHS improper payment information reported in the Agency Financial Report (AFR) to determine compliance with PIIA and related guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

This report recaps OIG achievements in FY2020, in core mission as well as organizational improvements. It contains a spotlight on our CARES Act work and highlights key statistical impacts from OIG.

The Medicare hospice benefit allows providers to claim Medicare reimbursement for hospice services provided to individuals with a life expectancy of 6 months or less who have elected hospice care. Previous OIG audits and evaluations found that Medicare inappropriately paid for hospice services that did not meet certain Medicare requirements.Our objective was to determine whether hospice services provided by Alive Hospice, Inc. (Alive), complied with Medicare requirements.

The Medicare hospice benefit allows providers to claim Medicare reimbursement for hospice services provided to individuals with a life expectancy of 6 months or less who have elected hospice care. Previous OIG audits and evaluations found that Medicare inappropriately paid for hospice services that did not meet certain Medicare requirements.Our objective was to determine whether hospice services provided by Ambercare Hospice, Inc. (Ambercare), complied with Medicare requirements.