Federal Reports

In accordance with our Annual Performance Plan Fiscal Year 2020, dated October 2019, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a review of USCP security for Member district offices. Our objectives of our review were to determine (1) the types of support USCP provided for Member district offices, and (2) if any areas existed for which USCP could provide additional support to Member district offices. Our scope included Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 and FY 2020.

Every Postal Service-owned vehicle is assigned a Voyager credit card that is used to pay for its commercially purchased fuel, oil, and routine maintenance. U.S. Bank is responsible for operating the program, and Voyager provides a weekly electronic transaction detail file of all Voyager card transactions to the Postal Service’s Fuel Asset Management System (FAMS) eFleet application. Site managers are responsible for monitoring Voyager card transactions in the FAMS eFleet application. FAMS provides a monthly Reconciliation Exception Report, capturing only transactions that are categorized as high-risk, which may be the result of fraudulent activity. Each month, the Postal Service site manager is responsible for ensuring that their driver receipts are reconciled in FAMS. The review is critical since the Postal Service automatically pays U.S. Bank weekly for all Voyager card charges.

The Postal Service develops a range of financial projections as part of its financial planning. A financial projection is an estimate or forecast of a future situation or trend based on a study of present and historical trends. The main projection the Postal Service completes is the annual financial plan, which estimates revenue, volume, and expenses for each fiscal year. The fiscal year (FY) 2020 plan was approved by the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors in February 2020. On March 13, 2020, the President of the United States issued the national emergency declaration concerning the COVID-19 pandemic (pandemic). During the ongoing pandemic, the Postal Service has provided essential services as part of the nation’s critical infrastructure by continuously processing and delivering mail and packages. The pandemic continues to have an unpredictable impact on the economy, the Postal Service, and Postal Service finances. Our objective was to evaluate the reasonableness of the Postal Service’s projected financial scenarios as a result of the impact of the pandemic.

Without a sufficient management-control system and other improvements, the SLN program will not effectively promote risk reduction and pollution prevention.

The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) evaluated allegations related to inappropriate language and conduct toward women veterans by a gynecological provider; a nurse chaperone’s failure to provide patient support; and three additional concerns related to compliance with patient complaint processes, facility leaders’ response to the gynecological provider’s misconduct, and deficiencies in reporting misconduct to state licensing board(s) and the National Practitioner Data Bank.The OIG substantiated that the gynecological provider’s conduct was unprofessional, unethical, and insensitive. The nurse chaperone did not provide support to, or advocate on behalf of, the patients. The OIG found the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has not incorporated key best practice strategies, such as trauma-informed care and sensitive examination policies, into training, policy, and practice. Further, VHA policies fall short in outlining expected chaperone responsibilities, duties, training, or competencies.Although facility patient advocates and quality management leaders tracked and trended patient complaints, the data was incomplete, limiting the accuracy and value of identified trends.Facility leaders had prior knowledge of the gynecological provider’s misconduct; however, leaders failed to effectively address misconduct for years by not timely performing informal or formal investigations and not reporting the provider to state licensing board(s) or the National Practitioner Data Bank despite evidence that the conduct may have met the reporting standards. The OIG made two recommendations to the Under Secretary for Health related to the role and training of providers and chaperones who conduct or provide support to patients during sensitive exams. The OIG made one recommendation to the Veterans Integrated Service Network Director related to facility processes for recording and tracking patient complaints.The OIG made three recommendations to the Facility Director regarding staff education on misconduct policies, administrative investigation policies, and review of the subject gynecologist’s conduct and quality of care provided.