Federal Reports

In FY 2019, CIGIE continued to meet its mandated missions, and through this report, we present CIGIE’s accomplishments in FY 2019 reflecting our efforts in meeting our mandate. Together, the work of the OIG community resulted in significant improvements to the economy and efficiency of programs government-wide, with potential savings totaling approximately $40.8 billion. With the OIG community’s aggregate FY 2019 budget of approximately $2.5 billion, these potential savings represent an approximate $16 return on every dollar invested in the OIGs. In Background, we summarize the Council’s history and the Inspector General Empowerment Act of 2016, the most recent enhancement to the Inspector General Act of 1978. We also highlight some of the accomplishments of CIGIE’s standing committees in FY 2019. Then, in Strategic Plan Business Goal Accomplishments, we describe CIGIE’s accomplishments under FY 2019’s four major strategic business goals. Next, we summarize current issues of concern to CIGIE members in Key Legislation Affecting the IG Community and Shared Management and Performance Challenges. We then offer perspective on IG Community Accomplishments and provide Contact Information for CIGIE Members. Finally, we recognize the recipients of the most noteworthy 2019 Annual CIGIE Awards.

As required by the Inspector General Act of 1978 (as amended), this Semiannual Report summarizes the activities of the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General for the preceding 6-month period.

The audit of a CNCS Social Innovation Fund award to Youthprise and four of its six subgrantees (Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, MIGIZI Communications, Sauk-Rapids Rice, and Guadalupe Alternative Programs) identified questioned Federal costs of $626,099, questioned match costs of $990,137, and compliance findings. These costs tested were incurred between August 1, 2016 and June 30, 2018. Most of the questioned costs identified were associated with (1) Youthprise improperly awarding sole-source contracts; and (2) subgrantees’ timekeeping deficiencies. Overall, CNCS’s proposed actions addressed our recommendations. CNCS disagreed with five of 14 recommendations due to the grant period ending and the absence of future funding. CNCS has committed to monitoring Youthprise’s compliance with Federal regulations for future grants – which satisfies the intent of these recommendations.Also, Youthprise and its subgrantees took corrective actions to improve controls over monitoring contractors; implemented a new timekeeping system and engaged CNCS preferred vendors to enhance its compliance with National Service Criminal History Checks.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this study to follow up on information we shared previously regarding what information servicers of mortgage loans insured by Federal Housing Administration (FHA) are providing to borrowers regarding forbearance options available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).We reported on April 27, 2020, that our review of 30 FHA servicers who service approximately 90 percent of FHA loans, revealed that FHA servicer websites provided incomplete, inconsistent, dated, and unclear guidance to borrowers related to their forbearance options under the CARES Act. We cautioned that lack of clear and consistent guidance from FHA servicers and enforcement by FHA of that guidance allows servicers to leave struggling homeowners unable to make informed decisions about paying their mortgages and relief that may be available to them during this pandemicWe found that despite virtually all of the top 30 servicers updating information on their websites on options available to borrowers during this COVID-19 emergency, some servicer websites continue to provide information that could mislead or confuse borrowers or provide little or no information to borrowers related to their forbearance options under the CARES Act.

OIG Survey on FTC Metrics and Challenges