Federal Reports

In this data brief, we analyze nursing home deficiencies that were identified by State survey agencies (State agencies) across the Nation for calendar years 2013 through 2017 (review period). This data brief offers the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and other stakeholders (e.g., State agencies and nursing home management) insight into deficiency trends at nursing homes nation-wide. It also complements our previous report on State agencies' verification of correction of nursing home deficiencies.

The objective of our audit was to determine the effectiveness of Federal Student Aid’s (FSA's) (1) evaluation of its processes for selecting Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) data elements to be verified and (2) evaluation and monitoring of its processes for selecting students for verification. Our audit covered FSA’s verification processes implemented for the 2015–2016 and 2016–2017 award years. We found that FSA did not evaluate its process for selecting FAFSA data elements to verify. FSA also did not effectively evaluate three of its four processes we reviewed for selecting students for verification but did effectively evaluate one process. Additionally, FSA did not evaluate the effectiveness of its 30-percent limitation for selecting students it required postsecondary educational institutions (institutions) to verify. Finally, FSA did not monitor its processes for selecting students for verification to ensure the processes performed as expected and any significant differences were addressed. As a result, there is no reasonable assurance that the verification processes effectively identified FAFSAs with errors that would result in improper payments.

This report was submitted to the Comptroller General in accordance with Section 5 of the Government Accountability Office Act of 2008. The report summarizes the activities of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the six-month reporting period ending March 31, 2019. During the reporting period, the OIG continued or initiated fieldwork on three audits and completed a peer review of the Office of Inspector General at the Corporation for National and Community Service. The OIG closed 11 investigations and opened 4 new investigations. In addition, the OIG processed 53 hotline complaints, many of which were referred to other OIGs for action because the matters involved were within their jurisdictions. At the end of March, the OIG issued an alert to GAO management based on vulnerabilities identified during an investigation into a privacy incident due to unauthorized activity by a GAO employee. The OIG continues to focus on GAO management challenge areas—including human capital management and information technology. The OIG remained active in the GAO and OIG communities by briefing new GAO employees on its audit and investigative missions, and participating in committees and working groups of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. Details of these activities and other accomplishments are provided in the report.

This audit report presents the results of our review of SBA’s oversight of the SCORE Association. The SCORE program is an entrepreneurial development program administered by the Small Business Administration’s (SBA’s) Office of Entrepreneurship Education within the Office of Entrepreneurial Development. The SCORE Association (SCORE) is a single cooperative agreement recipient for the program. Established in 1964 as a national, volunteer nonprofit organization, SCORE has been an SBA resource partner for more than 50 years and provides free of charge business and technical assistance to existing and emerging small business owners nationwide. Our audit reviewed SCORE’s fiscal year (FY) 2017 award of $10.5 million and the first quarter of FY 2018’s award of $11.5 million to determine whether SBA provided effective oversight over the program’s awarded federal funds and the measurement and achievement of program goals.We determined that program officials need to make major improvements to ensure effective oversight of the SCORE program. We found that program officials did not oversee SCORE’s use of federal funds. Specifically, SCORE commingled federal funds with unrestricted donations and used federal funds for unallowable, unallocable, and unsupported costs. We also found that SCORE inappropriately solicited donations for mentoring services, charged for publication materials that did not included the required SBA acknowledgement statement, and improperly managed funds used for cosponsored activities. As a result, we questioned $713,986 of costs that did not adhere to the cooperative agreement requirements or were not properly supported.Also, program officials did not accurately measure or report SCORE’s performance goal achievements. Further, program officials established only one outcome-based performance measure, which limited SBA’s ability to assess whether the program achieved its intended purpose.We made, and management agreed with, 11 recommendations that, if implemented, will improve SBA’s oversight and monitoring of SCORE’s use of government funds and its reporting of performance results. In addition, we recommended that SBA recover or remedy $713,986 of unallowable and unsupported costs. SBA management has planned actions that will resolve all noted recommendations and has demonstrated that it implemented corrective actions to close three of the recommendations.

The Office of Inspector General assessed NASA’s management of the Ames Research Center’s protective services contract.

Our report contains 27 recommendations directed to the post and headquarters. We recommend that the post store controlled substances according to policy and maintain an adequate medical inventory count. We also recommend that the post strengthen its controls over management of inventory and disposal of property, collection of overpayments, and issuance of bills of collection in a timely manner. In addition, we recommend that the post follow agency contracting policy, provide security certifications for all personal services contractors, and conduct and record Volunteer allowance surveys.