Federal Reports

Due to the importance of an effective response in the event of an emergency, we conducted an evaluation to determine if (1) emergency response plans at coal plants were up to date and (2) required systems were available and functional.We found the majority of emergency plans for active and retired coal plants were not reviewed on a timely basis or were not up to date. Specifically, we found (1) three of six emergency plans for active coal plants were not reviewed timely based on TVA’s requirement for an annual review, and all six contained inaccurate contact information; (2) two of four emergency plans for retired coal plants were not reviewed timely and plans were not executable because of changed plant conditions; and (3) 14 of 15 emergency action plans required for coal combustion residuals storage facilities were not reviewed on a timely basis. We also found some systems required in emergency response plans were not functional. Specifically, we observed functional issues with emergency alerting and notification systems at two of the three plants we visited.

This audit responds to concerns raised about mail service in selected post offices in the Richmond District. Customers complained their mail was not delivered, tampered with, damaged, and mis-delivered. The Richmond District has 74 delivery units, 1,415 city routes in the Delivery Operations Information System, and 1,064,670 city delivery points. Our analysis of key city delivery performance indicators including carriers returning after 7 p.m., overtime hours used, and customer complaints identified 16 delivery units with poor performance.

A review of advances provided to approved grantees for the Partnership for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) program identified grantees that did not utilize the advances on a timely basis.

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. OIG data analytics identified offices with potentially fraudulent Voyager card activity. The objective of this audit was to determine whether high-risk Voyager card transactions were properly reconciled, and Voyager card PINs were properly managed at the Roseburg, OR, Post Office.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited Columbia Housing Authority in Columbia, MO because it was the only public housing agency in the State of Missouri that had converted units under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s RAD program at the time. Our objective was to determine whether the Authority maintained auditable written records of resident relocation incentive payment consultations and properly paid business relocation incentive payments.We found that the Authority did not maintain the required written records of resident relocation incentive payment consultations. As a result, the Authority was unable to demonstrate that $126,824 in incentive payments were fair and consistent. In addition, the Authority risked an appearance of favoritism. We also found that the Authority paid $9,608 for a business owner’s relocation costs and financial losses without calculating the previous 2 years of average annual net earnings. As a result, HUD lacked assurance that the Authority properly paid a displaced business in lieu of payment for actual moving and related expenses. We recommend that the Director of HUD’s St. Louis, MO, Office of Public Housing require the Authority to require CHA to support $126,824 in incentive payments and develop and implement controls over its incentives program, including record-keeping requirements; defined processes, such as detailed checklist of available incentives, including monetary limits; and supervisory review requirements. Additionally, we recommend that HUD take appropriate administrative action and require the Authority to support the $9,608 payment with the required 2 years of annual net earnings.

Overdose deaths are at epidemic levels and the opioid crisis is now considered a public health emergency. In 2016, there were more than 42,000 opioid-related overdose deaths in the United States-115 deaths per day. Nearly 7,000 of these deaths occurred in five States in the Appalachian region-Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia. All five of these States had high opioid prescribing rates and four reported opioid-related overdose death rates that far exceeded that of the Nation. Identifying beneficiaries who are at risk of overdose or abuse is key to addressing this crisis. This data brief provides data on opioid use in Medicare Part D in these five States in 2017, including the number of beneficiaries who were at serious risk of opioid misuse or overdose.