Federal Reports

We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) oversight of lead-based paint reporting and remediation in its public housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs. The audit was part of the activities in our fiscal year 2017 annual audit plan. The audit objective was to determine whether HUD had adequate oversight of lead‐based paint reporting and remediation in its public housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs.HUD lacked adequate oversight of lead-based paint reporting and remediation in its public housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs. Specifically, it did not (1) ensure that public housing agencies appropriately reported and mitigated cases involving children with environmental intervention blood lead levels (EIBLL) in its public housing program, (2) establish policies and procedures for public housing agencies to report a child with an EIBLL who resided in a household assisted under its Housing Choice Voucher program and ensure that identified lead hazards had been mitigated, and (3) ensure that public housing agencies completed required lead-based paint inspections. In addition, for housing built after 1977, HUD did not require public housing agencies to report and mitigate cases involving children with EIBLLs residing in public or assisted housing. As a result, HUD lacked assurance that public housing agencies properly identified and mitigated lead hazards, thus increasing the potential of exposing children to lead poisoning due to unsafe living conditions.We recommend that the General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing to (1) update HUD’s regulations to expand the inspection and abatement requirements of 24 CFR Part 35 to housing completed after 1977 in cases in which a child with an elevated blood lead level is reported and (2) implement adequate procedures and controls to ensure that public housing agencies comply with the lead safe requirements.

The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a review in response to newly established requirements in the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017. The law requires the OIG to report a minimum of five clinical and five nonclinical VA occupations that have the largest staffing shortages at each medical facility. This is in contrast to the prior mandate to report the five largest staffing shortages throughout VHA. This is OIG’s fifth annual determination of staffing shortages in VHA. In light of the changes in law, the OIG adjusted its approach to this year’s iteration of the mandated staffing report and conducted a facility-specific survey to determine current staffing levels and identify staffing shortages at the facility level. The most frequently cited shortages were in the Medical Officer and Nurse occupations. The OIG also found that several nonclinical occupations were frequently designated by VHA facilities as a shortage. Ultimately, the number of facility staffing shortage designations ranged from 1 to 89 shortages, including both clinical and nonclinical occupations. Facility responses to reasons why there was a shortage varied significantly. The most commonly cited challenges to staffing fell into three categories: lack of qualified applicants, non competitive salary, and high staff turnover. The reasons provided by facilities in response to the 2018 survey were consistent with many of the barriers noted in OIG’s 2017 staffing survey. The 2018 survey highlights the need for a staffing model that identifies and prioritizes staffing needs at the national level while allowing flexibility at the facility level.

The OIG investigated allegations that an oil and gas company failed to comply with Federal regulations and to pay royalties associated with tribal leases. We substantiated the allegations and found the company failed to accurately report and pay gas royalties in 2014 for seven leases located on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. We found, however, that the company made genuine attempts to correct the royalty reporting, but the adjustments did not post properly. After consultation between our office, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR), and company representatives, the company corrected the suspect reporting and paid all additional gas royalties associated with the seven tribal leases.

The Medicaid program pays for nonemergency medical transportation (NEMT) services that a State determines to be necessary for beneficiaries to obtain care. Prior OIG audit reports have consistently identified NEMT services as vulnerable to fraud, waste, and abuse.

To read the press release for this report, please click the link below.

An Amtrak electrician with the Mechanical department was suspended from employment on June 13, 2018 for violating company policy. The employee was initially terminated; however, a Public Law Board reduced the penalty of termination to a suspension and reinstated the employee without backpay.