Federal Reports

Our objective was to evaluate the efficiency of operations at the New Orleans P&DC. To accomplish our objective, we focused on four audit areas: mail clearance times; delayed mail; late, canceled, and extra outbound trips; and load scans. We reviewed Surface Visibility Web data for late, canceled, and extra trips, as well as load scans for the period from May 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023. Further, we identified mail clearance time goals for the New Orleans P&DC and compared them with operations shown in the Run Plan Generator report. During our site visit from June 12 to 15, 2023, we interviewed P&DC management and observed mail processing and dock operations.

This interim report presents the results of our self-initiated audit of mail delivery, customer service, and property conditions at the Elmwood Branch in New Orleans, LA (Project Number 22-113-4). The Elmwood Branch is in the Louisiana District of the Southern Area and services ZIP Codes 70121 and 70123. These ZIP Codes serve about 38,472 people in an urban area. This delivery unit has 37 city routes. We judgmentally selected the Elmwood Branch based on the number of Customer 360 inquiries, Informed Delivery contacts, undelivered route information, and stop-the-clock scans performed at the unit.Our objective was to evaluate mail delivery, customer service, and property conditions at the Elmwood Branch in New Orleans, LA.

This interim report presents the results of our self-initiated audit of mail delivery, customer service, and property conditions at the Lake Forest Station in New Orleans, LA. The Lake Forest Station is in the Louisiana District of the Southern Area and services ZIP Codes 70126, 70127, 70128, and 70129. These ZIP Codes serve about 70,893 people in a predominantly urban area. This delivery unit has 37 city routes and 2 rural routes. We judgmentally selected the Lake Forest Station based on the number of Customer 360 inquiries, Informed Delivery contacts, undelivered route information, and stop-the-clock scans performed at the unit.Our objective was to evaluate mail delivery, customer service, and property conditions at the Lake Forest Station in New Orleans, LA.

Cybersecurity remains one of NASA’s top management challenges. While NASA’s information security program maintained a Level 3 rating this year, it still falls short of what the Office of Management and Budget considers effective.

This informational report details control activities implemented to strengthen enforcement of the USDA organic regulations and explains how the Agricultural Marketing Service intends to measure the effectiveness of the new organic regulations.

The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a focused review of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) guidelines for lung cancer screening (LCS) and the requirements for a VA facility LCS program. VHA has 10 mandatory elements that must be in place for a facility to establish an LCS program.Lung cancer is the third most diagnosed type of cancer in the United States and is the leading cause of cancer deaths. Lung cancer generally has a poor prognosis, but diagnosis at an early stage improves patients’ survival. The US Preventive Services Task Force first recommended LCS in 2013 and updated the recommendation in 2021. Despite the impact LCS has on improving patients’ survival, LCS rates in the United States remain low.The OIG surveyed facility staff involved in LCS. Facility staff reported that VHA LCS guideline requirements presented barriers to broader adoption of LCS and did not ensure consistent implementation. The most frequently cited barriers by facilities without an LCS program were the absence of an LCS coordinator, the lack of adequate staffing, the absence of a patient registry, and the lack of a multidisciplinary board. The OIG determined just over half of surveyed VHA facilities reported having an established LCS program consistent with VHA guidelines for LCS.In addition, the OIG found that regardless of whether facilities had established a compliant LCS program, variability remained in how facilities identify patients who met LCS criteria. Additionally, methods for interpreting low-dose computed tomography (CT) scans varied among facilities. Ten sites completing low-dose CT scans for lung cancer reported not using an established system for classification of the results.The OIG made three recommendations to the Under Secretary for Health. Recommendations addressed the operational memorandum for LCS implementation and the lack of a requirement to offer eligible patients LCS.