Federal Reports

Since our 2020 audit, the Department of Homeland Security has made progress towards fulfilling the 13 responsibilities in the GDA.

What We Looked AtFAA relies on its highly-trained Air Traffic Control Specialists (ATCS) to safely and efficiently manage the flow of air traffic across the National Airspace System. In 2012, FAA undertook a review of the ATCS hiring process that identified the need to update its ATCS pre-employment test. In response, FAA deployed the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) test in November 2016. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 mandated that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) assess the assumptions and methodologies used to develop the ATSA. Accordingly, we initiated this audit to assess FAA’s (1) validation of the assumptions and methodologies used to develop the air traffic controller pre-employment test and (2) administration of the test and its plans to evaluate the test’s effectiveness in identifying successful ATCS candidates. What We FoundFAA has taken steps to validate the assumptions and methodologies used to develop the ATSA. FAA worked with a human resource consulting organization, APTMetrics, to identify the critical skills, abilities, and other characteristics (SAO) required to perform important ATCS responsibilities. FAA then worked with APTMetrics, NATCA, and various subject matter experts to ensure that the ATSA evaluates the SAOs required for entry level ATCS. Also, the ATSA identifies sufficient applicants to meet FAA’s trainee hiring goals but the Agency has not established a plan for evaluating the ATSA’s effectiveness. As a result, it is unclear whether the test is effective at helping the Agency identify successful ATCS candidates. Furthermore, FAA’s lengthy hiring process and COVID-19 restrictions have slowed FAA’s onboarding and training activities for newly hired ATCS. As a result, few applicants who have taken the ATSA and were selected as trainees have completed their training and obtained certification. Our RecommendationsFAA concurred with our recommendation that the Agency evaluate the ATSA’s effectiveness in identifying successful ATCS candidates. We consider the recommendation resolved but open pending completion of the planned actions.

The Postal Service has weathered tremendous changes since the turn of the 21st century. Despite financial challenges and declining mail volume, USPS remains a foundational institution that continues to deliver for the people of this country.In this white paper, the OIG sought to provide a high-level overview of the Postal Service’s operational environment since 2000. The paper identifies major postal trends over the past 22 years and contextualizes those trends against the broader social, economic, and legislative environment.

An Amtrak vendor in Boston, Massachusetts, did not properly secure and protect Wright Express (WEX) fuel cards assigned to three vehicles, which Amtrak leases from the General Services Administration (GSA). This resulted in GSA billing the company for fraudulent or otherwise inappropriate transactions totaling $2,745. The company’s contract requires the vendor and its onsite employees to comply with the company’s policies concerning conduct and security. The contract also states that the vendor will be exclusively responsible for the theft or loss that occurs as a result of their failure to maintain adequate security. The vendor agreed to reimburse Amtrak $2,745 for the fraudulent charges. On January 10, 2023, Amtrak management implemented procedures to ensure compliance and proper use of the WEX fuel cards.We also determined that the vendor’s failure to adequately control the WEX cards allowed a former vendor driver to use these fuel cards to fuel his personally owned vehicles for fraudulent fuel purchases totaling $760. The vendor terminated the driver on October 28, 2022.