Federal Reports

Our objective for this report was to assess the extent to which the company has controls to manage, distribute, track, and retrieve high-security keys.We observed that high-security keys are broadly available to the public and can surface in online and brick-and-mortar marketplaces, contributing to security and safety risks. Senior officials told us the company has measures in place to largely mitigate serious risks, but the availability of these keys could still give bad actors an opportunity to disrupt train operations, causing unnecessary delays and costs.We further observed that high-security keys are publicly available in part because the company has not consistently implemented controls over the distribution, tracking, and retrieval of them. Senior officials agreed the company may reduce its risk by better safeguarding its high-security keys going forward.We provided several considerations for the company to address the report’s observations to include assessing the risks associated with keys currently in circulation and implementing controls to mitigate them to the extent practical. In addition, Amtrak may want to consider developing a key management policy that institutes new controls and establishing a centralized mechanism for tracking high-security keys, such as key management software.

The United States Capitol Police (USCP or the Department) Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted an audit of the Department’s financial statements for the years ended September 30, 2022 and 2021.

In planning and performing our audit of the financial statements of the United States Capitol Police (USCP or the Department) as of and for the year ended September 30, 2022. We considered USCP’s internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in circumstances for the purpose of expressing our opinion on the financial statements. 

This management advisory memorandum has been issued to raise awareness among Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) leaders and personnel about VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) concerns with decision-making on specific issues (highlighted in four prior reports) that adversely affect some veterans and beneficiaries. It is meant to strengthen VA’s efforts to advance VA’s I CARE principles codified in 2012 that emphasize veteran-centric experiences and high standards in services and care.The OIG recognizes VBA personnel’s commitment to veterans and their progress on addressing recommendations for improvement but believes more can be done to improve efficiencies while minimizing negative consequences for affected veterans. In looking across four prior reports, the OIG found VBA’s focus on addressing issues such as long wait times, backlogs, and processing errors came at the cost of poor outcomes for some beneficiaries. When the reports were issued, this included thousands of exempt veterans not receiving refunds of home loan funding fees; due process deficiencies in pension-reduction cases; increased risk of disclosure of personal information; and unnecessary disability medical examinations. VBA executive directors interviewed acknowledged they should always promote I CARE values but that sometimes VBA focused narrowly on a specific problem, resulting in adverse outcomes for veterans.This OIG advisory suggests VBA could better institutionalize I CARE values by ensuring these regulatory requirements are fully considered when making program decisions. VBA was asked to provide information on actions taken in response to the memorandum.VBA commented on the memorandum that although VBA concurred, or concurred in principle, with the four prior OIG reports and recommendations, it “strongly oppose[s] the implication that VBA did not always fully consider the effect organizational decisions would have on Veterans, beneficiaries, and their families.” VBA comments are included in full in an appendix to the memorandum.