Open Recommendations

We recommend that NTIA’ s Chief Financial Officer and Director of Administration consider implementing controls to plan for and track expenses by each broadband program’s life cycle.

Update SD 603 to:
a. Outline the role and authority of the SD 603 Committee.
b. Reference available training and related resources on the SD 603 content review
process.

Establish SD 603 Committee internal procedures for onboarding committee members, conducting content reviews, documenting committee review meetings, and following up on recommendations.

Require periodic training for Smithsonian personnel involved in content development and track completion of the training.

Develop and implement a process for reviewing and providing feedback on formal unit content planning guidelines required under SD 603.

Develop and implement formal written guidance for units better defining and clarifying:
a. How to achieve a balance of perspectives.
b. How to document differing perspectives acquired during required consultations.
c. How to re-evaluate or obtain additional consultation for changes in content direction or in degree of emphasis.
d. The timing of content review for commissioned work and publications prior to contract execution.

Develop and implement formal unit content planning guidelines adhering to the provisions of SD 603.

Determine and document the allowability of the questioned $36,500 cost funded with AWHIP federal funds, and resolve any costs determined to be disallowed with the AWHIP administrators.

Review, and take appropriate corrective action, for the cases identified in this audit.

Update policies to reflect changes in sanctions processing guidance, clarify how employees should store sanction determination, and specify when employees should add sanction language to the Master Beneficiary Record and/or Supplemental Security Record.

Establish systems interfaces, edits, and/or automated alerts to improve sanctions processing, including ensuring employees suspend benefits under all appropriate records for the correct months and durations and notifying employees when an individual with a deferred sanction begins receiving benefits.

Improve controls over employees’ documentation of sanction development and determinations, such as edits requiring completion of relevant fields in the Administrative Sanctions Tool and a sanctions coordinator or designated expert periodically review of a sample of all sanction categories.

Establish a process for a sanctions coordinator or designated expert to periodically review sanction notices to identify and address quality issues.

Update its systems to issue accurate sanction notices to individuals.

Revise policies and procedures to instruct employees to document fraud or similar fault determinations on overpayments related to sanctionable actions to ensure the Social Security Administration implements full withholding when applicable.

Establish timeframes for implementing the Management Evaluation and Financial Management Review processes for the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program.

Establish and implement a periodic oversight process to verify that State agencies are complying with program regulations until the formal Management Evaluation and Financial Management Review processes are implemented.

Train management at all delivery units in the district on the proper procedures for checking and reporting delayed mail.

Develop a contingency plan for situations that may interfere with normal delivery services, such as vehicle availability issues, at the Suffolk Main Post Office.

Train carriers on the proper procedures for scanning firm sheets at the Virginia Beach Main Post Office.

Monitor that high-risk Voyager card transactions are properly reconciled, as required, and high-risk fuel transactions are annotated with an appropriate comment at the Norfolk Sorting and Delivery Center, and Lynchburg, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach main post offices.

Take action to correct the records and pay any retroactive benefits, as appropriate, for the 78 beneficiaries we identified.

Identify the factors that contribute to employee errors and implement appropriate corrective actions.

We recommend the Vice President, Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, reinforce the expectation for hours worked to be entered in the work-hour system.

We recommend the Vice President, Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, reinforce the expectation for hours not worked to be removed from the work-hour system.