Open Recommendations

The St. Cloud VA Medical Center Director reviews the processes specific to ongoing professional practice evaluations, ensures alignment with Veterans Health Administration policy, including surgical service chief consideration of the use of specialty-specific metrics, including surgical procedures performed in the operating room, and monitors compliance.

The St. Cloud VA Medical Center Director completes a review of Medical Staff Executive Council meeting minutes, specific to focused and ongoing professional practice evaluations for the surgical service chief, identifies deficiencies, and takes action as warranted to ensure completion according to Veterans Health Administration requirements.

Review current outreach strategies, including staffing assignments, and make appropriate changes to optimize resources, ensuring maximum awareness of available assistance to disaster survivors.

Implement processes to gather feedback from applicants that would assist the agency in monitoring the effectiveness of its outreach methods.

We recommend that the USAID Mission Director for Somalia take the following action: Determine the allowability of $82,870 in questioned costs.

We recommend the CBP Office of Intelligence develop and issue policy for identifying and screening SIAs.

We recommend the CBP Border Patrol develop and implement a process for timely disseminating FCMs to agents conducting interviews.

We recommend the CBP Border Patrol develop and implement a process for timely disseminating FCMs to agents conducting interviews.

The Chief, Criminal Investigation, should ensure that the CIS and SME are familiar with seizure memorandum requirements. This includes ensuring that seizure memorandums are completed with key activity information; and enforcing, monitoring, and adhering to guidelines.

The Chief, Criminal Investigation, should ensure that steps are taken to preserve the form of the digital asset seized. Policies and procedures should be implemented to restore a seized digital asset to its original currency type in the event the asset is converted to a different digital currency type to execute the seizure.

The Chief, Criminal Investigation, should implement policies and procedures to ensure that cases are appropriately transferred and adhere to the evidentiary chain of custody requirements when a special agent leaves the IRS.

The Chief, Criminal Investigation, should establish an inventory system that can manage seized digital assets to include accurately tracking the quantity of digital assets to the fractional digit, and ensure that there is consistent treatment of all seized digital assets within its tracking system.

The Chief, Criminal Investigation, should update the Pre-Seizure Planning of Digital Assets and the Custody and Storage of Seized Assets guidelines to accurately reflect the processes to follow from seizure to disposition of seized digital assets.

The Chief, Criminal Investigation, should update internal guidelines to include time frame requirements for preparing the seizure memorandum and updating records in AFTRAK.

The assistant secretary for information and technology, who also serves as the departments chief information officer ensures staff involved with acquiring information and communication technology are adequately trained on federal and VA requirements for Section 508 standards.

The assistant secretary for information and technology, who also serves as the departments chief information officer updates VA Handbook 6221 to clearly identify roles and responsibilities related to ensuring Section 508 compliance during procurement.

The assistant secretary for information and technology, who also serves as the departments chief information officer establishes a way to ensure compliance documentation and market research on any information and communication technology being procured are submitted to the VA Office of 508 Compliance for approval so that the office can determine whether the technology is the most compliant under Section 508.

The deputy assistant secretary for acquisition and logistics collaborates with the VA Office of 508 Compliance to develop policies and procedures to ensure VAs information and communication technology procurements comply with Section 508 requirements.

We recommend that the PBS Commissioner ensures PBS personnel responsible for measurement and verification activities: are adequately trained to understand how to perform their oversight responsibilities in accordance with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program guidance; independently witness, verify, and document the ESCO’s baseline measurements; and adhere to PBS’s policy to ensure O&M contractor employees do not serve as government witnesses for ESPCs.

We recommend that the PBS Commissioner ensures the project team establishes communication protocols by developing an effective communication plan that is consistent with the PBS Project Management Practice Guide V.2 to prevent the government from incurring unnecessary costs.

We recommend that the PBS Commissioner ensures contracting officers authorize contract changes and implement them through contract modifications, in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).

Rec. 1.a: The DoD OIG recommended that the Defense Health Agency Health Informatics Division Chief Health Informatics Officer develop and implement a process to monitor and resolve, at least quarterly, scheduling requests routed to the unknown queue.

Rec. 1.b: The DoD OIG recommended that the Defense Health Agency Health Informatics Division Chief Health Informatics Officer configure MHS GENESIS to alert clinicians when an order has an error before generating a scheduling request that routes to the unknown queue.

We recommend the DHS Chief Information Officer strengthen oversight to ensure components adhere to DHS’ policies to remediate all known information security weaknesses in a timely manner.

Work with ARC to resolve the costs questioned totaling $693,374 for non-ARC match construction costs.