Open Recommendations

To improve procedures related to verifying whether individuals complied with the requirement to file a Federal tax return and reconcile APTC payments, we recommend that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ensure that the Federal marketplace’s eligibility and enrollment system performs subsequent FTR verifications for an individual who received an FTR indicator for a tax-filing extension.

To improve procedures related to verifying whether individuals complied with the requirement to file a Federal tax return and reconcile APTC payments, we recommend that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services require an individual to submit supporting documentation (e.g., a Federal tax return with IRS Form 8962) when he or she attests to having filed a tax return to reconcile a previous year’s APTC payments.

Although the Federal marketplace properly determined most individuals’ eligibility for insurance affordability programs, to address the specific deficiencies that we identified, we recommend that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services take steps to ensure that the Federal marketplace corrects an error in its eligibility and enrollment system so that the system does not incorrectly show that an individual is no longer enrolled in a QHP.

Although the Federal marketplace properly determined most individuals’ eligibility for insurance affordability programs, to address the specific deficiencies that we identified, we recommend that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services redetermine, if necessary, the eligibility of the eight sampled individuals for whom eligibility for insurance affordability programs was not or may not have been determined in accordance with Federal requirements.

Although the Federal marketplace properly determined most individuals’ eligibility for insurance affordability programs, to address the specific deficiencies that we identified, we recommend that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services take steps to ensure that the Federal marketplace implements a change in its eligibility and enrollment system so that the system maintains data showing that verifications of minimum essential coverage through non-ESI were performed, even if responses were not received from some of the electronic data sources.

Although the Federal marketplace properly determined most individuals’ eligibility for insurance affordability programs, to address the specific deficiencies that we identified, we recommend that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services take steps to ensure that the Federal marketplace corrects an error in its eligibility and enrollment system so that the marketplace generates an inconsistency when an individual’s attested information related to eligibility for minimum essential coverage through ESI is not completed.

The Assistant Secretary for Management should ensure that the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Chief Human Capital Officer (DASHR/CHCO) and the Office of Executive Resources (OER) calculate the overpayment amounts for the two Departmental Office (DO) Senior Executive Service (SES) members whose pay was set higher than allowed by regulation.

Update HUD's loss mitigation policies, to include deadlines for the servicers to file the FHA-HAMP nonincentivized partial claims, and consider imposing sanctions for noncompliance with these deadline requirements.

We recommend that the New York State Department of Health refund $39,329,059 to the Federal Government.

We recommend that the New York State Department of Health ensure that providers comply with Federal and State requirements for providing and claiming reimbursement for OTP services.

We recommend that the New York State Department of Health implement procedures to detect and prevent duplicate claims for OTP services.

USAID/Zambia determine the allowability of $1,192,504 in questioned costs ($14,127 ineligible, $1,178,377 unsupported) on pages 13 and 16 of the audit report and recover any amount that is unallowable.

USAID/Zambia determine the allowability of $1,063,630 in questioned cost sharing costs contributions ($40,346 ineligible, $1,023,284 unsupported) on page 69 of the audit report and recover any amount that is unallowable.

We recommend that the PBS Commissioner address the specific vulnerabilities the OIG identified for the child care centers.

We recommended that the PBS Commissioner conduct a comprehensive assessment to identify security vulnerabilities at each child care center located in a GSA-controlled building and expedite action to upgrade these buildings to the minimum security standards. If PBS cannot address vulnerabilities identified in these buildings, the child care centers should be moved to safer locations.

Determine the allowability of the questioned transactions and recover $1,135,453, if applicable.

Recommendation 1: With the involvement of the Office of the Technical Director, develop and implement an Excepted Service recruitment strategy and update guidance to reflect this strategy.

Develop and implement a step-by-step hiring process metric with periodic reporting requirements.

Update and finalize policies and procedures relative to determining the technical qualifications of OTD applicants. These should include examples of experience such as military and teaching, and their applicability to OTD positions.

Develop and issue hiring-process guidance and provide training to DNFSB staff involved with the hiring process.

Ensure that OIT monitors and promptly installs patches and antivirus updates across the enterprise when they are available from the vendor. Enhancements should include:Pending since FY 2017

Implement a process to track patching of network devices and servers by the defined risk-based patch timelines in CNCS policy.

Monitor and record actions taken by the contractor to ensure vulnerability remediation for network devices and servers is addressed or the exposure to unpatchable vulnerabilities is minimized.

Ensure that OIT evaluates if the internet connections at the National Civilian Community Corps Campuses and Regional Offices are sufficient to allow patches to be deployed to all devices within the defined risk-based patch timeline in CNCS policy. If the internet connections are determined to be inadequate, develop and implement a plan to enhance the current internet connections.