Open Recommendations

OFOM’s Associate Director, in coordination with OHRM should finalize and implement policies and procedures for the Agency’s administration of the background investigations and adjudication processes for federal and contractor employees that (a) are consistent with regulations and implementation guidance issued by OPM; (b) assigns roles and responsibilities; (c) establishes specific procedures; and (d) measures operational effectiveness criteria.

OFOM’s Associate Director, in coordination with OHRM should establish and implement a reporting mechanism or system to monitor the progress of background investigations of federal and contractor employees to include adjudication determinations, onboarding of contractor employees, and the issuance of physical and logical access cards.

The Deputy Director, DBR should document the rationale for omitting worksteps for the five examinations not meeting the requirements of the 2023 Supervisory Priorities. As part of the documentation, include a determination of whether a baseline assessment of mortgage servicing was achieved.

The Deputy Director, DBR should consider whether examination work addressing specific supervisory priorities should be subjected to Examiner-in-Charge, Peer, or Independent Quality Control reviews. Update quality control procedures, as needed, to ensure that they assist management in achieving its objectives (e.g., specific supervisory priorities) and responding to identified risks.

The Director of Programming and Training ensures that staff receive sufficient training to use the Volunteer Reporting and Grants system.

The Director of Programming and Training ensures that Volunteers are receiving feedback in compliance with the post’s standard operating procedures.

The post works with the Peace Corps Safety and Security Officer to reassess the health and safety risk level of bush fires in the post risk assessment.

The post works with the Peace Corps Safety and Security Officer, Office of Health Services, and Peace Corps Medical Officers to prepare Volunteers for the potential scenario in which their home or worksite is threatened by bush fires.

Review the Veterans Health Administrations current methods, assumptions, and approaches used to project medical care budget needs in the annual Presidents Budget to identify any gaps in the process or data limitations, and develop and implement a plan to strengthen the process.

Establish and implement a plan to review current processes and procedures for involving program offices and pertinent subject matter experts in developing the Enrollee Health Care Projection Model inputs for specific areas such as community care, staffing, pharmacy services, and prosthetics services, and formalize the expectations of their involvement in this process, through guidance or protocols.

Develop and implement an approach to estimate medical care personnel needs and costs to increase the accuracy and reliability of information included in the annual Presidents Budget.

Institutionalize a regular cycle of at least quarterly fiscal reviews among assistant under secretaries for health, network directors, and program offices that routinely assess key cost drivers and other areas of concern, such as staffing, community care growth, and local initiatives.

Develop comprehensive management controls with clear roles and responsibilities at each level of the Veterans Benefits Administration to ensure effective oversight of mandatory accounts and the timely communication of any potential budgetary shortfalls.

Ensure the Office of Financial Management develops procedures to incorporate all available budgetary resources, as reported on the SF-133s, in its calculations for the status of funds reports for transparent communication to internal and external stakeholders.

Institutionalize monthly fiscal reviews between the Office of Financial Management and program offices to routinely assess performance and cost drivers that may affect the status of available funds.

Institutionalize monthly fiscal reviews between the VA Office of Budget and the Veterans Benefits Administration Office of Financial Management to routinely assess performance and cost drivers that may affect the status of available funds.

Clarify guidance for making insourcing decisions and develop more detailed cost comparison analysis and maintain records in support of insourcing decisions.

Develop controls that prohibit users from entering invalid dates into the Vehicle Information Transportation Analysis and Logistics system.

Verify drivers received required safe driver training; and enforce policies that require managers and supervisors to maintain training records in the Learning Management System.

Insource highway contract routes when economically advantageous to the Postal Service and implement a waiver process when cost is not a main factor to insource.

develop a process to monitor and evaluate the operational efficiencies received from insourcing highway contract route contracts to determine if the expected benefits are being realized.

Require employees to complete the Postal Service Supervisor Program within one year of their initial appointment to a supervisory position, and refresher training at least every three years, and maintain appropriate records of completion.

Develop and share documentation to communicate lessons learned from the challenges faced during the Postal Vehicle Operator Pilot Program to site management at future pilot sites.

Include specific requirements in the job announcements for Postal Vehicle Service operator positions (i.e. starting as part-time flexible or working outside of normal business hours).

Develop and make available the training to obtain a commercial driver's license to interested postal vehicle operators.