Open Recommendations

Embassy Malabo should establish and administer a training program for its locally employed staff, in accordance with Department guidelines.

Embassy Malabo should require authorizing officials to approve staff requests for overtime in advance, in accordance with Department guidance.

Embassy Malabo should adhere to the Department's recruitment standards for locally employed staff positions.

Embassy Malabo, in coordination with the Bureau of Global Talent Management, should consult with local legal counsel and establish and implement a policy that adheres to Department and host country regulations for management of its third-country national staff.

Embassy Malabo should provide workplace safety training for supervisors and employees, as required by Department guidance.

Embassy Malabo should bring its fire protection program into compliance with Department standards.

Embassy Malabo should review and de-obligate all invalid unliquidated obligations without activity for more than 1 year, in accordance with Department guidance, so that funds of up to $317,000 can be put to better use.

Embassy Malabo should clear overdue travel advances, in accordance with Department guidelines and put funds of up to $22,218 to better use.

Embassy Malabo should bring its cashier operations into compliance with Department standards.

Embassy Malabo should require its locally employed staff to complete the required position-specific training, in accordance with Department standards.

Embassy Malabo should budget for and purchase battery backup replacements, and spare or replacement printers and computers, as required by Department guidance.

Embassy Malabo should implement a records management program that complies with Department standards.

Embassy Malabo should permanently repair its high frequency radio and conduct weekly high frequency radio checks, in accordance with Department standards.

We recommend that the FEMA Administrator direct FEMA Regions to:• begin administrative closeout of the 26 grant programs we identified with expired periods of performance to the extent permitted by the Stafford Act, for those with no pending requests for extension or lacking acceptable justifications for extension, and deobligate the associated $9.4 million in remaining funds;• assess and close, as appropriate, the 42 grant programs in our scope representing $7 billion in unliquidated funding; and• conduct a review of all authorized grant programs with expired periods of performance to determine whether to administratively closeout and deobligate remaining fund balances, to…

We recommend that the FEMA Administrator consistently apply FEMA Manual 205-0-1, Grants Management requirements, including that the recipient’s request and FEMA’s determination for extensions must be in writing and signed, and that FEMA’s determination include the rationale for the decision, including how the facts meet the applicable guidelines.

We recommend that the designated personnel complete training in detecting counterfeit system components (including hardware, software, and firmware) and best practices for counterfeit component prevention.

Require the Office of Integrated Veteran Care and Pharmacy Benefits Management Services to improve community provider compliance when prescribing special-authorization drugs and being responsive to VA pharmacy inquiries. This should include consideration of electronic system capabilities to attach medical justifications, allow community providers to have real-time access to VAs formulary when prescribing drugs, and enable two-way communication between community providers and VA pharmacists electronically.

Task the Office of Integrated Veteran Care to train community providers on the VA formulary and implement a process to improve tracking of training completion and community providers compliance with VA guidance on submitting prescriptions for special-authorization drugs.

Direct Pharmacy Benefits Management Services to update its dashboard to more accurately capture special-authorization drug request processing times and provide the Office of Integrated Veteran Care access to this information for contract management purposes.

Charge facility community care offices to work with pharmacy personnel to report when they receive information from VA pharmacists that community providers did not comply with VAs documentation requirements for special-authorization drugs. Reporting mechanisms can include submitting Potential Quality Issue Referral reports or Health Care Quality Concern reports to third-party administrators.

The Veterans Integrated Service Network Director, in conjunction with facility directors, ensures employees complete the operating model staffing tool reassessment every 90 days.

The Veterans Integrated Service Network Director, in conjunction with facility directors, ensures VHA staff scan all community care documents into the patient’s electronic health record within five business days of receipt.

The Veterans Integrated Service Network Director, in conjunction with facility directors, ensures facility staff attach community diagnostic imaging results to the designated Community Care Consult Result note.

The Veterans Integrated Service Network Director, in conjunction with facility directors, ensures facility community care staff make required attempts to obtain medical documentation within 90 days of the appointment after administratively closing consults without medical documentation.

The Veterans Integrated Service Network Director, in conjunction with facility directors, ensures facility community care staff process community care providers’ requests for services within three business days of receipt.