Open Recommendations

In coordination with the assistant administrator for Mission Support,complete the development and implementation of the electronic clearance system for scientific products across the Agency.

With the assistance of the Scientific Integrity Committee, finalize and release the procedures for addressing and resolving allegations of a violation of the Scientific Integrity Policy, and incorporate the procedures into scientific integrity outreach and training materials.

With the assistance of the Scientific Integrity Committee, develop and implement a process specifically to address and resolve allegations of Scientific Integrity Policy violations involving high profile issues or seniorofficials, and specify when this process should be used.

The Acquisition Program Management Assistant Administrator to develop an effective monitoring strategy and implementation plan, including necessary policies and procedures for ensuring probability of detection through defined continued monitoring and assessment of the deployed AIT system.

We recommend that Retirement Services develop and implement additional cost effective corrective actions, aimed at the root cause(s) of improper payments, to further reduce the improper payments rate.

We recommend that the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education require Texas to require Houston to return to the Restart grant $34,065 in personnel expenditures that it charged for four teachers whose extra duty work was not for the purposes of the grant.

We recommend that the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education require Texas to review a random, statistically valid sample of the remaining payroll expenditures for teachers whose extra duty pay Houston charged to the Restart grant, determine whether the personnel expenditures were allowable under the grant, and require Houston to return funds to the grant for unallowable costs

We recommend that the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education require Texas to provide additional guidance to ESCs providing equitable services and assistance to nonpublic schools that specifies how to handle items purchased by nonpublic schools using Federal funds. The instructions should ensure that the appropriate public agency holds the title to materials and equipment.

We recommend that the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education require Texas to verify transfer of the title for the materials and equipment purchased by the Region 4 ESC on behalf of nonpublic schools using Restart program funds or require the ESC to return funds to the grant for unallowable costs.

We recommend that the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education require Texas to review the other ESCs that are providing equitable services and assistance to nonpublic schools to ensure that the ESCs have maintained control and ownership to materials and equipment purchased using Restart program funds.

We recommend that the Bureau of Fiscal Operations perform a reconciliation of Railroad Retirement Act overpayments recapture source data to the Financial Management Integrated System when preparing the payment recapture data worksheet to ensure accurate information is published in the Railroad Retirement Board's Performance and Accountability Report's payment integrity section.

We recommend that the Office of Programs create and submit proposals to Office of Management and Budget during their next budget submission that will bring the agency into compliance. If the Director of Office of Management and Budget determines that additional funding would help the agency become compliant, the agency should obligate an amount of additional funding determined by the Director of Office of Management and Budget to intensify compliance efforts.

We recommend that the Office of Programs update the corrective action plan that was published in the Railroad Retirement Board’s fiscal year 2018 Performance and Accountability Report to reduce Railroad Medicare improper payments and publish it in the Railroad Retirement Board’s fiscal year 2020 Performance and Accountability Report.

We recommend that the Office of Programs publish Railroad Medicare overpayment recapture data in the Railroad Retirement Board’s fiscal year 2020 Performance and Accountability Report.

We recommend that the Office of Programs resume payment integrity reporting in the Railroad Retirement Board’s performance and accountability report, as required by applicable improper payment laws, until official approval from Office of Management and Budget is obtained and updated governing documents between the Railroad Retirement Board and the Department of Health and Human Services have been signed to reflect the extended enterprise relationship between the two agencies.

We recommend that HHS focus on the root causes of the improper payment percentage and evaluate critical and feasible action steps to assist states with their compliance efforts for these new requirements.

We recommend that HHS continue to work with OMB and other stakeholders to develop and implement an approach to reporting on TANF improper payments in FY 2020.

We recommend that HHS focus on the root causes of the improper payment percentage and evaluate critical and feasible action steps to assist states with their compliance efforts for these new requirements.

We recommend that HHS continue to explore alternative vehicles to conduct recovery audits that will fit into the larger Medicare Part C

We recommend that HHS develop and publish corrective action plans after implementing an approach.  HHS continue to focus on developing and implementing an approach to reporting on TANF improper payments, as this process will aid in identifying root causes of TANF improper payments.

We recommend the Transportation Security Administration Executive Assistant Administrator, Security Operations, develop a detailed Passenger Screening Canine plan and implement policies to: a. identify and document the canine program's current operational capability needs and number of Passenger Screening Canine teams necessary for effective checkpoint screening; b. formalize a documented methodology to justify Passenger Screening Canine team allocation decisions; c. create a formal process to analyze and document capabilities of Passenger Screening Canine teams and justify whether the teams or other options provide the best, cost-effective security at checkpoints; and d. hold Federal Security Directors accountable for using the teams as…

Determine the allowability of the questioned transactions and recover $2,227,535, if applicable.

We recommended that CMS direct the MACs to based upon the results of this audit, notify the appropriate providers so that the providers can exercise reasonable diligence to identify, report, and return any overpayments in accordance with the 60-day rule and identify any of those returned overpayments as having been made in accordance with this recommendation

We recommended that CMS direct the MACs to educate outpatient providers on how to correctly bill nonphysician outpatient services provided within 3 days before the date of admission, on the date of admission, or during IPPS stays.