Open Recommendations

Follow up with the four grantees without adequate supporting documentation and assess their compliance with the financial management requirements in 2 CFR 200.302(b)(3), which require the financial management system of each non-Federal entity to provide for records that adequately identify the source and application of funds for federally funded activities.

Update the CPD Monitoring Handbook to incorporate the review of the PR 29 report when performing financial monitoring reviews.

Develop written procedures on how to review PR 29 report submissions and monitor resubmissions, late submissions, and nonsubmissions.

Evaluate and update IDIS to ensure that resubmissions of PR 29 reports are tracked and prior submissions are preserved and correct the system's misclassification of unsubmitted and uncertified draft PR 29 reports as submitted.

Determine how often grantees' requests for reimbursement contain cost outside the quarter and in coordination with OCFO, evaluate CPD's grant accrual methodology and assumptions to ensure that it adequately considers the impact of these late cost reimbursements.

Develop guidance that encourages grantees to draw down funds for reimbursement on a regular schedule, not less than quarterly.

Work with OCFO to ensure that CPD collects and reports to OCFO all of the information needed to properly account for all CPD activities in HUD's financial statements in accordance with Federal financial reporting requirements and accounting standards.

Update Line 4 - Cash (grant funds) disbursed during the reporting period in the PR 29 report to allow grantees to report all CDBG grant funds disbursed, including funds that have not yet been drawn down from HUD for reimbursement.

Obtain the required approvals under PRA for the PR 29 report.

VA Deputy Secretary to mediate the two offices’ collaboration to develop and publish updates to the personnel security policies and procedures for vetting contractor employees to include appropriate roles and responsibilities; standard contract language to communicate the requirements for vetting contractor employees, including whether a fingerprint check or background investigation is required, that can be used across the department; and a requirement that the VA organization requesting a contract provide the position designation record in the acquisition package submitted to the contracting office.

Executive director of the Office of Acquisition and Logistics and senior procurement executive: 3. Update and publish the Veterans Affairs Acquisition Regulation and Veterans Affairs Acquisition Manual to direct the department’s acquisition professionals to the correct guidance for vetting contractor employees, which should include VA’s personnel security and suitability program policy.

Assistant secretary for information and technology update and publish VA Handbook 6500.6, Contract Security, in collaboration with the Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction and the Office of Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness including retitling it to better correspond to its content and removing any personnel security steps that should only be discussed in VA personnel security and suitability program policies.

The Office of Administration should work with the Bureau of Field Service to create an agency wide capital planning report for fiscal years 2024-2028 that includes all field offices (in addition to headquarters) and addresses all considerations required by the Office of Management and Budget's latest Memorandum M-22-14.

The Office of Administration should adequately document exemptions of the Office of Management and Budget's memorandums related to agencywide capital planning requirement.

The Bureau of Field Service should implement and document a review process to verify the completeness, accuracy, and validity of the telecommunications data and analysis used to support telecommunications reports and Budget Justifications.

The Office of Programs should create a communication improvement plan describing inter-unit communication flows between Railroad Retirement Board's Bureau of the Actuary and Research and other bureaus whose changes may impact the Bureau of the Actuary and Research's analysis.

The Office of Programs should create a communication improvement plan describing inter-unit communication flows between the Railroad Retirement Board's Office of Programs and the Bureau of Field Service.

The Office of Programs should create a set of policies and/or procedures for how the Railroad Retirement Board's primary units should communicate with one another to ensure compliance with Section OV3.04 of the Green Book.

The Bureau of Field Service should document its lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Bureau of Field Service should distribute its documented lessons learned to all applicable Railroad Retirement Board units to help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Railroad Retirement Board operations.

The Bureau of Field Service should determine the number of field offices that continued to accept faxed or emailed sickness benefit applications as of June 2023, and assess the impact of such actions.

The Bureau of Field Service should determine if an official policy change should be made regarding the submission of sickness and unemployment benefit applications and claims, based on COVID-19 pandemic lessons learned and an assessment of the impact of the relaxed COVID-19 pandemic policy.

The Bureau of Field Service should create policies and procedures for Railroad Retirement Board employees to assist customers with limited English proficiency.

The Bureau of Field Service should determine the amount of resources needed to assist customers with limited English proficiency.

The Bureau of Field Service should provide resources to employees to ensure access to language assistance resources.