Open Recommendations

The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei should complete required visa validation studies, in accordance with Department guidelines.

The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei, in coordination with the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington Headquarters, should implement a process to formally request and document approvals for exceptions to Department policy, as required by the contract.

The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei should revise its motor vehicle policy to comply with Department standards on other authorized use of official vehicles.

The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei should enforce driver safety requirements for all chauffeurs and incidental operators under chief of mission authority in accordance with Department guidelines.

The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should evaluate all residential properties for seismic risk in accordance with Department standards.

The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should conduct the required annual review of the Japanese Guesthouse property to determine whether the property is economical to retain and if continued U.S. government ownership of the property is justified considering its current use.

The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei should bring its fire protection program into compliance with Department standards.

The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei should administer its facility management expendable supplies in accordance with Department standards.

The Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, in coordination with the American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei, the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington Headquarters, the Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services, and the Bureau of Global Talent Management, should establish a working group to develop streamlined payroll processes that also automate the change in duty station of U.S. direct-hire staff when they transfer out of Taiwan.

The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei, in coordination with the Bureau of Global Talent Management, should bring its local compensation plan into compliance with Taiwan labor laws.

The American Institute in Taiwan-Taipei should implement a records management program that complies with Department standards.

To help ensure indirect funded minor construction projects within Science are in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, Science’s and ANL’s policies and procedures, and Department guidance, we recommend that the Deputy Director for Operations, Science, ensure:1. Indirect funded minor construction projects are reviewed thoroughly by the cognizant site office, using financial subject matter expertise from the Consolidated Service Center as necessary, to make fully informed decisions and verify compliance with Science’s funding guidance;

To help ensure indirect funded minor construction projects within Science are in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, Science’s and ANL’s policies and procedures, and Department guidance, we recommend that the Deputy Director for Operations, Science, ensure:2. The relevant Science policies and processes are updated to reflect that proposed minor construction projects include supplemental materials needed for the Department’s review.

To help ensure indirect funded minor construction projects within Science are in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, Science’s and ANL’s policies and procedures, and Department guidance, we recommend that the Deputy Director for Operations, Science, ensure Argonne Site Office Designated Officials document reasons for changes in proposed funding sources for minor construction projects.

To help ensure indirect funded minor construction projects within Science are in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, Science’s and ANL’s policies and procedures, and Department guidance, we recommend that the Deputy Director for Operations, Science, ensure Argonne Site Office Designated Officials review Science processes to assure validation of scope within an indirect funded minor construction project and appropriate alignment with a common purpose and benefiting base.

To increase transparency and visibility in reviewing and approving indirect funded minor construction projects, we recommend that the Acting Manager, Argonne Site Office, in coordination with the Division Director, ANL’s Project Management Organization: review Science’s updated policies and procedures to assure adequate project information is submitted to Department officials to enable sufficient review and verification of indirect funded minor construction projects prior to approval.

The relevant Science policies and processes are updated to reflect that proposed minor construction projects include supplemental materials needed for the Department’s review.

Review Science’s updated policies and procedures to assure adequate project information is submitted to Department officials to enable sufficient review and verification of indirect funded minor construction projects prior to approval.

Engage with other federal regulators to evaluate the need for changes to rules under the safety and soundness standards, including the adoption of noncapital triggers that would require early and forceful regulatory actions tied to unsafe banking practices before they impair capital.

We recommend that SelectCare of Texas, Inc. identify, for the high-risk diagnoses included in this report, similar instances of noncompliance that occurred before and after our audit period and refund any resulting overpayments to the Federal Government

We recommend that SelectCare of Texas, Inc. refund to the Federal Government the $482,601 in net overpayments

We recommend that SelectCare of Texas, Inc. review its existing compliance procedures to identify potential areas where improvements can be made to ensure that diagnosis codes that are at high risk for being miscoded comply with Federal requirements (when submitted to CMS for use in CMS's risk adjustment program) and take any necessary steps to enhance those current procedures

We recommend that CMS continue to explore opportunities for using T-MSIS and SSA's DMF data to improve its oversight of the Medicaid program. Specifically, CMS should develop a process to match enrollment and payment information in T-MSIS with the DMF and provide the results of that match to States to help reduce Medicaid capitation payments made to MCOs on behalf of deceased enrollees.

We recommend that CMS ensure that states complete actions on our remaining recommendations to address the internal control weaknesses we indentified.

We recommend that CMS collect the outstanding unallowable payments totaling the estimated $41,003,804 we previously identified.