Open Recommendations

We recommend that Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital, Billings Area Office, and Indian Health Service Headquarters work together to take action to complete background investigations for staff members identified in this report as not having a satisfactory background investigation and adjudicate the investigations that were still pending adjudication.

We recommend that Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital, Billings Area Office, and Indian Health Service Headquarters work together to update standard operating procedures for background investigations to address the deficiencies we identified in this report.

We recommend that Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital, Billings Area Office, and Indian Health Service Headquarters work together to establish a monitoring system to ensure all elements of required background investigations in accordance with Federal requirements are completed within required timeframes.

We recommend that Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital, Billings Area Office, and Indian Health Service Headquarters work together to determine which staff members in contact with Indian children currently have a pending background investigation and take immediate action to ensure that there is adequate documented evidence that these staff members meet IHS sight and supervision requirements when children are in their care.

We recommend that Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital, Billings Area Office, and Indian Health Service Headquarters work together to update standard operating procedures for provisional staff supervision to address the deficiencies we identified in this report.

We recommend that Crow/Northern Cheyenne Hospital, Billings Area Office, and Indian Health Service Headquarters work together to establish a monitoring system to ensure that the Hospital meets sight and supervision requirements for staff with pending background investigations and documents that they are met.

Examine its domain assessment process - including the Top 100 Initiative and recall inspection activities - and refine its strategies for identifying and tracking risks, deploying resources, and accomplishing goals.

Refine the CGIC performance review process to include sufficient information to allow for an assessment of the outcomes and effectiveness of the CGIC intelligence that is shared with Industry Operations.

Establish a recurring process to assess the risk indicators that contribute to the selection of FFLs for inspection and evaluate the results of the inspections to ensure that field divisions are effectively identifying high-risk FFLs.

Implement a process to conduct ongoing formal, data-based, comprehensive reviews of inspections results to ensure consistent application of the standards and assist ATF in reaching its inspection program goals of reducing the possibility of firearms being diverted from legal commerce and maintaining the traceability of firearms.

Adopt mechanisms to improve the accuracy of its information-sharing data and the completeness of its information about the outcomes of internal and external referrals and use this information to better assess the value and effectiveness of its information sharing practices, with the goal of providing enhanced oversight of FFLs.

The U.S. Mission to the European Union, in coordination with the Bureau of Consular Affairs, should review the need for the Senior Consular Representative position and make adjustments as necessary to meet both U.S. consular policy objectives and Department standards for effective use of resources.

Embassy Beirut, in coordination with the Bureau of Consular Affairs, should implement a plan to mitigate, to the maximum extent practicable, safety risks associated with the area outside the pedestrian gate used by consular customers, in accordance with Department guidelines.

Embassy Beirut, in coordination with the Bureaus of Consular Affairs and Overseas Buildings Operations, should provide protection from the elements for consular applicants, in accordance with Department standards.

Embassy Beirut, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should bring its fire protection program into compliance with Department standards.

Embassy Beirut, in coordination with the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, should report all unauthorized construction projects and rectify each project in accordance with Department standards.

Embassy Beirut should obtain authorization from the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations to use shipping containers for permanent storage or dismantle and remove them in accordance with Department requirements.

Embassy Beirut should bring its contracting officer’s representative program into compliance with Department standards.

Embassy Beirut should enforce driver duty limits for all embassy drivers in accordance with Department guidelines.

Embassy Beirut should require the Beirut Recreation Association Board of Directors to comply with Department standards and its own by-laws regarding its oversight responsibilities.

Embassy Beirut should implement internal controls to ensure government resources are used in accordance with Department standards.

Embassy Beirut should train locally employed information management staff in accordance with Department standards.

Embassy Beirut should perform information systems security officers’ duties in accordance with Department standards.

Embassy Beirut should comply with Department standards for managing its dedicated internet networks.

Embassy Beirut should implement a records management program in accordance with Department standards.