Open Recommendations

Deobligate the 835 administrative obligations totaling $38,525,836.88 identified for deobligation during the fiscal year 2024 OOR that had not been deobligated as of February 28, 2025.

Deobligate the 101 program obligations totaling $1,967,991.45 identified for deobligation
during the fiscal year 2024 OOR that had not been deobligated as of February 28, 2025.

The Under Secretary for Health clarifies Veterans Integrated Service Network staffing requirements, including mandatory and discretionary positions.

The Under Secretary for Health ensures the use of the standardized Veterans Integrated Service Network core organizational chart to promote clarity of the Chief Mental Health Officer position and reporting structure.

The Under Secretary for Health considers standardization of the Veterans Integrated Service Network Chief Mental Health Officer functional statement to reflect role responsibilities.

The Under Secretary for Health ensures the alignment of the Veterans Integrated Service Network Chief Mental Health Officer performance plan with the functional statement.

The Under Secretary for Health defines the Veterans Integrated Service Network Chief Mental Health Officer role authority to enhance governance efficiency and effectiveness of mental health services.

Update the Highway Contract Route statement of work to include provisions for partial compensation to suppliers for trips canceled with at least four hours' notice.

Implement controls to ensure payments are not made to suppliers with terminated contracts.

Recover inaccurate payments made to suppliers with terminated contracts.

Update the Learning Management System to require and assign all facility managers overseeing pre-career employees to take Delivering the New Employee Experience training.

Reiterate the importance of the 511 Initiative best practices and facility managers responsibilities to ensure national compliance and standardization of the initiative.

Assess the benefits of the implemented Retention and Mentor Pilot programs and develop strategies to improve annual retention rates for all pre-career crafts.

Require Postal Service Forms 1750 to be tracked and monitored in the Retail and Delivery Applications and Reports system for all facilities instead of only pilot sites.

Require all operations to use the electronic Postal Service Form 1750 web-based application once implemented.

The CPSC adopt accurate language in the tentative offer of employment letters to applicants about the type of background investigation the applicant must pass.

The CPSC use appropriate tools and provide adequate training and supervision of its staff in the use of written policies and procedures for the prescreen waiver determination process.

The CPSC develop and maintain adequate documentation of EXHR’s determinations regarding applicants who did not pass the prescreen waiver process.

We recommend that the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education require OESE to review the work of program officers to ensure that for future SBMH grant competitions they screen all grant applications for all application requirements before entering them into the peer review process and ensure that review of requirements checklists are completed before making new awards.

We recommend that the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education require OESE to review the work of program officers to ensure that for future SBMH grant competitions they consult with their program attorney, create a written justification, and obtain the principal officer’s approval before deviating from or changing the ATRP.

We recommend that the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education require OESE to review the work of program officers to ensure that for future SBMH grant competitions they consistently follow records retention policies for official grant files as described in the Handbook.

We recommend that the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education verify that OESE developed, finalized, and implemented a program monitoring plan for the fiscal year 2022 SBMH Grant Program cohort. The plan should consider the use of desk reviews for a sample of grantees.

We recommend that the Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education verify that OESE retains records of all SBMH Grant Program monitoring activities, including but not limited to email and telephone communications, grantee performance-related calls, and reviews of drawdown reports and APRs, in official grant files.

We recommend that the Assistant Secretary require OESE to develop, finalize, and implement procedures for reviewing grantees’ APRs and documenting the reviews of those APRs. At a minimum, the review procedures should cover (a) the quality of Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 data, (b) how to assess a grantee’s progress toward achieving approved goals, and (c) follow up with grantees when the information they provide is inaccurate or incomplete.

We recommend that the Assistant Secretary require OESE to implement the risk mitigation strategies as designed in the grant funding slates for new SBMH Grant Program awards and noncompeting continuation awards.