Open Recommendations

Review the 210 RRF award recipients currently marked in the PPP loan data as potentially fraudulent or ineligible that were not selected for post award review.

Extend the record retention period and notify all RRF award recipients in writing in accordance with 2 CFR 200.334.

Assess the post award review process and manpower requirements to ensure post award reviews are conducted in a prompt manner. Use the results of the assessment to improve processing times to ensure reviews are completed before the statute of limitations expire.

Take immediate administrative actions to recover improper payments from the 5 hotels and 18 recipients found to be ineligible, for a total of 23 ineligible award recipients identified totaling $39 million.

Establish and implement procedures to recover unused funds or recover funds paid to ineligible recipients and prioritize this effort.

To address concerns in the COVID-19 EIDL program, we recommend the Administrator direct the Associate Administrator for the Office of Capital Access to perform a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis, consistent with federal regulations, to include periodic comparisons of costs incurred and amounts collected on the portfolio of COVID-19 EIDLs of $100,000 or less to assess whether collection costs exceed recovery amounts.

To address concerns in the COVID-19 EIDL program, we recommend the Administrator direct the Associate Administrator for the Office of Capital Access to reevaluate and amend as appropriate the April 27, 2022 decision to end active collections contingent on the outcome of the more comprehensive cost-benefit analysis.

To address concerns in the COVID-19 EIDL program, we recommend the Administrator direct the Associate Administrator for the Office of Capital Access to ensure SBA does not end active collections pursuant to the April 27, 2022 decision on any COVID-19 EIDL of $100,000 or less made to borrowers who received multiple COVID-19 EIDLs that, when combined, exceed $100,000.

To address concerns in the COVID-19 EIDL program, we recommend the Administrator direct the Associate Administrator for the Office of Capital Access to ensure SBA does not end active collections on any COVID-19 EIDL that appears to be fraudulent, false, or misrepresented, including loans identified as such by OIG or other federal oversight entities, without 1) reviewing the loan application for fraud and 2) attempting active collection, at a minimum, regardless of the outcome of a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis.

To maximize the return to taxpayers, we recommend the Administrator direct the Associate Administrator for the Office of Capital Access to evaluate the COVID-19 EIDL portfolio, in collaboration with Treasury, to determine if selling the portfolio, including delinquent loans of $100,000 or less, is in the best interest of the government.

We recommend that the New Jersey Department of Health follow up with the 20 nursing homes reviewed in this audit that demonstrated life safety, emergency preparedness, and infection control deficiencies to ensure that they have taken corrective actions.

We recommend that the New Jersey Department of Health instruct all nursing homes to install carbon monoxide detectors in accordance with New Jersey requirements.

We recommend that the New Jersey Department of Health work with CMS to develop a risk-based approach to identify nursing homes where surveys should be conducted more frequently than once every 15 months, such as those with a history of multiple high-risk deficiencies or frequent management turnover.

We recommend that the New Jersey Department of Health work with CMS to develop a plan to address the foundational issues preventing more frequent surveys at nursing homes with a history of multiple high-risk deficiencies.

We recommend that the New Jersey Department of Health work with CMS to develop standardized life safety training for nursing home staff.

Take corrective action for the 135 allegations we identified in all three samples of our audit.

Based on the results of its actions taken for sample allegations, take corrective action for the remaining population of 14,777 beneficiaries whose allegations were still pending.

Establish a process to periodically follow up on the recovery of organizational payee overpayments established in the Social Security Online Accounting and Reporting System to ensure employees take additional action to recover misused benefits.

OIG recommends that the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, in coordination with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, (a) finalize and publish definitions and descriptions for temporary structures and related terminology, (b) update applicable policies and process documents, and (c) communicate this information to all Department of State employees who have responsibility for real property at overseas posts.

OIG recommends that the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (a) draft and publish guidance in the Foreign Affairs Manual requiring posts to request authorization and permits before changing the intended and permitted use of any structure and (b) communicate this information to all Department of State employees who have responsibility for real property at overseas posts.

OIG recommends that the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations update the Real Property Application User Manual to (a) improve the guidance provided for data entry, including guidance related to standardization and streamlining of naming and categorization, and (b) include information related to structure type consistent with the definitions published in response to Recommendation 1.

OIG recommends that the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, in coordination with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS), develop and implement a process to periodically reconcile data between the Real Property Application and key DS databases, including the Published Waivers/Exceptions database, Deficiency Database, and Published Physical Security Surveys database.

OIG recommends that the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations develop and implement policies and procedures to request a certification from posts indicating that they do not have any unauthorized shipping containers.

The Bureau of Administration, Office of the Procurement Executive, should coordinate with relevant bureaus to modify contracts identified by OIG to include the required whistleblower clause.

The Bureau of Administration, Office of the Procurement Executive, should issue an instruction to all contracting officers to insert the clause in FAR 52.203-17 into all future contracts above the simplified acquisition threshold in accordance with Department guidance.

The Bureau of Administration, Office of the Procurement Executive, should develop a mechanism to regularly communicate to Department of State grantees their responsibility to inform their employees of whistleblower protections.

The U.S. Agency for Global Media should insert the clause in FAR 52.203-17 into all future contracts above the simplified acquisition threshold in accordance with Civilian Agency Acquisition Council guidance.

The U.S. Agency for Global Media should develop a mechanism to regularly communicate to USAGM grantees their responsibility to inform their employees of whistleblower protections and consider adding an explicit requirement to its four grantee agreements.

The agency assigns a key role in the organizational structure that has the overall responsibility to manage human resources for overseas PSCs.

The agency creates or modifies data collection tools to gather the data necessary to conduct comprehensive reviews of human resources management for overseas PSCs that could improve performance outcomes and operational effectiveness.

The agency conducts a comprehensive review of human resources management for overseas PSCs to improve performance outcomes and operational effectiveness.

The agency develops a plan to implement improvements identified in the comprehensive review of human resources management for overseas PSCs.

The agency ensures that each post establishes a hiring process that includes a standard timeline for hiring and clarifies the responsibilities of staff that have a role in the process.

The agency establishes grievance policies and procedures for overseas PSCs that includes guidance about how grievances are raised and resolved.

The agency establishes a standard operating procedure that ensures staff handbooks are updated timely and effectively.

The agency ensures that posts develop and document an awards program that outlines eligibility criteria and process.

The agency develops and implements a plan to train USDH and local staff for their human resources management responsibilities.

We recommend that the Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement discontinue use of commercial telemetry data until the Privacy Impact Assessments are completed and approved.

We recommend that the Director, United States Secret Service develop and implement controls to ensure compliance with DHS privacy policies, specifically approval of Privacy Impact Assessments, when required, before developing or procuring information technology that collects, maintains, or disseminates information in an identifiable form.

We recommend that the Chief Privacy Officer, DHS Privacy Office ensure compliance with its privacy policies or revise them to include the guidance necessary for program offices to meet the intent of the privacy requirements when, with due diligence, the technology needs to be procured and tested to complete the Privacy Impact Assessment process. The additional guidance, if developed, should address justification for deviating from Privacy Impact Assessment–related privacy policies and restrictions on the operational use of privacy-sensitive information; the guidance should also ensure Privacy Impact Assessments are completed before privacy-sensitive information is collected and used operationally.

We recommend that the Chief Data Officer, Office of Chief Information Officer, Management Directorate develop and implement a department-wide commercial telemetry data policy, including component policy requirements, to ensure oversight of commercial telemetry data use, privacy protection, and applicable legal standards.

We recommend that NRC management increases the current SIEM tool licensing level and acquires funding to adequately support the procurement, onboarding, and implementation of requirements across all EL maturity tiers to ensure events are logged and tracked in accordance with OMB M-21-31.

Work collaboratively with the vendor to identify the risk of future field modification instructions, as well as any modifications needed as a result of the model validation efforts, and develop plans to mitigate their schedule impact.

Direct staff to conduct an analysis to determine suggested policy changes to further reduce the impact of a potential future loss of a Board quorum on EXIM’s medium- and long-term lending.

Direct staff to conduct an analysis to determine what changes should be made to further mitigate the risks to EXIM’s medium- and long-term export credit financing that were generated by the lack of Board quorum.

Direct staff to conduct a study exploring the potential for varying EXIM’s domestic content requirement by industry or sector for all exporters—not just those that qualify under the narrow exceptions of the CTEP program—and adopt policy changes to reflect any modifications or revisions to domestic content requirements based on the results of the study.

Direct the Senior Vice President for Policy Analysis and International Relations to seek updates to EXIM’s MOU with MARAD to reflect changes in EXIM’s policies and priorities and consider revisiting the $20 million threshold for U.S.-flagged shipping.

Develop a comprehensive plan, in coordination with MARAD, to provide clearer and more effective guidance on EXIM’s website for U.S. exporters to assist them in complying with EXIM’s domestic shipping requirements and procedures, including processes for requesting a MARAD waiver on the use of U.S. flagged vessels.

In advance of EXIM’s next reauthorization, engage with interagency stakeholders to develop proposals that address the challenges associated with the impact on EXIM’s competitiveness of requiring exporters to use U.S. flagged shipping vessels.

In advance of EXIM’s next reauthorization, engage with interagency stakeholders to develop legislative proposals that would modify the agency’s charter to address the limitation in Sec. 2(a)(2), which prevents EXIM from matching recent updates to the OECD Arrangement.