Open Recommendations

We recommend that ACL develop mitigating controls and strategies to address the high and moderate risks we identified.

Issue guidelines that clearly and comprehensively address MCSAP oversight responsibilities, to include: (a) reimbursement request review steps and documentation in support of these steps, (b) expectations for program and process reviews as well as onsite monitoring, and (c) documentation and supervisory review of quarterly report monitoring.

Revise monitoring plan guidelines to: (a) incorporate supervisory review and approvals of monitoring plans; (b) verify plans are fully completed and include rationale for any activities not completed; and (c) update the monitoring plan template, as needed, to reflect these changes.

USDA OIG has determined that this recommendation contains sensitive information and will not be publicly released due to privacy concerns.

USDA OIG has determined that this recommendation contains sensitive information and will not be publicly released due to privacy concerns.

USDA OIG has determined that this recommendation contains sensitive information and will not be publicly released due to privacy concerns.

USDA OIG has determined that this recommendation contains sensitive information and will not be publicly released due to privacy concerns.

Take corrective actions to ensure that facilities and programs remove unauthorized sensitive information from collaborative application sites.

Expand roles and responsibilities of facility and program information system security officers and privacy officers to include the routine review of SharePoint and Teams site permissions and content.

Implement automated tools and policies, supported with training, to enable the timely and routine detection and correction of improper sharing and unauthorized content throughout VA.

Mandate standardized training for SharePoint administrators and owners to clarify and reinforce data security requirements.

Take corrective actions to ensure that facilities and programs remove unauthorized sensitive information from collaborative application sites.

Implement automated tools and policies, supported with training, to enable the timely and routine detection and correction of improper sharing and unauthorized content throughout VA.

Expand roles and responsibilities of facility and program information system security officers and privacy officers to include the routine review of SharePoint and Teams site permissions and content.

USAID/Indonesia determine the allowability of $42,764 ineligible questioned costs, as detailed on pages 25 to 37 of the audit report and recover any amount that is unallowable.

USAID/Indonesia verify that Yayasan Project HOPE corrects the seven instances of material noncompliance detailed on pages 25 to 37 of the audit report.

2. We recommend that the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director direct the Commissioner for Patents and the Chief Information Officer to develop clear, specific, and measurable objectives and system success criteria for the CPC-related and patent search AI tools.

3. We recommend that the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and USPTO Director direct the Commissioner for Patents and the Chief Information Officer to revise project management policies and practices to encourage increased engagement, as appropriate, with end users and others affected by the system, such as the public, earlier in the project lifecycle.

We recommend the Senior Vice President, Grid, update configuration management processes to improve periodic reviews.

The Chief, Taxpayer Services, should ensure that taxpayers without scheduled appointments are provided an opportunity to wait for an available TAC assistor on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Chief, Taxpayer Services, should ensure that TAC managers enforce procedures for providing CSS cards at TACs.

The Chief, Taxpayer Services, should Ensure that TAC managers enforce procedures for wearing name tags at TACs.

The Chief, Taxpayer Services should ensure that TAC managers enforce procedures for treating non-English speaking customers properly at TACs.

Finalize electronic Election and Political Mail reporting tools, written expectations for their use, and user guides in advance of the next federal election season.

Use carrier data to prohibit managers from completing the delivery all clear certification before carriers leave and arrive back from their delivery duties.

Work with District Managers to develop a plan to identify hub and spoke locations, including Regional Transportation Optimization sites, and communicate operational expectations in advance of the extraordinary measures period.

Create a method for scanning local turnaround ballots at delivery units.

Establish a plan of when and how it will implement the remaining deliverables provided under the contract, as well as how SSA will track progress of the implementation to determine whether the analyses, prototypes and recommendations provided in those deliverables improve SSA’s disability programs.

The VA Eastern Kansas Healthcare System Director ensures the chief of primary care reviews, strengthens, and implements system Patient Aligned Care Team processes for tracking and following up on community care consults ordered, particularly diagnostic consults, to verify patients receive care and to review and act upon consult results, as clinically indicated.

The VA Eastern Kansas Healthcare System Director reviews institutional disclosures conducted by the system over the past 12 months, including the patient’s institutional disclosure, and ensures these disclosures fully adhere to Veterans Health Administration Directive 1004.08, Disclosure of Adverse Events to Patients, October 31, 2018, including documenting the details of the adverse event and discussion points of the disclosure, and takes action needed to remediate disclosures that do not meet these standards.

The VA Eastern Kansas Healthcare System Director ensures community care staff make the required three attempts to obtain patients’ community care records within 90 days of completed appointments, and monitors for compliance.

The VA Eastern Kansas Healthcare System Director collaborates with the Kansas City VA Medical Center Director to review the frequency and circumstances of community care records being sent to the incorrect VA facility, develops, and implements a process for ensuring community care records are delivered to the correct ordering VA facility, educates staff on the process, and monitors for compliance.

The Under Secretary for Health establishes and monitors compliance with a process that ensures the Veterans Health Administration ordering provider receives urgent non-life-threatening abnormal test results from care obtained in the community, such as the diagnostic positron emission tomography scan results described in this report, within a time frame that allows timely attention and appropriate action to be taken.

The Veterans Integrated Service Network Director, in conjunction with the Veterans Health Administration National Center for Lung Cancer Screening Program Office, evaluates the VA Eastern Kansas Healthcare System’s Lung Cancer Screening Program to ensure operational adherence to the Lung Cancer Screening Program requirements, and takes action as needed.

The VA Eastern Kansas Healthcare System Director ensures the chief of primary care reviews, strengthens, and implements system Patient Aligned Care Team processes for tracking and following up on community care consults ordered, particularly diagnostic consults, to verify patients receive care and to review and act upon consult results, as clinically indicated.

The VA Eastern Kansas Healthcare System Director reviews institutional disclosures conducted by the system over the past 12 months, including the patients institutional disclosure, and ensures these disclosures fully adhere to Veterans Health Administration Directive 1004.08, Disclosure of Adverse Events to Patients, October 31, 2018, including documenting the details of the adverse event and discussion points of the disclosure, and takes action needed to remediate disclosures that do not meet these standards.

The VA Eastern Kansas Healthcare System Director collaborates with the Kansas City VA Medical Center Director to review the frequency and circumstances of community care records being sent to the incorrect VA facility, develops, and implements a process for ensuring community care records are delivered to the correct ordering VA facility, educates staff on the process, and monitors for compliance.

The Under Secretary for Health establishes and monitors compliance with a process that ensures the Veterans Health Administration ordering provider receives urgent non-life-threatening abnormal test results from care obtained in the community, such as the diagnostic positron emission tomography scan results described in this report, within a time frame that allows timely attention and appropriate action to be taken.

The Veterans Integrated Service Network Director, in conjunction with the Veterans Health Administration National Center for Lung Cancer Screening Program Office, evaluates the VA Eastern Kansas Healthcare Systems Lung Cancer Screening Program to ensure operational adherence to the Lung Cancer Screening Program requirements, and takes action as needed.

We recommend that CFTC implement a training framework that ensures all travel cardholders complete mandatory training requirements prior to card issuance and that purchase card AOs complete mandatory training requirements prior to performing AO task approvals.

We recommend that CFTC include pre-approval checks for fund availability in its training; enhance controls to alert AOs of disbursements requiring approval before the 30-day timeframe expires and ensure that disbursements are not approved without adequate supporting documents.

We recommend that CFTC enforce the use of centrally billed accounts for travel cards used for international travel.

We recommend that CFTC develop and implement a comprehensive policy that mandates the immediate deactivation of all purchase and travel cards upon notification by HR of an employee’s separation or transfer. Additionally, instituting a regular monitoring system to track and validate the deactivation status of charge cards for all separated employees is recommended. Monthly reviews of charge card activity reports should also be conducted to identify any lapses in the deactivation process to prevent unauthorized use.

We recommended that CFTC review, revise, and update all travel policies to align with the current requirements of the Federal Travel Regulations, OMB directives, and the Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act.

We recommend that USAID's Office of Acquisition and Assistance Cost, Audit and Support Division/Contract Audit Management Branch verify that GiveDirectly, Inc., corrects the material weaknesses in
internal control over financial reporting detailed on pages 32 to 34 of the audit report.

We recommend that USAID's Office of Acquisition and Assistance Cost, Audit and Support Division/Contract Audit Management Branch verify that GiveDirectly, Inc., corrects the instances of material
noncompliances detailed on pages 32 to 34 of the audit report.

We recommend that USAID/Mozambique verify that Centro de Aprendizagem e Capacitao da Sociedade Civil corrects the one material weakness in internal control identified on pages 25 and 28 of the audit report.

(U) Rec. 1.a: The DoD OIG recommended that the DoD Chief Information Officer direct DoD Components, including the Coast Guard, in coordination with the DoD Component Chief Information Security Officers, Chief Information Officers, and Authorizing Officials, to identify all critical and non-critical software on the DoD Information Network that is subject to Office of Management and Budget-required self-attestation requirements.

(U) Rec. 1.b: The DoD OIG recommended that the DoD Chief Information Officer direct DoD Components, including the Coast Guard, in coordination with the DoD Component Chief Information Security Officers, Chief Information Officers, and Authorizing Officials, to obtain Office of Management and Budget-required self-attestations from software providers or implement an Office of Management and Budget?approved alternative solution for all identified third-party software on the DoD Information Network.

(U) Rec. 1.c: The DoD OIG recommended that the DoD Chief Information Officer direct DoD Components, including the Coast Guard, in coordination with the DoD Component Chief Information Security Officers, Chief Information Officers, and Authorizing Officials, to establish a plan of action and milestones to obtain all remaining Office of Management and Budget-required third-party provider self-attestations and request an extension from the Office of Management and Budget deadline.