Reports

Department of Homeland Security OIG

FEMA Did Not Provide Sufficient Oversight of Project Airbridge

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) did not provide sufficient oversight of Project Airbridge, a COVID-19 initiative. Under unprecedented pressure to mitigate disruptions in global medical supply chains, FEMA established Project Airbridge.

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Department of Agriculture OIG

USDA Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Data Story

This data story is the second in the series from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) and focuses on the USDA Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). This product utilized data analytics, visualizations, and data storytelling methods to enhance transparency of how the CFAP 1 and CFAP 2 programs evolved over time.

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Department of Homeland Security OIG

FEMA’s Management of Mission Assignments to Other Federal Agencies Needs Improvement

Although the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) processed and obligated funds timely to other Federal agencies (OFA), it did not provide sufficient oversight to ensure OFAs used pandemic funding as required. Specifically, FEMA did not develop detailed cost estimates when initially establishing MAs, validate unliquidated and open obligations throughout the MA lifecycle, and verify cost eligibility against Public Assistance guidance before closing the MA.

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 9/30/2022

Social Security Administration OIG

The Social Security Administration’s Enumeration Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: To determine whether the Social Security Administration (SSA) complied with its enumeration policies and procedures and had adequate controls over managing evidentiary documents submitted to support Social Security number (SSN) card applications during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 9/30/2022

1 - Closed

Develop and periodically conduct comprehensive refresher training on topics including but not limited to:
- processing original Social Security Number (SSN) cards for individuals aged 12 or older and emphasize requirements and documentation of the in-person interview;
- acceptable forms of evidentiary documents, and
- processing new (different) and replacement SSN cards when adoption

10 - Open

Complete the privacy assessments for the WorkTrack application.

2 - Open

Update quality control reviews to include comparison of SSNAP inputs to an applicant-submitted Form SS-5 and evidentiary documents, and provide feedback to the technicians who made input errors (such as race and ethnicity) or did not use the appropriate evidentiary documents.

3 - Open

Revise enumeration policy to include clear instructions for when Form SSA-5002 is required and how to properly document the form.

4 - Closed

Update Program Operations Manual System (POMS) to provide current instructions for enumeration notices and archive outdated policy.

5 - Open

Retain enumeration notices in the Online Retrieval System for individuals with assigned SSNs.

6 - Open

Create and implement automated tools to assist staff in navigating through enumeration evidentiary document requirements.

7 - Closed

Take corrective action on all keying errors and cross-referencing errors we identified.

8 - Open

Require managers to verify that incident reports are submitted through the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Loss Reporting Tool before they approve reimbursement to customers for replacing lost original documents.

9 - Open

Update the National Mail Handling Business Process to include standard Agency-wide mitigation steps for misdirected mail including original documents.

Department of Homeland Security OIG

FEMA Made Efforts to Address Inequities in Disadvantaged Communities Related to COVID-19 Community Vaccination Center Locations and Also Plans to Address Inequity in Future Operations

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other Federal and state partners, used the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) in an effort to identify and address inequities in minority and disadvantaged communities related to the locations of COVID-19 Community Vaccination Centers. Specifically, FEMA’s Civil Rights Advisory Group (CRAG) implemented a methodology that prioritized states based on the CDC SVI. This methodology sought to address differences in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) care and outcomes...

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 9/29/2022

Department of Homeland Security OIG

More than $2.6 Million in Potentially Fraudulent LWA Payments Were Linked to DHS Employees’ Identities

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) did not implement controls to prevent state workforce agencies (SWA) from paying more than $2.6 million in Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) for potentially fraudulent claims made by Department of Homeland Security employees, or claimants who fraudulently used the identities of DHS employees to obtain LWA benefits.

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 9/28/2022

1 - Closed

: We recommend the FEMA Administrator develop and implement a standard risk assessment process before initiating new Federal
grant programs. This risk assessment should focus on identifying and evaluating program risks that may affect FEMA’s ability to prevent waste,
fraud, and abuse in its programs and mitigating those external risks to the extent practical.

2 - Closed

We recommend the FEMA Administrator conduct an after-action study of the Lost Wages Assistance program and update FEMA Individual Assistance programs based on the lessons learned from the study.

3 - Closed

We recommend the FEMA Administrator, when mandated to rely on eligibility determinations of non-FEMA programs, develop a process to assess the program controls and identify risk, where practical.

4 - Open

We recommend the Chief Human Capital Officer for DHS’ Management Directorate develop, implement, and communicate departmental
policies and procedures for the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees program to each component to ensure compliance with Federal requirements.

5 - Closed

We recommend the FEMA Administrator develop and implement a process to monitor whether grantees implement and use the controls attested to in FEMA-approved state administrative plans.

5 - Closed

We recommend the FEMA Administrator develop and implement a process to monitor whether grantees implement and use the
controls attested to in FEMA-approved state administrative plans.

6 - Closed

We recommend the FEMA Administrator develop and implement a process to review state administrative plans for consistency and
ensure they include fraud prevention and mitigation strategies.

7 - Closed

We recommend the FEMA Administrator de-obligate and recover any monies determined to have been obtained fraudulently or other
improper payments through the Lost Wages Assistance program from the state workforce agencies.

Department of Homeland Security OIG

FEMA Did Not Implement Controls to Prevent More than $3.7 Billion in Improper Payments from the Lost Wages Assistance Program

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) did not implement controls that may have prevented the 21 state workforce agencies (SWA) in our review from distributing more than $3.7 billion in improper payments through its Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program.

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 9/22/2022

1 - Open

We recommend the FEMA Administrator develop and implement a standard risk assessment process before initiating new Federal grant programs. This risk assessment should focus on identifying and evaluating program risks that may affect FEMA’s ability to prevent waste,
fraud, and abuse in its programs and mitigating those external risks to the extent practical.

2 - Closed

We recommend the FEMA Administrator, when mandated to rely on eligibility determinations of non-FEMA programs, develop a process to assess the program controls and identify risk to the extent practical.

3 - Open

We recommend the FEMA Administrator update the State Administrative Plan template to incorporate a requirement for grantees to include a description of the steps to prevent improper payments.

4 - Open

We recommend the FEMA Administrator develop and implement a process to monitor whether grantees implement and use the controls attested in FEMA-approved State Administrative Plans.

5 - Open

We recommend the FEMA Administrator work with state workforce agencies to evaluate the Lost Wages Assistance program payments
and verify that all recipients who received payment have a self-certification on file, as required; to determine whether the claimant meets eligibility requirements if no self-certification is on file; and, if not, to recover the payment.

6 - Open

We recommend the FEMA Administrator conduct an after-action study of the Lost Wages Assistance program and update FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program based on the lessons learned from the study.

7 - Closed

We recommend the FEMA Administrator de-obligate and recover any monies determined to have been obtained fraudulently or other improper payments through Lost Wages Assistance from the state workforce agencies.

Department of Homeland Security OIG

A Review of FEMA Funding for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Response and Relie

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided approximately $49.3 million of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic relief funds to Springfield, MA; Coeur D’Alene, ID; Sheridan County, NE; Marion County, GA; White Earth Nation in Minnesota; and Jicarilla Apache Nation in New Mexico.

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Department of Agriculture OIG

COVID-19—Oversight of the Emergency Food Assistance Program—Final Report

In our final report, we determined what TEFAP flexibilities were available to States during the pandemic and FNS’ oversight of the States and Eligible Recipient Agencies’ compliance with administrative fund requirements.

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Inspection / Evaluation | 8/18/2022

Department of Homeland Security OIG

FEMA Needs to Improve Its Oversight of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must improve its oversight of the National Board’s (Board) administration of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) to ensure individuals receive aid in a timely manner and that program funding is used in accordance with Federal requirements.

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Date Range

Report Type

Report Category

Submitting Agency

State/Local Agency

State (State and Local Reports)

Fraud Type

Agency Reviewed

Related Organizations

Management Challenges

Any Recommendations

Any Open Recommendations

Reports

FEMA Did Not Provide Sufficient Oversight of Project Airbridge

USDA Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Data Story

FEMA’s Management of Mission Assignments to Other Federal Agencies Needs Improvement

The Social Security Administration’s Enumeration Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic

FEMA Made Efforts to Address Inequities in Disadvantaged Communities Related to COVID-19 Community Vaccination Center Locations and Also Plans to Address Inequity in Future Operations

More than $2.6 Million in Potentially Fraudulent LWA Payments Were Linked to DHS Employees’ Identities

FEMA Did Not Implement Controls to Prevent More than $3.7 Billion in Improper Payments from the Lost Wages Assistance Program

A Review of FEMA Funding for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Response and Relie

COVID-19—Oversight of the Emergency Food Assistance Program—Final Report

FEMA Needs to Improve Its Oversight of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program

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