Reports
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Small Business Administration OIG
SBA’s Handling of Returned COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Funds and De-obligations of Approved Loans
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this management advisory to present the results of our review of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) processing of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds that were returned to the agency by borrowers, banks, or other sources. We found significant delays in the decision process related to returned COVID-19 EIDL funds. The majority of these COVID-19 EIDLs were eventually made available to small business owners, including the original borrowers. However, SBA canceled $3.1 billion of these loans...
Department of Veterans Affairs OIG
Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Summary Report: Evaluation of Breast Cancer Surveillance in Veterans Health Administration Facilities
This Office of Inspector General (OIG) Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program report evaluates notification and surveillance for patients with mammogram results requiring action during the COVID-19 pandemic. The inspections involved interviews with key staff and evaluations of clinical processes. The OIG reviewed providers’ notification of mammogram results requiring action to patients within VHA’s defined time frame and patients’ completion of the recommended actions. The OIG issued no recommendations for improvement.
Department of Education OIG
U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Audit Resolution Activities
The report presents information on independent audits with findings pertaining to the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) and audit resolution activities conducted by the U.S. Department of Education. Our review focused on independent audits of HEERF recipients from April 2020 through June 2023. We found that the number of independent audits with findings pertaining to HEERF and requiring resolution by the Office of Finance and Operations (OFO) increased significantly over the past few years, as did the number of audits with complex findings as determined by OFO staff. However, the...
Department of Veterans Affairs OIG
Review of Personnel Shortages in Federal Health Care Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic put an unprecedented strain on the nation’s federal healthcare systems. The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Health Care Subgroup surveyed more than 300 facilities across four federal healthcare programs to determine if the facilities had sufficient medical staff during the pandemic. The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) reviewed staffing at Veterans Health Administration facilities, the Department of Justice OIG reviewed Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities, the Department of Defense OIG reviewed medical treatment facilities, and the Health and Human...
Department of Education OIG
Federal Student Aid’s Use of Pandemic Assistance Student Aid Administration Funds
We found that as of November 30, 2022, FSA obligated nearly 100 percent of the $161.1 million in appropriations it received for pandemic assistance student aid administration funds. Nine FSA business units obligated approximately $157.8 million (98 percent) of the total pandemic assistance student aid administration funds, with one business unit, the Next Gen FSA Program Office, accounting for 78 percent of the obligations. The pandemic assistance student aid administration funds were used for personnel compensation and benefits, information technology systems and services contracts, and...
Small Business Administration OIG
COVID-19 Pandemic EIDL and PPP Loan Fraud Landscape
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this review to provide a comprehensive estimate of the potential fraud in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) pandemic assistance loan programs. Over the course of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, SBA disbursed approximately $1.2 trillion of COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds. In the rush to swiftly disburse COVID-19 EIDL and PPP funds, SBA calibrated its internal controls. The agency weakened or removed the controls...
Department of Education OIG
Local Educational Agencies’ Uses of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds for Technology
This report presents the results of our survey on LEA experiences with using ESSER funds to purchase educational technology to continue student instruction during the coronavirus. The survey identified (1) types of educational technology that LEAs purchased with their ESSER funds, (2) challenges that LEAs experienced when using ESSER funds for educational technology, and (3) impact the educational technology had on student learning. The survey found that LEAs nationwide generally reported using ESSER funds to purchase educational technology to continue student instruction due to the...
Small Business Administration OIG
Serious Concerns Regarding the Return of Paycheck Protection Program Funds
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this management advisory to bring to your attention concerns regarding the return of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds. This issue requires immediate attention and action by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to ensure it has processes and procedures in place to adequately accept, process, and account for PPP funds returned by borrowers, lenders, and financial institutions. Expedited management action should mitigate the risk of financial loss to taxpayers. Establishing clear and detailed guidance for borrowers, lenders, and...
Department of Veterans Affairs OIG
Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans’ Hospital Missed Opportunities to Distribute Excess Ventilators during the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a surge in demand for ventilators and provoked concerns about potential supply shortages across VA medical facilities. During the course of a previous broader review, the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) uncovered a potential issue with the number of ventilators procured and stored at the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in San Antonio, Texas, and sought to determine whether they had been properly requested, acquired, received, and accounted for. The OIG found the facility acquired more ventilators from March 1, 2020, through November 30, 2021, than...
Small Business Administration OIG
White Paper: 7(a) Loan Program During SBA’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
We prepared this white paper to report on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 7(a) loan program performance during SBA’s response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and address potential risks SBA should consider in managing the program. We identified factors that could impact the 7(a) loan program and should be considered in SBA’s program risk strategy. Specifically, in FY 2021, the total amount of loans increased to $31.4 billion from $19.4 billion in FY 2020 (62 percent increase) and $20.6 billion in FY 2019 (53 percent increase), as did the average loan amount...