Reports

Election Assistance Commission OIG

Audit of the HAVA Grants Awarded to the State of Wisconsin

EAC OIG, through the independent public accounting firm of McBride, Lock & Associates, LLC, audited $27.4 million in funds received by the State of Wisconsin under the Help America Vote Act. The objectives of the audit were to determine whether the State of Wisconsin Elections Commission: 1) used funds for authorized purposes in accordance with Section 101 and Section 251 of HAVA and other applicable requirements; 2) properly accounted for and controlled property purchased with HAVA payments; and 3) used the funds in a manner consistent with the informational plans provided to EAC. The audit...

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 9/27/2023

Election Assistance Commission OIG

Audit of the Help America Vote Act Grants Awarded to the State of Missouri

EAC OIG, through the independent public accounting firm of McBride, Lock & Associates, LLC, audited $27.4 million in funds received by the State of Missouri under the Help America Vote Act. The objectives of the audit were to determine whether the Missouri Office of the Secretary of State: 1) used funds for authorized purposes in accordance with Section 101 and Section 251 of HAVA and other applicable requirements; 2) properly accounted for and controlled property purchased with HAVA payments; and 3) used the funds in a manner consistent with the informational plans provided to EAC. The audit...

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 8/25/2023

Election Assistance Commission OIG

Audit of the Help America Vote Act Grants Awarded to the State of Alaska

EAC OIG, through the independent public accounting firm of McBride, Lock & Associates, LLC, audited $15.2 million in funds received by the State of Alaska under the Help America Vote Act. The objectives of the audit were to determine whether the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Alaska: 1) used funds for authorized purposes in accordance with Section 101 and Section 251 of HAVA and other applicable requirements; 2) properly accounted for and controlled property purchased with HAVA payments; and 3) used the funds in a manner consistent with the informational plans provided to EAC. The audit...

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 8/02/2023

Small Business Administration OIG

SBA’s Awards for Staffing Support for COVID-19 Economic Relief Loan Programs

We reviewed the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) blanket purchase agreement with Highlight Technologies, LLC for loan support services. To meet the increased demand for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) loan program support services, SBA issued labor hour contracts, e.g. call orders, using an existing blanket purchase agreement. However, SBA contracting officials did not always perform adequate price analyses, awarding contracts that were not the best use of taxpayer funds. SBA did not establish adequate guidance to ensure contracting officials consistently followed federal...

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Inspection / Evaluation | 7/26/2023

Small Business Administration OIG

SBA’s Administrative Process to Address Potentially Fraudulent Restaurant Revitalization Fund Awards

We inspected the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) administrative process used to review potentially fraudulent Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) applications and recover funds. Program officials designed the RRF application validation and approval processes using the Government Accountability Office’s A Framework for Managing Fraud Risks in Federal Programs. However, 3,790 applications submitted through a point-of-sale partner were processed without verifying gross sales, a key control designed to prevent ineligible entities from receiving awards. As a result, SBA’s RRF...

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Inspection / Evaluation | 7/05/2023

Election Assistance Commission OIG

Audit of the Help America Vote Act Grants Awarded to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

EAC OIG audited funds received by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands under the Help America Vote Act, totaling $1.2 million. This included Election Security and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act grants.

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 2/24/2023

Election Assistance Commission OIG

Audit of the Help America Vote Act Grants Awarded to the State of California

EAC OIG, through the independent public accounting firm of McBride, Lock & Associates, LLC, audited funds received by the State of California under the Help America Vote Act, including state matching funds and interest earned, totaling $216.3 million. This included Election Security, reissued Section 101, reissued Section 251, and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act grants.

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 10/04/2022

1 - Closed

We recommend that the EAC require the Office perform a reconciliation of the grant activity for the Election Security, Section 251 reissued, Section 101 reissued, and CARES Act funds and ensure that all expenditures are fully disclosed, and file amended FFRs, as applicable. If the Office determines that it is unable to perform the reconciliation of the grant activity, obtain financial services to support the completion of the reconciliation.

2 - Closed

We recommend that the EAC require the Office implement procedures and training to properly fill out the required Federal Financial Reports, which reflect the uses of award funds and the interest and program income generated from those funds for all HAVA grants.

3 - Closed

We recommend that the EAC require the Office transfer into the election fund $51,012 and any related fringe benefits and indirect costs for the unsupported payroll costs cited above.

4 - Closed

We recommend that the EAC require the Office implement procedures or provide additional training to ensure that payroll costs are adequately supported with appropriate signature approvals, pay rates, and timesheets when being allocated to the HAVA grants.

5 - Closed

We recommend that the EAC require the Office perform detailed testing on the $180,350 of additional wages selected for substantive testing to determine what amount, if any, remains unsupported.

6 - Closed

We recommend that the EAC work with the Office to resolve the one remaining unsupported County reimbursement.

7 - Closed

We recommend that the EAC require the Office to transfer into the election fund any amount which remains unsupported.

8 - Closed

We recommend that the EAC require the Office to develop and implement policies and procedures and provide training to ensure adequate documentation is maintained to support the allowability of expenditures charged to the HAVA grant.

Small Business Administration OIG

SBA's Guaranty Purchases for Paycheck Protection Program Loans

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this management advisory to express concerns regarding the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) decision to end collections on purchased Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans with an outstanding balance of $100,000 or less. In anticipation of a significant number of delinquent PPP loans that lenders will submit for guaranty purchase, we began reviewing SBA’s process for approving PPP guaranty purchases. During our review, we identified concerns with SBA’s decision to end collections on these loans and found that expedited management...

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Review | 9/30/2022

Small Business Administration OIG

Follow-up Inspection of SBA’s Internal Controls to Prevent COVID-19 EIDLs to Ineligible Applicants

This report presents the results of our follow-up inspection to assess the effectiveness of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) enhanced internal controls to prevent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) to ineligible applicants. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act prohibited the agency from requiring tax return transcripts to prove eligibility. Congress eliminated this restriction 9 months later with the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. We found SBA did not implement the tax transcript requirement in a timely...

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Inspection / Evaluation | 9/29/2022

Small Business Administration OIG

COVID-19 and Disaster Assistance Information Systems Security Controls

This report presents the results of our audit to determine whether the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) maintained effective management control activities and monitoring of the design and implementation of third-party operated SBA systems. SBA needed information technology systems from third-party service providers that could improve the system efficiency and productivity to process high transaction volumes, transmit data between other information systems, and safeguard the integrity and confidentiality of the personally identifiable information processed by the programs. We found the...

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 9/27/2022

1 - Open

Ensure the existing SBA System Development Methodology is updated to include supply chain risk-management practices as required by OMB Circular A-130 and high-value asset system designation guidance. Also, ensure high-value asset system risks are incorporated into the enterprise risk management framework, as recommended by OMB M-19-03 and SBA SOP 90 47 6.

10 - Open

Implement an automated process to document and monitor system changes as recommended by NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5.

2 - Open

Communicate and enforce the SBA System Development Methodology in which a traceability matrix is used to ensure that system requirements can be tested and demonstrated in the operational system. Ensure all requirements are aligned with the contractual acceptance criteria.

3 - Open

Implement in updated agency guidance, the requirements of OMB Circular No. A-123 that stipulate a SOC 1 Type 2 report is needed for all new and existing financial systems. This guidance should also require confirmation at least annually that the controls are functioning as designed.

4 - Closed

Enforce the requirement to establish and implement internal controls to ensure appropriate program officials perform and document contract reviews to ensure that information security is appropriately addressed in the contracting language, as required by OMB Circular A-130 and SBA SOP 90 47 6.

5 - Open

In conjunction with the Enterprise Risk Management Board, implement enterprise-wide privacy risk mitigation practices that can be assimilated into new and existing system program designs.

6 - Open

Complete an initial assessment and authorization for each information system and all agency-designated common controls before operation.

7 - Open

Transition information systems and common controls to an ongoing authorization process (when eligible for such a process) with the formal approval of the respective authorizing officials or reauthorize information systems and common controls as needed, on a time or event-driven basis in accordance with agency risk tolerance, as required by OMB Circular No. A-130 and SOP 90 47 6.

8 - Open

Review and update POA&Ms at least quarterly as required by SOP 90 47 6.

9 - Closed

Ensure data-sharing agreements are reviewed annually as required by SBA SOP 90 47 6.

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

Audit of the HAVA Grants Awarded to the State of Wisconsin

Audit of the Help America Vote Act Grants Awarded to the State of Missouri

Audit of the Help America Vote Act Grants Awarded to the State of Alaska

SBA’s Awards for Staffing Support for COVID-19 Economic Relief Loan Programs

SBA’s Administrative Process to Address Potentially Fraudulent Restaurant Revitalization Fund Awards

Audit of the Help America Vote Act Grants Awarded to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Audit of the Help America Vote Act Grants Awarded to the State of California

SBA's Guaranty Purchases for Paycheck Protection Program Loans

Follow-up Inspection of SBA’s Internal Controls to Prevent COVID-19 EIDLs to Ineligible Applicants

COVID-19 and Disaster Assistance Information Systems Security Controls

Glossary

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