Report Category
Submitting Agency
- Department of Commerce OIG (1)
- Department of Education OIG (12)
- Department of Health & Human Services OIG (14)
- Department of Homeland Security OIG (10)
- Department of Housing and Urban Development OIG (9)
- Department of Justice OIG (1)
- Department of Labor OIG (20)
- Department of the Interior OIG (1)
- Department of the Treasury OIG (31)
- Department of War OIG (6)
- Election Assistance Commission OIG (1)
- Environmental Protection Agency OIG (1)
- Export-Import Bank of the United States OIG (1)
- Federal Election Commission OIG (1)
- National Security Agency OIG (1)
- Railroad Retirement Board OIG (1)
- Small Business Administration OIG (18)
- Social Security Administration OIG (1)
- Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (3)
Fraud Type
Agency Reviewed
- Department of Commerce (1)
- Department of Education (12)
- Department of Health & Human Services (14)
- Department of Homeland Security (10)
- Department of Housing and Urban Development (9)
- Department of Justice (1)
- Department of Labor (20)
- Department of the Interior (1)
- Department of the Treasury (31)
- Department of War (6)
- Election Assistance Commission (1)
- Environmental Protection Agency (1)
- Export-Import Bank (1)
- Federal Election Commission (1)
- Internal Revenue Service (3)
- National Security Agency (1)
- Railroad Retirement Board (1)
- Small Business Administration (18)
- Social Security Administration (1)
Related Organizations
Any Open Recommendations
Reports
Search for reports and investigative results.
COVID-19: ETA's Oversight of Short-Time Compensation Did Not Detect $126.9 Million in Questioned Costs
We recommend the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training establish policies and procedures for monitoring, using lessons learned from the Short-Time Compensation program during the pandemic, that ensure states meet requirements for similar future temporary unemployment insurance programs that provide federal reimbursements to states.
We recommend the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training review states’ compliance with Short-Time Compensation (STC) eligibility requirements and require all states with STC agreements to return federal funds used for reimbursements of STC benefit payments for weeks of unemployment beginning before March 27, 2020, and ending after September 6, 2021, as well as for reimbursements that exceeded benefits paid.
We recommend the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training monitor states administering unemployment insurance programs subsidized with federal funds, including temporary programs such as Short-Time Compensation, to ensure compliance with the 3-year records retention requirements established in the Code of Federal Regulations (2 C.F.R. § 200.334).
COVID-19 - ETA Can Improve its Oversight to Ensure Integrity over CARES Act UI Programs
We recommend the Acting Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training implement a process to ensure OCIO performs required reviews of NASWA’s IDH system in a timely manner.
We recommend the Acting Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training complete an evaluation of the effectiveness of the IDH system, including the methodology used in cross matching data.
We recommend the Acting Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training determine the best threshold for flagging multistate claims in conjunction with NASWA.
Lessons Learned During the Pandemic Can Help Improve Care in Nursing Homes
CMS should implement and expand upon its policies and programs to strengthen the nursing home workforce.
CMS should reassess nurse aide training and certification requirements .
CMS should update the nursing home requirements for infection control to incorporate lessons learned from the pandemic.
CMS should provide effective guidance and assistance to nursing homes on how to comply with updated infection control requirements.
CMS should facilitate sharing of strategies and information to help nursing homes overcome challenges and improve care.
Kentucky Experienced Challenges in Meeting Federal and State Foster Care Program Requirements During the COVID-19 Pandemic
We recommend that Kentucky conduct the name-based checks on the one applicant and one adolescent household member identified by our audit as lacking the required checks and reiterate to staff the importance of adhering to the policies and procedures requiring background checks to be completed before approving foster homes.
We recommend that Kentucky conduct FBI fingerprint checks on the five applicants and other household members identified by our audit as lacking completed checks.
We recommend that Kentucky identify ways to address the challenges related to meeting the requirements for conducting monthly caseworker visits, including consulting with ACF.
FEMA Did Not Implement Controls to Prevent More than $3.7 Billion in Improper Payments from the Lost Wages Assistance Program
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Servicers Generally Did Not Meet HUD Requirements When Providing Loss Mitigation Assistance to Borrowers With Delinquent FHA-Insured Loans
Program and Organizational Changes Are Needed to Address the Continued Inadequate Tax Account Assistance Provided to Taxpayers
On September 20, 2021, we notified the Director, Accounts Management, that the Austin site was not requiring Accounts Management screeners to come into the office to perform their duties, resulting in a significant backlog and delays in inventory being routed to Accounts Management to be worked. We recommended that the IRS establish consistent guidance and clarification on when resources can be directed to the office to help with screening inventory, to ensure that sufficient staff is available to screen documents in a timely manner, and establish processes to monitor the progress,
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should update existing scanning software or obtain a new scanning software to address document capacity concerns.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should ensure that programming is updated to systemically reject electronic submissions of Forms 2848 and 8821 when missing one of the five essential elements (name, address, signature, etc.) without manually mailing a rejection letter.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should ensure that the rejection letter used for Forms 2848 and 8821 is updated to include language that a revised form can be submitted electronically via an IRS Tax Pro Account25 or through Taxpayer Digital Communication.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should develop an action plan to prioritize the continued expansion of documents that can be sent in via electronic fax and converted into a Correspondence Imaging System (CIS) image.
Develop an action plan to prioritize the continued expansion of documents that can be sent in via electronic fax and converted into a CIS image.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should Identify priority work that needs to be expedited by the Image Control Team (ICT) and assess the feasibility of creating an electronic fax number to receive this inventory.
On July 12, 2021, TiGTA notified the Director, Accounts Management, of concerns regarding inaccuracies as it related to the compiling and reporting of the Accounts Management Inventory Report (AMIR). TIGTA recommended that the IRS perform a reconciliation of each Accounts Management site’s AMIR to the source reports to identify inventory inconsistencies and reporting errors by site
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should complete the inventory reconciliations for the four remaining Accounts Management site’s to identify and correct inventory inaccuracies and inconsistencies and implement processes to provide oversight by periodically performing reconciliations for each site so that any future inconsistencies and errors are identified and corrected in a timely manner.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should develop specific and detailed instructions for preparing the Accounts Management Inventory Report (AMIR), including how controlled and uncontrolled inventory should be captured
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should develop a process to systemically pull all controlled inventory for each Accounts Management site for the Accounts Management Inventory Report (AMIR) to ensure consistency, reduce human error, and increase efficiencies
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should modify Accounts Management inventory reporting to report unassigned controlled inventory separately on the nationwide Accounts Management Inventory Report (AMIR) and limit the site-specific AMIRs to only the inventory assigned to be worked in each site.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should evaluate directing taxpayers to send tax account correspondence and replies intended for Accounts Management directly to Campus Support Sites for processing to reduce backlogs at Tax Processing Centers and improve services to taxpayers.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should prioritize the development and implementation of tools that will enable taxpayers seeking assistance or responding to Accounts Management to correspond with the IRS electronically, including the ability to directly upload documents into Accounts Management’s inventory.
The Chief Taxpayer Experience Officer, in conjunction with the Director, IRS NEXT Office, should evaluate establishing two distinct IRS programs as part of the IRS reorganization under the Taxpayer First Act – one dedicated to answering toll-free telephone calls and one dedicated to working Accounts Management inventory – with adequate staffing to provide appropriate service to taxpayers using each channel.
On June 9, 2021, we notified the Director, Customer Account Services, that Submission Processing requested resources from Accounts Management to assist with clearing the Image Control Team (ICT) backlog and was told by Campus Support management that no resources could be made available to assist with reducing the ICT backlog. We recommended that the IRS assess the availability of Campus Support’s ICT staffing or other resources that could be made available to assist with clearing the ICT backlogs at Tax Processing Centers.
On September 3, 2021, we notified the Director, Accounts Management, of concerns relating to the newly stood-up Fresno Campus Support Site, including scanners not being used to the full extent possible. We recommended that IRS management provide us with it plans to address our concerns identified with the new Fresno Campus Support Site, including additional staffing to assist Image Control Team (ICT).
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should complete a strategic review of all 10 Image Control Team (ICT) sites to determine what contributes to the ICT’s inability to timely scan and validate documents. Based on the results of this review, initiate steps to address the concerns identified. This should include the development of an action plan to ensure that the high-capacity ICT scanners and staffing are realigned to the appropriate sites based on actual or expected inventory levels and that responsibility of the ICT operations are consolidated under the appropriate function.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should cross-train additional mail clerks at Campus Support Sites to work Image Control Team (ICT) validations, freeing up additional resources in sites with higher inventories needing to be scanned, or consider shipping inventory to sites with less inventory to be scanned.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should develop specific instructions and a common template for all 10 Image Control Team (ICT) sites to consistently capture ICT inventory information.
Desk Review of the State of Washington's Use of Coronavirus Relief Fund Proceeds
Treasury Office of Inspector General (OIG) follow-up with Washington's management to confirm if the $14,085,335 noted as unsupported expenditures within the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000, Transfers greater than or equal to $50,000, Direct Payments greater than or equal to $50,000, and Aggregate Payments to Individuals payment types can be supported. If support is not provided, Treasury OIG should recoup the funds or request Washington management to provide support for replacement expenses, not previously charged, that were eligible during the CRF period of performance. In addition, Castro recommends that Treasury OIG request Washington management to provide support for replacement expenses, not previously charged, that were eligible during the CRF period of performance for the $283,599 of ineligible costs charged to the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000, Transfers greater than or equal to $50,000, and Aggregate Payments to Individuals payment types. If support is not provided, Treasury OIG should recoup the funds. Further, based on Washington management's responsiveness to Treasury OIG's requests and management's ability to provide sufficient documentation and/or replace unsupported and ineligible transactions charged to CRF with valid expenditures, Castro recommends Treasury OIG determine the feasibility of conducting an audit for the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000, Transfers greater than or equal to $50,000, Direct Payments greater than or equal to $50,000, and Aggregate Payments to Individuals payment types.
Treasury OIG request Washington management to provide support for replacement expenses, not previously charged, that were eligible during the CRF period of performance for the $283,599 of ineligible costs charged to the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000, Transfers greater than or equal to $50,000, and Aggregate Payments to Individuals payment types. If support is not provided, Treasury OIG should recoup the funds. Further, based on Washington management's responsiveness to Treasury OIG's requests and management's ability to provide sufficient documentation and/or replace unsupported and ineligible transactions charged to CRF with valid expenditures, Castro recommends Treasury OIG determine the feasibility of conducting an audit for the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000, Transfers greater than or equal to $50,000, Direct Payments greater than or equal to $50,000, and Aggregate Payments to Individuals payment types.
Treasury's Office of Capital Access ensure that management decision letters are issued on the CRF specific findings identified by the auditor in these Single Audit reports.
Treasury's Office of Capital Access follow-up on any CRF specific questioned costs reported in the fiscal year 2020, 2021, and 2022 Single Audit reports.
Desk Review of the District of Columbia’s Use of Coronavirus Relief Fund Proceeds
Treasury Office of Inspector General (OIG) should request DC to provide support for replacement expenses, not previously charged, that were eligible during the CRF period of performance for the $5,217,865 of ineligible costs charge to the Contracts greater than or equal to $50,000 payment type. If support is not provided, Treasury OIG should recoup the funds.
Based on DC management's ability to respond to Treasury OIG's requests related to the health care contract's ineligible costs, Treasury OIG should request the details on the remainder of the contract balance. If DC management is unable to itemize the portion of the medical expenses that were COVID-19 related, Treasury OIG determine if the remaining contract balance was similarly ineligible and should be recouped or replaced by other eligible expenditures, not previously charged to CRF, that were incurred during the period of performance. Based on DCs responsiveness to Treasury OIG's requests and its ability to provide sufficient documentation and/or replace ineligible transactions charged to CRF with valid expenditures, Treasury OIG should determine the feasibility of conducting an audit for the Contracts greater than or equal to $50,000 payment type.
Treasury OIG should request DC's management to provide support for replacement expenses, not previously charged, that were eligible during the CRF period of performance for the $202,695 of ineligible questioned cost reconciliation error (other matters charged to the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment type. If support is not provided, Treasury OIG should recoup the funds. Based on DC management's responsiveness to Treasury OIG's requests and its ability to provide sufficient documentation and/or replace ineligible transactions charged to CRF with valid expenditures, Treasury OIG should determine the feasibility of conducting an audit for the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment types.
Treasury OIG should request DC's management to provide support for replacement expenses, not previously charged, that were eligible during the CRF period of performance for the $575,000 of ineligible questioned cost reconciliation error (other matters charged to the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment type. If support is not provided, Treasury OIG should recoup the funds. Based on DC management's responsiveness to Treasury OIG's requests and its ability to provide sufficient documentation and/or replace ineligible transactions charged to CRF with valid expenditures, Treasury OIG should determine the feasibility of conducting an audit for the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment types.
Treasury OIG should follow-up with the DC's management to confirm if the $30,107 noted as unsupported expenditures within Aggregate Payments to Individuals can be supported. If support is not provided, Treasury OIG should recoup the funds or request DC's management to provide support for replacement expenses, not previously charged, that were eligible during the CRF period of performance. Further, based on the DC management's responsiveness to Treasury Office of Inspector General requests and its ability to provide sufficient documentation, and/or replace unsupported transactions charged to CRF with valid expenditures, Treasury Office of Inspector General should determine the feasibility of conducting an audit for the Aggregate Payments to Individuals payment type.
Treasury OIG should request DC to provide support for replacement expenses, not previously charged, that were eligible during the CRF period of performance for the $6,117 of ineligible costs charged to the Contracts greater than or equal to $50,000 payment type. If support is not provided, Treasury OIG should recoup the funds. Based on DC management's responsiveness to Treasury OIG's requests and management's ability to provide sufficient documentation and/or replace ineligible transactions charged to CRF with valid expenditures, Treasury OIG should determine the feasibility of conducting an audit for the Contracts greater than or equal to $50,000 payment types.
Treasury OIG should request DC to provide support for replacement expenses, not previously charged, that were eligible during the CRF period of performance for the $148,721 of ineligible costs charged to the Contracts greater than or equal to $50,000 payment type. If support is not provided, Treasury OIG should recoup the funds. Based on DCs management's responsiveness to Treasury OIG's requests and its ability to provide sufficient documentation and/or replace ineligible transactions charged to CRF with valid expenditures, Treasury OIG should determine the feasibility of conducting an audit for the Contracts greater than or equal to $50,000 payment types.
Treasury OIG should follow-up with DC's management to confirm if the $39,384 unsupported expenditures within the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment type can be supported. If support is not provided, Treasury OIG should recoup the funds or request DC management to provide replacement expenses, not previously charged, that were eligible during the CRF period of performance.
Treasury OIG should follow-up with DC's management to determine if the remaining grant balance was similarly unsupported and should be recouped or replaced by other eligible expenditures, not previously charged to CRF, that were incurred during the period of performance. Based on DC's responsiveness to Treasury OIG's requests and its ability to provide sufficient documentation, and/or replace unsupported transactions charged to CRF with valid expenditures, Treasury OIG should determine the feasibility of conducting an audit for Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment type.
Treasury OIG should follow-up with DC's management to confirm if the $24,261 noted as unsupported expenditures within the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment type can be supported. If support is not provided, Treasury OIG should recoup the funds or request DC management to provide replacement expenses, not previously charged, that were eligible during the CRF period of performance.
Treasury OIG should determine the feasibility of performing additional testing over portions of the remaining untested grant balance. If DC is unable to provide support Treasury OIG should recoup the funds or request that DC management provide support for replacement expenses, not previously charged, that were eligible during the CRF period of performance. Further, based on DC's responsiveness to Treasury OIG's requests and its ability to provide sufficient documentation, and/or replace unsupported transactions charged to CRF with valid expenditures, Treasury OIG should determine the feasibility of conducting an audit for Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment type.
Treasury OIG should request DC to provide support for replacement expenses, not previously charged, that were eligible during the CRF period of performance for the $8,290 of ineligible costs charge to the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment type. If support is not provided, Treasury OIG should recoup the funds. Based on DC management's responsiveness to Treasury OIG's requests and management's ability to provide sufficient documentation, Treasury OIG should determine the feasibility of conducting an audit for Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment type.
Treasury OIG should request DC to provide support for replacement expenses, not previously charged, that were eligible during the CRF period of performance for the $14,000 of ineligible costs charged to the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment type. If support is not provided, Treasury OIG should recoup the funds. Based on DC management's responsiveness to Treasury OIG's requests and its ability to provide sufficient documentation and/or replace ineligible transactions charged to CRF with valid expenditures, Treasury OIG should determine the feasibility of conducting an audit for the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment types.
Treasury OIG should request DC management perform an assessment over the remaining balance of $861,000 within its Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment types to determine if there were other similarly ineligible expenses.
Treasury OIG should request DC to provide support for replacement expenses, not previously charged, that were eligible during the CRF period of performance for the $12,744 of ineligible costs charged to the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment type. If support is not provided, Treasury OIG should recoup the funds. Based on DC management's responsiveness to Treasury OIG's requests and its ability to provide sufficient documentation and/or replace ineligible transactions charged to CRF with valid expenditures, Treasury OIG should determine the feasibility of conducting an audit for the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment types.
Treasury OIG should request DC management perform an assessment over the remaining balance of $862,256 within its Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment types to determine if there were other similarly ineligible expenses.
Treasury OIG should request DC's management to provide support for replacement expenses, not previously charged, that were eligible during the CRF period of performance for the $21,202,722 of ineligible costs (other matters) charged to the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment type. If support is not provided, Treasury OIG should recoup the funds. Based on DC management's responsiveness to Treasury OIG's requests and its ability to provide sufficient documentation and/or replace ineligible transactions charged to CRF with valid expenditures, Treasury OIG should determine the feasibility of conducting an audit for the Grants greater than or equal to $50,000 payment types.
COVID-19: ETA and States Did Not Protect Pandemic-Related UI Funds from Improper Payments Including Fraud or from Payment Delays
We recommend the Acting Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training: Use data collected from monitoring and BAM reports to identify the areas of highest improper payments including fraud and create a plan to prevent similar issues in future temporary UI benefit programs.
We recommend the Acting Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training: Require states to have written policies and procedures, which apply lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, to continue eligibility testing and BPC procedures during emergencies or other times of increased claims volume. These policies and procedures should include strategies to pay claimants timely.
We recommend the Acting Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training: Work with NASWA to update the IDH Participant Agreement to require state to submit the results of their UI fraud investigations.
We recommend the Acting Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training: Work with NASWA to ensure the IDH cross matches are effective at preventing the types of fraud that were detected during the pandemic and regularly update using the results of state fraud investigations.
We recommend the Acting Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training: Work with the OIG and states to recover the greatest practicable amount of the $7,092,604 paid to claimants connected to likely fraudulent claims.