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- (-) Department of Agriculture OIG (7)
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Reports
Audit of Entitlements for Activated Army National Guard and Air National Guard Members Supporting the Coronavirus Disease–2019 Mission
Rec. 1.a: The DoD OIG recommended that the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer, DoD, in coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, update the DoD Financial Management Regulation, volume 7A, "Military Pay Policy - Active Duty and Reserve Pay," chapter 27, "Family Separation Allowance" to clearly state that the permanent duty station of a Reserve Component member on temporary duty status is the member's primary residence for the purpose of determining Family Separation Allowance entitlement.
Rec. 1.b: The DoD OIG recommended that the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer, DoD, in coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, update the DoD Financial Management Regulation, volume 7A, "Military Pay Policy - Active Duty and Reserve Pay," chapter 27, "Family Separation Allowance" to clarify that Family Separation Allowance entitlement determination is based on the commuting distance between the member's primary residence and their temporary duty location.
Rec. 2.a: The DoD OIG recommended that the Chief, National Guard Bureau, in coordination with the Director of the Army National Guard and the Director of the Air National Guard, develop and implement policies and procedures to require the Army National Guard and Air National Guard to complete a review of proof of residency documentation when the member's primary residency is established or changed for the Basic Allowance for Housing entitlement to ensure consistency throughout all Army National Guard and Air National Guard units and organizations within every state, territory, and the District. The policies and procedures should also include requirements that: * document a member's primary residence address; * require members to provide proof of their primary residence address; * certify the primary address of members and review supporting documentation; and * provide oversight to ensure primary residence address information is complete and accurate.
Rec. 2.b: The DoD OIG recommended that the Chief, National Guard Bureau, in coordination with the Director of the Army National Guard and the Director of the Air National Guard, develop and implement policies and procedures to outline the process and frequency of recertification for Basic Allowance for Housing entitlement that Army National Guard and Air National Guard officials will use to verify and fully document the dependency status of members to provide clarification to the DoD Financial Management Regulation, volume 7A, chapter 26. These procedures should include: * how recertifications will be completed; * which members will complete a recertification; and * how Army National Guard and Air National Guard officials will provide oversight to ensure that information is complete and accurate.
Rec. 2.c: The DoD OIG recommended that the Chief, National Guard Bureau, in coordination with the Director of the Army National Guard and the Director of the Air National Guard, develop and implement policies and procedures to require Army National Guard and Air National Guard officials to review and document the status of a military member married to another military member regardless of which Military Service, Reserve or Active Component, or Army National Guard or Air National Guard unit the member's spouse belongs to, and identify which member will claim any applicable dependents.
Rec. 2.d: The DoD OIG recommended that the Chief, National Guard Bureau, in coordination with the Director of the Army National Guard and the Director of the Air National Guard, develop and implement policies and procedures to specify the methods for confirming eligibility and paying Family Separation Allowance for Army National Guard and Air National Guard members, in accordance with the DoD Financial Management Regulation, volume 7A, chapter 27, and include the: * timeliness of payments; * determination of Family Separation Allowance eligibility for back to back orders; * members assigned to their normal duty locations; and * requirement to track members to know when they return to their primary residence.
Rec. 2.e: The DoD OIG recommended that the Chief, National Guard Bureau, in coordination with the Director of the Army National Guard and the Director of the Air National Guard, develop and implement policies and procedures to establish formal dissemination and communication procedures for National Guard Bureau policies related to entitlements provided to the Army National Guard and Air National Guard, including the policies in the preceding recommendations. The procedures should require: * creation of a central location where policies and procedures will be kept for easy access by all states, territories, and the District; and * confirmation of receipt from all of the states, territories, and the District when procedures are communicated or obtained.
Rec. 3: The DoD OIG recommended that the Chief, National Guard Bureau, in coordination with the Director of the Army National Guard and the Director of the Air National Guard, develop and implement additional internal control procedures for the review of transactions manually submitted by the Army National Guard and Air National Guard to the payment system prior to payment to ensure the completeness and accuracy of transactions.
American Rescue Plan Act: Implementation of Advance Recovery Rebate Credit Payments
The Commissioner, Large Business and International Division, should coordinate with the territories to share information that will enable the territories to recover duplicate payments that the territories have issued, to the extent permitted under the relevant territory’s domestic law.
If Congress enacts additional stimulus payments, the Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should consider additional programming changes to prevent ineligible individuals from receiving advance payments, including individuals claimed as dependents or dependents claimed on multiple returns, nonresident individuals, individuals who had a filing status or filing partner change, deceased individuals, and individuals affected by the mentioned related programming errors.
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.
American Rescue Plan Act: Assessment of Processes to Identify and Address Improper Child and Dependent Care Credit Claims
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should update processes to *****2***** from Form 2441 the care provider’s **2**
******************2*******************, and the amount paid to the care provider.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should update paper verification processes to generate errors in the Error
Resolution System when the ****************2****************, or amounts paid to the care provider are missing
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should revise Form 2441 to include checkboxes to note whether dependent care
expenses are for a spouse or dependent who is physically or mentally incapable of caring for themselves or if special deemed earned income rules apply.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should develop a process to identify tax returns with adult **********2**********
**************************2*****************************. These tax returns should be considered for selection for post-refund compliance reviews.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should work with the Department of the Treasury, Office of Tax Policy, to obtain
the legal authority to disallow the Child and Dependent Care Credit (CDCC) when the primary or secondary taxpayer is identified by an ***2*** Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) on Form 2441
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should develop a process to identify tax returns with ***2*** Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) used to identify the care provider. These tax returns should be considered for selection for post-refund compliance review.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should revise Form 2441 instructions and Publication 503, using examples, so
taxpayers may better understand the requirements for qualifying care and expenses
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should develop a process to identify tax returns with care provider ****************************************************2******************************. These tax returns should be selected for post-refund compliance review.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should coordinate with the Small Business/Self-Employed Division to develop a compliance plan for post-refund treatment of cases involving **********************2********************************************** ****************************************************2********************************************** ****************************************************2**************************************************2***
Audit of DoD Implementation of the DoD Coronavirus Disease–2019 Vaccine Distribution Plan
Rec. 1: The DoD OIG recommended that the Defense Health Agency Director, with input from the Military Departments, the National Guard Bureau, and other stakeholders, review challenges and difficulties encountered during the distribution and administration of the coronavirus disease-2019 vaccine, compile a report detailing the issues, and determine if corrective actions are necessary to support future pandemic response planning. At a minimum, the review should include the following challenges and difficulties: * Determining the vaccine-eligible population at each military treatment facility; * Reporting vaccine administration data; * Communicating vaccination tier eligibility; * Coordinating tier movement between military treatment facilities; * Allocating vaccine to overseas locations; and * Vaccinating local nationals who work alongside U.S. personnel at overseas locations.
Rec. 2: The DoD OIG recommended that the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Health Affairs form and lead a working group consisting of DoD Components and address the issues identified by the Defense Health Agency.
Management Advisory Regarding Results from Research for Future Audits and Evaluations Related to the Effects of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus on DoD Operations
Rec. 1: The DoD OIG recommended that the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer, DoD work with DoD Components to implement procedures to ensure award amounts funded under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act are appropriately recorded and reported with the accurate Disaster Emergency Fund Codes through the respective reporting systems.
Rec. 2: The DoD OIG recommended that the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer, DoD work with the Navy and the Marine Corps to ensure that the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act obligation and disbursement transactions processed through their accounting systems and journal vouchers are properly reported in USASpending.gov.
Rec. 3.a: The DoD OIG recommended that the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer, DoD develop procedures to confirm that DoD Components have appropriately implemented the policies DoD prescribed for coding Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act fund transactions.
Rec. 3.b: The DoD OIG recommended that the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer, DoD issue funding authorization documents that include a Disaster Emergency Fund Code value to ensure all DoD budget and accounting systems have a consistent basis to record and report funding and execution by Disaster Emergency Fund Code, in accordance with Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-18-08.
The Taxpayer Advocate Service Assisted Thousands of Taxpayers With CARES Act Issues but Faced Challenges in Identifying and Tracking Applicable Cases
The National Taxpayer Advocate should reinforce existing guidance to ensure that Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) employees are adhering to: a) the Internal Revenue Manual (IRM) guidance concerning contacts not meeting TAS criteria and b) TAS policies related to the handling of congressional referrals.
The National Taxpayer Advocate should consider establishing an issue code for stimulus-type payments.
Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Business Tax Return Processing Operations
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should coordinate with the Office of Servicewide Penalties to ensure that the 1,295 taxpayer accounts with potential incorrect ES penalties are reviewed and corrected as necessary.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should coordinate with the Office of Servicewide Penalties to ensure that the 1,295 taxpayer accounts with potential incorrect ES penalties are reviewed and corrected as necessary.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should evaluate the feasibility to direct additional types of payments from Tax Processing Centers to lockbox sites. This evaluation should also assess the feasibility of directing payments received by field office employees to lockbox sites for processing.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should evaluate the feasibility to direct additional types of payments from Tax Processing Centers to lockbox sites. This evaluation should also assess the feasibility of directing payments received by field office employees to lockbox sites for processing.
The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should evaluate the feasibility to direct additional types of payments from Tax Processing Centers to lockbox sites. This evaluation should also assess the feasibility of directing payments received by field office employees to lockbox sites for processing.
COVID-19—Oversight of the Emergency Food Assistance Program-Interim Report
Develop and implement a formal process to periodically identify, assess, and document risks, beyond improper payments, that could impact the integrity of TEFAP. This should include a comprehensive assessment of all aspects of TEFAP, including those that would arise as a result of changes in operations due to a significant event.
Document FNS’ response to the risks identified during its assessment. Document and implement mitigation strategies, as applicable.
COVID-19—Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Online Purchasing in Response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019
Perform and update the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Online Purchasing Pilot risk assessment to reflect how Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will mitigate and test potential risks.
Establish a policy to periodically perform assessments to identify any new risks and re-evaluate existing ones related to the SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot.
Establish controls for monitoring, evaluating, and documenting SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot retailers' requirements pertaining to the use of SNAP participants' personal information.