Reports

U.S. Agency for International Development OIG

USAID Adapted To Continue Program Monitoring During COVID-19, But the Effectiveness of These Efforts Is Still To Be Determined

Department of Defense OIG

Audit of the DoD Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Awards to the Defense Industrial Base

U.S. Postal Service OIG

U.S. Postal Inspection Service Pandemic Response to Mail Fraud and Mail Theft

Our objective was to assess the Postal Inspection Service’s response to mail fraud and mail theft during the COVID-19 pandemic. After we began the audit, we received a congressional request from seven members of Congress asking us to identify what actions, if any, the Postal Inspection Service had taken to address the increase in mail theft during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

National Science Foundation OIG

Performance Audit of the Implementation of OMB COVID-19 Flexibilities – Florida International University

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 5/19/2021

Finding1Rec.1 - Closed

Resolve the $1,252 in questioned Award Cash Management $ervice drawdowns for which FIU has not agreed to reimburse NSF and direct FIU to repay or otherwise remove the sustained questioned costs from its NSF awards.

Finding1Rec.2 - Closed

Direct FIU to provide documentation supporting that it has repaid or otherwise credited the $14,167 of questioned costs for which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.

Finding1Rec.3 - Closed

Direct FIU to update its administrative and management processes and internal control procedures surrounding the Award Cash Management $ervice for awards with expiring appropriations. Updated processes should ensure FIU appropriately documents how it calculates the final draw amounts for awards with expiring appropriations, to ensure it only uses the draws to cover costs incurred before the appropriation expired.

Finding1Rec.4 - Closed

Direct FIU to strengthen its award set-up processes and procedures to ensure it cannot charge costs to an active award if the Federal appropriations for the award have expired.

Finding2Rec.1 - Closed

Resolve the $791 in questioned fringe benefit costs for which FIU has not agreed to reimburse NSF and direct FIU to repay or otherwise remove the sustained questioned costs from its NSF awards.

Finding2Rec.2 - Closed

Direct FIU to provide documentation supporting that it has repaid or otherwise credited the $5,934 of questioned promotional and salary costs for which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.

Finding2Rec.3 - Closed

Direct FIU to establish clear guidance regarding the 
allowable uses

An allowable use is any expenditure on which an entity can spend funding.


of participant support cost funding. This guidance should address: a. Allowable uses of participant support cost funding. b. How to verify personnel did not apply fringe benefit rates to participant stipends or other non-salary expenses.

Finding2Rec.4 - Closed

Direct FIU to strengthen its monitoring procedures surrounding costs charged to its NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates programs. Updated procedures should ensure FIU charges costs associated with promotional and/or other unallowable items to nonFederal funding sources.

Finding3Rec.1 - Closed

Direct FIU to update its current practices to ensure it only applies fringe benefits using fringe benefit rates that have been approved by its cognizant audit agency.

National Science Foundation OIG

Performance Audit of the Implementation of OMB COVID-19 Flexibilities – State University of New York at Stony Brook

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 5/18/2021

Finding1Rec.1 - Closed

Direct Stony Brook to provide documentation supporting that it has repaid or otherwise credited the $20,530 of questioned Award Cash Management $ervice drawdowns associated with unspent funds.

Finding1Rec.2 - Closed

Direct Stony Brook to update its administrative and management processes and internal control procedures surrounding the Award Cash Management $ervice for awards with expiring appropriations. Updated processes could include validating that Stony Brook only draws down funding based on immediate cash needs and/or adequately documents that any Award Cash Management $ervice draws in excess of its actual expenses support immediate cash needs.

Finding2Rec.1 - Closed

Direct Stony Brook to provide documentation supporting that it has repaid or otherwise credited the $6,913 in questioned travel costs for which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.

Finding2Rec.2 - Closed

Direct Stony Brook to provide additional guidance to ensure personnel reimburse NSF timely for cash drawn down for unused travel advances.

Finding3Rec.1 - Closed

Direct Stony Brook to provide documentation supporting that it has repaid or otherwise credited the $3,898 in questioned travel costs for which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.

Finding3Rec.2 - Closed

Direct Stony Brook to strengthen its monitoring procedures and internal controls surrounding the allocation of travel expenses to sponsored projects. Processes could include reviewing and assessing the allocation of all travel expenses charged to NSF awards.

Finding4Rec.1 - Closed

Direct Stony Brook to separately track its on-campus and off-campus activities so that it can appropriately apply the approved on-campus and off-campus indirect cost rates.

Finding4Rec.2 - Closed

Direct Stony Brook to update its current budget proposal process to eliminate the use of blended indirect cost rates.

Finding5Rec.1 - Closed

Direct Stony Brook to update its current award set-up practices to require that, when setting up accounts established for NSF awards, personnel ensure that the accounts apply indirect costs using the rates that were established in the Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement in effect as of the date of the NSF grant award, rather than using the rates included within the original grant proposal.

Finding5Rec.2 - Closed

Direct Stony Brook to update its current award set-up practices to remove the establishment of indirect cost budget caps.

Department of Education OIG

Risk of Closed Institutions of Higher Education Receiving Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Grants

The purpose of this report is to share with the U.S. Department of Education (Department) observations made by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) concerning institutions of higher education (IHE) that ceased to provide educational instruction in all programs of study (closed) and received or had access to coronavirus response and relief aid through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). We found that 17 IHEs that closed on or before December 31, 2020, applied for and were awarded a total of $4,912,675 of HEERF grants by OPE. Of these 17 IHEs, 14 drew down HEERF funds and 3 did...

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

North Carolina Office of the State Auditor

Oversight of Coronavirus Relief Funds: Office of State Budget and Management - Pandemic Recovery Office - Performance Audit May 2021

The purpose of this audit was to determine whether the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management’s (OSBM) North Carolina Pandemic Recovery Office (NCPRO) designed and implemented procedures to ensure that: (1) Coronavirus Relief Funds were being spent in accordance with the 2020 COVID-19 Recovery Act and subsequent amendments. (2) Programs that received Coronavirus Relief Funds were achieving their legislatively intended result.

National Science Foundation OIG

Performance Audit of the Implementation of OMB COVID-19 Flexibilities – University of New Mexico

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 5/13/2021

Finding1Rec.1 - Closed

Resolve the $17,269 in questioned unreasonable per diem, airfare, and ground transportation costs for which UNM has not agreed to reimburse NSF and direct UNM to repay or otherwise remove the sustained questioned costs from its NSF awards.

Finding1Rec.2 - Closed

Direct UNM to strengthen its administrative and management procedures for reviewing travel expenses incurred on sponsored projects. Updated procedures could include periodic training for Principal Investigators to ensure they understand when NSF Grant Officer approval should be requested and how to appropriately document that only reasonable costs were charged to NSF awards.

Finding1Rec.3 - Closed

Direct UNM to strengthen its policies and procedures regarding the reasonableness of per diem expenses incurred when employees are temporarily relocated for a period longer than 30 days.

Finding2Rec.1 - Closed

Resolve the $3,613 in questioned tuition costs for which UNM has not agreed to reimburse NSF and direct UNM to repay or otherwise remove the sustained questioned costs from its NSF awards.

Finding2Rec.2 - Closed

Direct UNM to provide documentation supporting that it has repaid or otherwise credited the $83 of questioned travel costs for which it has agreed to reimburse NSF.

Finding2Rec.3 - Closed

Direct UNM to strengthen its controls surrounding the approval of expense reimbursements to ensure approvers appropriately verify that travelers are reimbursed at the appropriate U.S. General Services Administration per diem rate(s).

Finding2Rec.4 - Closed

Direct UNM to strengthen its policies and procedures surrounding the use of participant support cost funding to cover tuition remission expenses. Specifically, UNM should update its current tuition remission policies and procedures to ensure that it does not use participant support costs to cover costs associated with credit hours that do not benefit student participants.

Finding3Rec.1 - Closed

Direct UNM to update its award set-up practices to require that, when setting up accounts established for NSF awards, personnel ensure that the accounts apply indirect costs using the rates that were established in the Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement in effect as of the date of the NSF grant award, rather than using the rates included within the original grant proposal.

Finding3Rec.2 - Closed

Direct UNM to require subawardees to apply indirect costs using the rates that were established in the Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement in effect as of the date of the subaward agreement, rather than using the rates included within the subaward budget and proposal.

Oregon, City of Portland Auditor's Office

Prosper Portland Emergency Grants: Standards Needed to Ensure Program Integrity

Prosper Portland’s Small Business Relief Fund provided a lifeline during the early days of the pandemic. Staff successfully delivered dollars to struggling businesses but in haste, short-changed program integrity. We make recommendations for building a stronger program the next time disaster strikes.

Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Secure Care Facilities

The purpose of this audit was to provide information on the Office of Juvenile Justice’s (OJJ) response to the COVID-19 pandemic in its secure care facilities. Overall, OJJ faced multiple issues and challenges in addressing the pandemic. We found the agency’s protocols generally complied with guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for medical isolation, screening, visitation, personal protective equipment, and social distancing. However, agency officials were unable to verify whether the facilities consistently followed the protocols because of the suspension...

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State (State and Local Reports)

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Agency Reviewed

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Management Challenges

Any Recommendations

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Reports

USAID Adapted To Continue Program Monitoring During COVID-19, But the Effectiveness of These Efforts Is Still To Be Determined

Audit of the DoD Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Awards to the Defense Industrial Base

U.S. Postal Inspection Service Pandemic Response to Mail Fraud and Mail Theft

Performance Audit of the Implementation of OMB COVID-19 Flexibilities – Florida International University

Performance Audit of the Implementation of OMB COVID-19 Flexibilities – State University of New York at Stony Brook

Risk of Closed Institutions of Higher Education Receiving Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Grants

Oversight of Coronavirus Relief Funds: Office of State Budget and Management - Pandemic Recovery Office - Performance Audit May 2021

Performance Audit of the Implementation of OMB COVID-19 Flexibilities – University of New Mexico

Prosper Portland Emergency Grants: Standards Needed to Ensure Program Integrity

Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Secure Care Facilities

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