Reports

USAID’s activities to assess need and identify appropriate interventions are key in shaping how it responds to public health emergencies.  The primary role of ventilators has been one of the most controversial aspects of USAID’s COVID-19 response, attracting both media and Congressional scrutiny.  The objectives of this audit are to answer the following questions: (1) What are USAID’s practices for assessing needs and prioritizing interventions during public health emergencies? (2) To what extent, if any, did the practices employed to determine the use and allocation of ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic differ from these practices?

The OIG is conducting a remote evaluation following prior fieldwork for unannounced inspections to ICE facilities whereas SRE flagged medical vacancies in ICE detention facilities as a potential issue for future review and drafted an engagement proposal to address this concern. Recognizing that inadequate staffing could exacerbate the effect of COVID-19 on detainees and facility personnel, the project was initiated in August 2020. 

The objective of the evaluation is to determine whether the IRS effectively used its telework program to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on IRS operations.

The objective of the evaluation is to determine whether the IRS effectively used its telework program to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on IRS operations.

COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges for the U.S. hospital system, including Indian Health Service (IHS), Tribal, and Urban Indian Health Program (UIHP) facilities. American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 due to the relatively high rates of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and asthma among these populations. These vulnerabilities can be heightened by the strong familial structures in AI/AN communities, in which families commonly live in multigenerational homes. Such socially cohesive communities provide a broad range of benefits to their members, but paradoxically these strong structures make it all the more difficult to maintain physical distancing during a pandemic.

IHS has received funding for medical supplies and equipment through the COVID-19 relief bills allocated to IHS, Tribal, and UIHP facilities. The objective of this audit is to determine whether IHS had adequate internal controls to ensure that medical supplies and equipment were effectively distributed to the National Supply Service Center's customers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Evaluate the actions the IRS took to implement its Pandemic Plan and protect the health and safety of its employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.