Reports

The focus of this audit is to determine whether GSA's Public Buildings Service (PBS) has taken appropriate steps during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that indoor air quality in GSA-controlled facilities meets applicable federal and industry standards. Our audit objectives are to determine whether PBS has (1) implemented Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidance to mitigate and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in GSA-owned facilities, and (2) adhered to federally adopted industry standards for acceptable indoor air quality.

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused many of ETA’s job training programs to cease operation. This interrupted participants’ job training, hence potentially preventing them from completing their training and getting a job in the areas they were trained. This audit will assess the impact of the pandemic on ETA’s job training programs by reviewing which and how many job training programs were interrupted and how ETA was able to resume training and ensure participants completed training programs they had started prior to the pandemic.
 

To determine to what extent FEMA managed and distributed medical supplies and equipment in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

HUD OIG is conducting an audit to assess HUD’s overall fraud risk management program, and to identify fraud risks for funds that HUD received from the Coronavirus Aid Recovery and Economic Stability Act and American Rescue Plan Act. Our objectives are to 1) assess HUD’s progress in implementing a fraud risk management framework, at the enterprise and program office levels, that encompasses control activities to prevent, detect, and respond to fraud; and 2) develop an inventory of fraud risks that HUD has not already identified for the funds appropriated by the CARES and ARP Acts for the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance, Project-Based Rental Assistance, HOME Investment Partnerships, and Public Housing Operating Fund program.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) works to prevent death, illness, and injury from mining and promote safe and healthful workplaces for US miners. The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 requires MSHA to  inspect each underground mine in its entirety four times a year and each surface mine in its entirety two times a year. These are called regular mandatory health and safety inspections. In 2021, MSHA’s data showed approximately 12,500 mines requiring an inspection while MSHA's inspection data showed it conducted around 18,500 inspections per year. This project will audit how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted MSHA's ability to complete mandatory safety and health inspections.
 

DOL and states found themselves unprepared for the overwhelming circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and struggled to implement CARES Act UI Programs and Continue Assistance Act which added the Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) program. MEUC is a new temporary, federal program that provides an extra unemployment income to self-employed individuals. As unprecedented levels of unemployment resulted in millions of jobless Americans applying for unemployment benefits during the pandemic this also led to states reporting an inability to process claims, complete required reporting, or perform required overpayment detection procedures due to an inability to hire sufficient levels of staffing. The objective of this audit is to determine how states implemented the MEUC program.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve System established the MSLP—composed of five different lending facilities—to facilitate lending to small and medium-sized for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Through the MSLP, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (FRB Boston) purchased 1,830 loans amounting to approximately $17.5 billion from lenders; the majority of these loans were purchased during the last 2 months of the program. Following the purchase of the loans, FRB Boston is now responsible for administering the loans, including assessing overall credit risk and identifying substandard loans. FRB Boston leveraged third-party vendors to support both loan purchases and loan administration. We plan to assess the MSLP’s processes for loan purchases and loan administration, including the design, implementation, and operating effectiveness of internal controls.

The objectives of this audit are to: 1) obtain, review, and assess agency plans to expend these funds, 2) determine the current status of the RRB IT initiatives to expend all or part of the appropriation, 3) evaluate if the project progress is in accordance with the RRB’s project plan timeline, and reasons for delay, if any, 4) evaluate if the RRB’s goals and timeline are reasonable and attainable to achieve the intended purpose as stated in agency plans, and 5) evaluate the outcomes of the project relative to the anticipated improvements.

The objectives of this audit are to: 1) determine if mobile phones purchased and deployed as a result of the pandemic comply with RRB mobile device policies including records retention for voice mail, text messages, photographs, etc, 2) conduct a cost benefit analysis for the cell phones that would include identification of non-usage of cell phones and extensive personal usage, 3) assess the necessity for the mobile phone, for the entire population of cell phones, based on cell phone usage tied to employee positions within the agency, 4) assess the types of the applications downloaded to the mobile phones and determine if they are appropriate for business purposes and if approvals were required, and 5) assess whether agency records of mobile phone assignment are accurate and complete for the entire population of cell phones.

To determine to what extent eligible DHS employees received FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund for supplemental state lost wages assistance.