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Department of Education OIG

State and Local Educational Agencies’ Use of Digital Wallet-Related Technologies and Services

We performed this review to determine the extent to which State Education Agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) use digital wallets to facilitate the administration of U.S. Department of Education (Department) grant funds. Our review covered the period from October 1, 2022, through December 31, 2024. Forty-five SEAs responded to our survey regarding the use of digital wallets to facilitate the administration of Department grant funds. Twelve of those SEAs reported using digital wallets to help administer some of their Department grants during our review period, and three of...
Small Business Administration OIG

Automated Controls Should Ensure Compliance with Criteria

The Office of Inspector General is issuing this management advisory to present the results of our review of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) incomplete reviews of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and grants disbursed to borrowers who self-disclosed their business establishment dates after January 31, 2020. SBA asserted that the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act requirement for a business to be in operation on or before January 31, 2020, applied only to COVID-19 EIDLs, not Emergency EIDL Advances. The Office of...
Small Business Administration OIG

COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Servicing Capability

The Office of Inspector General is issuing this management advisory to gain an understanding of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) servicing processes and determine its capability to service more than 2 million COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). We found the COVID-19 EIDL Servicing Center (CESC) demonstrated that it was capable of servicing over 2 million COVID EIDLs during the period of our review. The CESC appeared to be adequately staffed as evidenced by its ability to complete over 23,500 servicing actions per month with an...
Small Business Administration OIG

Eligibility of PPP Loans Exceeding Maximum Size Standards

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this Evaluation Report to determine whether the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) made Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans in accordance with program size standards. This is a follow-up to our earlier report which identified 355 PPP loans that likely exceeded the maximum size standard and may have been erroneously approved. Based on updated data analysis, we identified that 79 of those 355 loans still appeared to exceed the maximum size standard. Our objective was to determine whether PPP loans were made in accordance with program...
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA’s Actions to Address Forgiven PPP Loans Subsequently Flagged as Potentially Ineligible

This report presents the results of our management advisory bringing the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) attention to concerns regarding forgiven Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans subsequently flagged as potentially ineligible using hold code 70 (potential clawback) for which the agency has not completed its review to facilitate recovery of improper payments for ineligible loans. A hold code is an identifier placed on a loan in the agency’s system indicating a potential issue needs to be resolved. SBA uses hold code 70 to flag forgiven PPP loans for which it subsequently suspects...
Small Business Administration OIG

COVID-19 Pandemic EIDL and PPP Loan Fraud Landscape Recommendations Update

This report updates Congress on progress made by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) on the 39 open pandemic-related recommendations referenced in Office of Inspector General (OIG) Report 23-09, COVID-19 Pandemic EIDL and PPP Loan Fraud Landscape. Over the course of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, SBA disbursed approximately $1.2 trillion of COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Paycheck Protection Program funds. The economic assistance was intended to help eligible small business owners and entrepreneurs adversely affected by the crisis. In Report 23-09, we...
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA’s Use of Hold Codes for Potentially Fraudulent PPP Loans Referred by Lenders

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this management advisory to bring attention to concerns regarding SBA’s use of hold codes for potentially fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans referred by lenders. Opportunities exist for SBA to enhance its handling of lender-referred PPP loans suspected of fraud or illegal activity and its process for capturing these loans to ensure they are promptly flagged to mitigate fraud risk and financial loss. SBA’s Office of Credit Risk Management (OCRM) established a project for lenders to refer PPP loans suspected of fraud or illegal...
Small Business Administration OIG

COVID-19: Data Sharing Project Finds Billions Paid to Same Likely Fraudsters Under Both the Unemployment Insurance and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Programs

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this inspection report to determine whether data sharing between the Employment and Training Administration and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) could mitigate the risk of fraudulent unemployment insurance benefit payments and SBA disaster program disbursements. In 2020, soon after Congress expanded the Unemployment Insurance and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Programs in response to the adverse economic effects caused by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Labor OIG and SBA OIG respectively began reporting...
Department of Education OIG

Tennessee Department of Education’s Administration and Oversight of Emergency Assistance to Nonpublic Schools Grant Funds

Congress provided $5.5 billion for the Emergency Assistance to Nonpublic Schools (EANS) program. The purpose of the EANS programs, authorized under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA) and American Rescue Plan (ARP), is to provide services or assistance to eligible nonpublic schools to address educational disruptions caused by the COVID-19 emergency. Our audit sought to determine whether the Tennessee Department of Education (Tennessee) designed and implemented (1) application processes that adequately assessed nonpublic schools’ eligibility for EANS...
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA’s Oversight of Non-Bank Lenders and Third-Party Service Providers Associated with PPP Loans

Over 5,300 lenders, including bank and non-bank lenders, participated in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), an $813.7 billion program that provided forgivable loans to eligible borrowers. The primary distinction between the two is that non-bank lenders are not federally regulated. Both were allowed to partner with third-party service providers to assist in the PPP loan process. We assessed the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) oversight of non-bank lenders, including financial technology (fintech), and third-party service providers in the PPP. Opportunities exist for SBA to...
Small Business Administration OIG

Approved Disaster Assistance Loans Matching COVID‐19 EIDLs and PPP Loans with Fraud Hold Codes

The Office of Inspector General is issuing this evaluation report to determine whether the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) approved disaster loan applications with related Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) or Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans with fraud hold codes.In October 2022, SBA established an informal review process to match disaster assistance loan applications to pandemic loans that had fraud hold codes based on taxpayer identification numbers. In August 2023, the agency began transitioning to a new system that uses fraud...
Department of Education OIG

Yukon-Koyukuk School District’s Use of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (Alaska)

We performed this review to determine whether the Yukon-Koyukuk School District’s (Alaska) expended Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grant funds for allowable purposes in accordance with applicable requirements. We determined that all of the ESSER expenditures we reviewed for the Yukon-Koyukuk School District (Yukon-Koyukuk) were allowable. However, we found that Yukon-Koyukuk did not comply with key competitive procurement process or documentation requirements when procuring the goods or services associated with three (38 percent) of eight non-personnel expenditures...
Small Business Administration OIG

Report on the Most Serious Management and Performance Challenges by Office of Inspector General FY2025

This report represents our current assessment of the U.S. Small Business Administration's programs and activities that pose significant risks, including those that are particularly vulnerable to fraud, waste, error, mismanagement, or inefficiencies. The Challenges are not presented in order of priority, as we believe that all are critical management or performance issues.
Department of Education OIG

Linn-Mar Community School District’s Use of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Grant Funds (Iowa)

We performed this review to determine whether Linn-Mar Community School District (Iowa) expended Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grant funds for allowable purposes in accordance with applicable requirements. We determined that all 20 (100 percent) ESSER expenditures that we reviewed for Linn-Mar were allowable. However, we found that Linn-Mar did not comply with key competitive procurement process or documentation requirements when procuring the goods or services associated with 6 (40 percent) of the 15 non-personnel expenditures, totaling $228,510 (49 percent) of the...
Department of Education OIG

Lower Kuskokwim School District’s Use of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (Alaska)

We performed this review to determine whether the Lower Kuskokwim School District expended Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grant funds for allowable purposes in accordance with applicable requirements. We determined that all the ESSER expenditures we reviewed for Lower Kuskokwim were allowable and in accordance with applicable requirements. We also found that Lower Kuskokwim complied with key Federal procurement requirements, including those covering the procurement methods to be followed and contract cost, price, and provisions, when procuring the goods or services...
Department of Education OIG

Southeast Polk Community School District’s Use of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Grant Funds (Iowa)

We performed this review to determine whether the Southeast Polk Community School District t expended Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grant funds for allowable purposes in accordance with applicable requirements. We determined that all 20 expenditures (5 personnel and 15 non-personnel) that we reviewed were allowable. Allowable activities generally include those authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Adult Education and Family Literacy Act, Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, and...
Department of Education OIG

Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District’s Use of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (Alaska)

We performed this review to determine whether the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District expended Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grant funds for allowable purposes in accordance with applicable requirements. We determined that all the ESSER expenditures we reviewed for Matanuska-Susitna were allowable and in accordance with applicable requirements. We also found that Matanuska-Susitna complied with key Federal procurement requirements, including those covering the procurement methods to be followed and contract cost, price, and provisions, when procuring the goods...
Department of Education OIG

Des Moines Independent Community School District’s Use of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Grant Funds

We performed this review to determine whether the Des Moines Independent Community School District expended ESSER grant funds for allowable purposes in accordance with applicable requirements. We determined that of the 20 expenditures that we reviewed, 17 were allowable and in accordance with applicable requirements. Two expenditures totaling $164,580 were unallowable because they were for advertising and public relations costs prohibited under the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 Code of Federal Regulations part 200), and a...
Department of Education OIG

Florida Department of Education’s Administration and Oversight of Emergency Assistance to Nonpublic Schools Grant Funds

Congress provided $5.5 billion for the Emergency Assistance to Nonpublic Schools (EANS) program. The purpose of the EANS programs, authorized under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA) and American Rescue Plan (ARP), is to provide services or assistance to eligible nonpublic schools to address educational disruptions caused by the COVID-19 emergency. We conducted an audit to determine whether the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) designed and implemented (1) application processes that adequately assessed nonpublic schools’ eligibility for EANS-funded...
Department of Education OIG

Anchorage School District’s Use of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Grant Funds (Alaska)

We performed this review to determine whether Anchorage School District (Anchorage) expended ESSER grant funds for allowable purposes in accordance with applicable requirements. We determined that all the ESSER expenditures we reviewed for Anchorage were allowable and in accordance with applicable requirements. We also found that Anchorage complied with key Federal procurement requirements, including those covering the procurement methods to be followed and contract cost, price, and provisions, when procuring the goods or services associated with each ESSER expenditure we reviewed. Because we...
Department of Education OIG

Federal Student Aid’s Performance Measures and Indicators for Returning Borrowers to Repayment

The inspection sought to determine whether the Federal Student Aid office (FSA) established performance measures and indicators for returning borrowers to repayment. We found that FSA needed to establish effective performance measures and indicators to evaluate its performance for returning borrowers to repayment. Although FSA and the Office of the Undersecretary established operational and strategic objectives and operational goals for returning borrowers to repayment, they were not written in specific and measurable terms. In addition, although FSA identified several data metrics as...
Department of Education OIG

Burlington Community School District’s Use of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Grant Funds (Iowa)

We performed this review to determine whether the Burlington Community School District (Burlington) expended Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grant funds for allowable purposes in accordance with applicable requirements. We determined that all the ESSER expenditures we reviewed for Burlington were allowable and in accordance with applicable requirements. We also found that Burlington complied with key Federal procurement requirements, including those covering the procurement methods to be followed and contract cost, price, and provisions, when procuring the goods or...
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA’s Processing of COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Reconsideration Requests

The Office of Inspector General is issuing this inspection report to assess the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) processing of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) reconsideration requests.SBA began accepting COVID-19 EIDL applications on March 12, 2020, and continued to accept them through December 31, 2021, when the COVID-19 EIDL program ended. COVID-19 EIDL applicants who were not approved for a loan could request the agency reconsider their loan application, initiating the reconsideration process.We found SBA generally processed reconsideration...
Small Business Administration OIG

Improvements Needed in SBA’s Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Post-Award Review Process

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this management advisory to bring attention to concerns regarding the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) post-award review process to monitor Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) award recipients’ eligibility, award calculation, and use of funds. The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program was established on December 27, 2020, as part of the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act (Economic Aid Act). The program was amended by the American Rescue Plan Act on March 11, 2021, which increased program...
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA’s Guaranty Purchases for Paycheck Protection Program Loans

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this Inspection report to assess the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) guaranty purchase process for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act established the PPP to provide guaranteed SBA loans for eligible businesses, individuals, and nonprofits adversely impacted by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic. We assessed whether SBA reported and referred charged-off PPP loans to commercial credit reporting agencies and the U.S. Department of Treasury in accordance with applicable...
Department of Education OIG

Wisconsin’s Administration and Oversight of the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools Grant Funds

Determine whether the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction designed and implemented (1) application processes that adequately assessed nonpublic schools' eligibility for EANS-funded services or assistance and complied with other applicable requirements and (2) oversight processes to ensure that EANS-funded services or assistance were used for allowable purposes.

Small Business Administration OIG

Evaluation of COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Applicants on the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Do Not Pay List

The OIG is issuing this evaluation to assess whether the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) effectively implemented internal controls when using the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Do Not Pay (DNP) databases to detect and prevent payments of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and grants to ineligible entities.Despite implementing controls requiring loan officers to check DNP databases prior to approval of COVID-19 EIDLs and provide applicants 30 days to rectify any negative information received from DNP, the agency continued to award and disburse...
Small Business Administration OIG

7(a) Loan Approval for Borrowers with Unresolved COVID-19 Pandemic Loan Compliance Issues

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this Inspection Report to assess the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) process for approving 7(a) loans for borrowers with unresolved pandemic loan compliance issues.From October 1, 2019 through May 8, 2023, SBA approved and disbursed 172,598 7(a) loans, totaling $83.4 billion. The 7(a) lenders who have delegated approval authority approved 92 percent of these loans and SBA approved the remaining 8 percent. SBA implemented a process to screen 7(a) loan applications for eligibility, which included screening for Paycheck Protection Program...
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA’s Handling of Returned COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Funds and De-obligations of Approved Loans

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this management advisory to present the results of our review of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) processing of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds that were returned to the agency by borrowers, banks, or other sources.We found significant delays in the decision process related to returned COVID-19 EIDL funds. The majority of these COVID-19 EIDLs were eventually made available to small business owners, including the original borrowers. However, SBA canceled $3.1 billion of these loans...
Department of Education OIG

Illinois’ Oversight of Local Educational Agency ARP ESSER Plans and Spending

The objectives of the audit were to determine whether the Illinois State Board of Education (Illinois) had an adequate oversight process in place to ensure that (1) local educational agencies’ (LEA) American Rescue Plan (ARP) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) plans met applicable requirements and (2) LEAs use ARP ESSER funds in accordance with applicable requirements and their approved LEA ARP ESSER plans.We found that Illinois generally had adequate processes to ensure that LEA ARP ESSER plans met applicable requirements. However, it did not communicate accurate...
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA’s Restaurant Revitalization Fund Program Award Practices

This SBA OIG pandemic oversight report reviewed the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Restaurant Revitalization Fund application review and approval process. The objective of this review was to determine whether the controls SBA implemented to award RRF program funds in accordance with the Act and other applicable guidance were effective. SBA developed an implementation plan including a risk framework that was intended to reduce the risk of making improper payments and awarding Restaurant Revitalization Funds (RRF) to ineligible recipients. However, the plan did not include all program...
Small Business Administration OIG

Evaluation of SBA’s Eligibility and Forgiveness Reviews of Paycheck Protection Program Loans Made to Borrowers with Treasury’s Do Not Pay Data Matches

This report is a follow up to SBA OIG Report Number 21-06, Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Recipients on the Department of Treasury’s (Treasury) Do Not Pay (DNP) List, which reported SBA did not use Department of Treasury (Treasury) DNP data to screen borrowers for eligibility prior to approving loans originated before August 8, 2020 (PPP round one). In this report, we assess SBA actions to address potentially ineligible loans identified in report 21-06 and its implementation of controls to review DNP data for PPP loans originated after August 8, 2020 (PPP round two).SBA implemented a...
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA's Handling of Identity Theft in the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program

This report presents the results of our verification inspection of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) corrective actions for the five recommendations from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) evaluation report SBA’s Handling of Identity Theft in the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (Report 21-15).We initiated this verification inspection to determine whether the closed recommendations were fully implemented or if further corrective actions were needed. Accordingly, our objective was to determine the effectiveness of the corrective actions SBA implemented to 1)...
Department of Education OIG

U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Audit Resolution Activities

The report presents information on independent audits with findings pertaining to the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) and audit resolution activities conducted by the U.S. Department of Education. Our review focused on independent audits of HEERF recipients from April 2020 through June 2023. We found that the number of independent audits with findings pertaining to HEERF and requiring resolution by the Office of Finance and Operations (OFO) increased significantly over the past few years, as did the number of audits with complex findings as determined by OFO staff. However, the...
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA's Internal Controls to Prevent Shuttered Venue Operators Grants to Ineligible Applicants

This report presents the results of our inspection to assess the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) controls to prevent disbursements to ineligible entities. Specifically, our review focused on general eligibility requirements applicable to all SVOG applicants and venue-specific requirements applicable to live venue operators.SBA delayed launching the SVOG application portal for over 2 weeks in April 2021 because of technical issues. In June 2021, SBA officials made program changes, which SBA called a “program refresh,” to accelerate application...
Small Business Administration OIG

Report on the Most Serious Management and Performance Challenges by Office of Inspector General FY2024

This report represents our current assessment of the U.S. Small Business Administration's programs and activities that pose significant risks, including those that are particularly vulnerable to fraud, waste, error, mismanagement, or inefficiencies. The Challenges are not presented in order of priority, except for the COVID 19 challenge, which we address first in this report. We also view the other challenges as critically important to SBA operations.
Department of Education OIG

Kentucky’s Oversight of Local Educational Agency ARP ESSER Plans and Spending

The objectives of the audit were to determine whether the Kentucky Department of Education (Kentucky) had an adequate oversight process in place to ensure that (1) local educational agencies’ (LEA) American Rescue Plan (ARP) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) plans met applicable requirements and (2) LEAs use ARP ESSER funds in accordance with applicable requirements and their approved LEA ARP ESSER plans. Overall, we found that Kentucky had adequate processes to ensure that LEA ARP ESSER plans met applicable requirements. We also determined that the ARP ESSER plans for...
Small Business Administration OIG

Ending Active Collections on Delinquent COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans

The Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this management advisory to bring attention to concerns regarding SBA’s decision to end active collections on delinquent COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) with an outstanding balance of $100,000 or less.First, SBA’s decision to cease collections risks violating the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, which prohibits ending collections on fraudulent, false, or misrepresented claims, because SBA OIG and other oversight agencies are continuing to work on identifying COVID-19 EIDL fraud that...
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA’s Oversight of Restaurant Revitalization Fund Recipients

We reviewed the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) oversight of Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) recipients. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 authorized SBA to administer the RRF and provided $28.6 billion to assist eligible small businesses adversely affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.We determined program officials developed a plan for monitoring RRF award recipients use of funds and recovering unused or improperly awarded funds. However, program implementation was not executed in accordance with the plan.We made six recommendations for SBA to...
Department of Education OIG

Washington’s Oversight of Local Educational Agency ARP ESSER Plans and Spending

The objectives of the audit were to determine whether the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (Washington) had an adequate oversight process in place to ensure that (1) local educational agencies’ (LEA) American Rescue Plan (ARP) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) plans met applicable requirements and (2) LEAs use ARP ESSER funds in accordance with applicable requirements and their approved LEA ARP ESSER plans. We found that Washington did not have an adequate review and approval process to ensure that LEA ARP ESSER plans met all applicable...
Department of Education OIG

Federal Student Aid’s Use of Pandemic Assistance Student Aid Administration Funds

We found that as of November 30, 2022, FSA obligated nearly 100 percent of the $161.1 million in appropriations it received for pandemic assistance student aid administration funds. Nine FSA business units obligated approximately $157.8 million (98 percent) of the total pandemic assistance student aid administration funds, with one business unit, the Next Gen FSA Program Office, accounting for 78 percent of the obligations. The pandemic assistance student aid administration funds were used for personnel compensation and benefits, information technology systems and services contracts, and...
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA’s Awards for Staffing Support for COVID-19 Economic Relief Loan Programs

We reviewed the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) blanket purchase agreement with Highlight Technologies, LLC for loan support services.To meet the increased demand for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) loan program support services, SBA issued labor hour contracts, e.g. call orders, using an existing blanket purchase agreement. However, SBA contracting officials did not always perform adequate price analyses, awarding contracts that were not the best use of taxpayer funds. SBA did not establish adequate guidance to ensure contracting officials consistently followed federal...
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA’s Administrative Process to Address Potentially Fraudulent Restaurant Revitalization Fund Awards

We inspected the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) administrative process used to review potentially fraudulent Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) applications and recover funds.Program officials designed the RRF application validation and approval processes using the Government Accountability Office’s A Framework for Managing Fraud Risks in Federal Programs. However, 3,790 applications submitted through a point-of-sale partner were processed without verifying gross sales, a key control designed to prevent ineligible entities from receiving awards.As a result, SBA’s RRF application...
Small Business Administration OIG

COVID-19 Pandemic EIDL and PPP Loan Fraud Landscape

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this review to provide a comprehensive estimate of the potential fraud in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) pandemic assistance loan programs. Over the course of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, SBA disbursed approximately $1.2 trillion of COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds.In the rush to swiftly disburse COVID-19 EIDL and PPP funds, SBA calibrated its internal controls. The agency weakened or removed the controls...
Small Business Administration OIG

Serious Concerns Regarding the Return of Paycheck Protection Program Funds

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this management advisory to bring to your attention concerns regarding the return of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds. This issue requires immediate attention and action by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to ensure it has processes and procedures in place to adequately accept, process, and account for PPP funds returned by borrowers, lenders, and financial institutions. Expedited management action should mitigate the risk of financial loss to taxpayers.Establishing clear and detailed guidance for borrowers, lenders, and...
Department of Education OIG

Federal Student Aid’s Processes for Waiving Return of Title IV Requirements, Cancelling Borrowers’ Obligation to Repay Direct Loans, and Excluding Pell Grants from Federal Pell Lifetime Usage

FSA had adequate processes for waiving R2T4 requirements, cancelling borrowers’ obligation to repay Direct Loans, and excluding Pell disbursements from Pell lifetime usage for impacted students. FSA also designed adequate processes for schools to report the number and amounts of R2T4 waivers applied.
Small Business Administration OIG

White Paper: 7(a) Loan Program During SBA’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

We prepared this white paper to report on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 7(a) loan program performance during SBA’s response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and address potential risks SBA should consider in managing the program.We identified factors that could impact the 7(a) loan program and should be considered in SBA’s program risk strategy. Specifically, in FY 2021, the total amount of loans increased to $31.4 billion from $19.4 billion in FY 2020 (62 percent increase) and $20.6 billion in FY 2019 (53 percent increase), as did the average loan amount...
Department of Education OIG

University of Cincinnati’s Use of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Student Aid and Institutional Grants

Our objective was to determine whether the University of Cincinnati (University) used the Student Aid (Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.425E) and Institutional (ALN 84.425F) portions of its Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) funds for allowable and intended purposes.The University spent $109.9 million (83 percent) of its total HEERF allocation of $132.8 million as of September 30, 2021. The University generally used the Student Aid ($42.1 million) and Institutional ($67.8 million) portions of its HEERF grant funds for allowable and intended purposes but needs to strengthen its...
Small Business Administration OIG

Report on the Most Serious Management and Performance Challenges By Office of Inspector General FY2023

This report represents our current assessment of the U.S. Small Business Administration's programs and activities that pose significant risks, including those that are particularly vulnerable to fraud, waste, error, mismanagement, or inefficiencies. The Challenges are not presented in order of priority, except for the COVID 19 challenge, which we address first in this report. We also view the other challenges as critically important to SBA operations.
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA's Guaranty Purchases for Paycheck Protection Program Loans

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this management advisory to express concerns regarding the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) decision to end collections on purchased Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans with an outstanding balance of $100,000 or less.In anticipation of a significant number of delinquent PPP loans that lenders will submit for guaranty purchase, we began reviewing SBA’s process for approving PPP guaranty purchases. During our review, we identified concerns with SBA’s decision to end collections on these loans and found that expedited management...
Small Business Administration OIG

Follow-up Inspection of SBA’s Internal Controls to Prevent COVID-19 EIDLs to Ineligible Applicants

This report presents the results of our follow-up inspection to assess the effectiveness of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) enhanced internal controls to prevent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) to ineligible applicants.The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act prohibited the agency from requiring tax return transcripts to prove eligibility. Congress eliminated this restriction 9 months later with the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. We found SBA did not implement the tax transcript requirement in a timely...
Department of Education OIG

The Department’s Use of Pandemic Assistance Program Administration Funds

The objective of our review was to determine the Department’s progress on spending program administration funds authorized by coronavirus response and relief laws, including how those funds have been used to date, and the Department’s plans for using remaining funds.We found that the Department has allocated nearly 100 percent2 of its pandemic assistance program administration funds and that the Department is on track to obligate all of its program administration funds prior to the dates the funds are set to expire. The Department allocated the funds to 11 principal offices and as of February...
Small Business Administration OIG

COVID-19 and Disaster Assistance Information Systems Security Controls

This report presents the results of our audit to determine whether the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) maintained effective management control activities and monitoring of the design and implementation of third-party operated SBA systems. SBA needed information technology systems from third-party service providers that could improve the system efficiency and productivity to process high transaction volumes, transmit data between other information systems, and safeguard the integrity and confidentiality of the personally identifiable information processed by the programs.We found the...
Department of Education OIG

Allocation of ESSER I Funds at Selected Local Educational Agencies

The objective of our review is to describe how selected local educational agencies (LEA) allocated Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).As of March 2022, the 46 LEAs spent over $19.2 million, or about 95 percent, of the $20.2 million in ESSER I funds that they were awarded. The majority of these ESSER I funds were spent on district-wide programs, and about 26 percent of ESSER I funds were allocated to specific schools, with the majority of that portion allocated to Title I schools over...
Small Business Administration OIG

Paycheck Protection Program Eligibility for Nonprofit Organizations

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this review to assess Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) eligibility for nonprofit organizations. Based on data analysis, we identified 179 PPP loans, totaling approximately $684 million, made to potentially ineligible nonprofits that may have exceeded SBA’s requirements for business size, known as size standards, at the time of application.We also reviewed PPP loans for three large nonprofits, including Planned Parenthood of Illinois that received over $3.8 million, Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania...
Department of Education OIG

Michigan’s Administration of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund

The objectives of the audit were to determine whether the State of Michigan (Michigan) designed and implemented awarding processes that ensured that the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER grant) was used to support local educational agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) that were most significantly impacted by the coronavirus or LEAs, IHEs, or other education-related entities within the State that were deemed essential for carrying out emergency educational services; and monitoring processes to ensure that subgrantees used GEER grant funds in accordance with...
Small Business Administration OIG

COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Applications Submitted from Foreign IP Addresses

We evaluated the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) controls to flag or prevent potentially fraudulent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications submitted from foreign Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.Although the agency implemented several layers of controls to prevent or reduce fraud from foreign countries, individuals at foreign IP addresses were able to access the COVID-19 EIDL application system. SBA received millions of attempts to submit COVID-19 EIDL applications from foreign IP addresses and stopped most of them; however, the agency...
Department of Education OIG

Oklahoma’s Administration of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund Grant

The objectives of the audit were to determine whether the State of Oklahoma (Oklahoma) designed and implemented awarding processes that ensured that the Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER grant) was used to support local educational agencies (LEA) and institutions of higher education (IHE) that were most significantly impacted by the coronavirus or LEAs, IHEs, or other education-related entities within the State that were deemed essential for carrying out emergency educational services; and monitoring processes to ensure that subgrantees used GEER grant funds in accordance with...
Department of Education OIG

Duplicate Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Grant Awards

This flash report presents our finding concerning duplicate Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) grant awards to institutions of higher education.1 This report includes a recommendation to enhance the U.S. Department of Education’s (Department) ability to prevent, identify, and correct duplicate HEERF grant awards.We identified 25 duplicate HEERF grant awards that OPE made to 24 schools, totaling about $73 million, which had not been corrected and documented in G5 as of August 2021. OPE officials stated that their processes for reviewing and approving HEERF applications and awards...
Department of Education OIG

The Office of Postsecondary Education’s Oversight of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Grants

The objective of the audit was to determine whether the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) has an adequate process in place to ensure that institutions of higher education (schools) use Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) grant funds appropriately and that performance goals are met. OPE needs to strengthen its oversight processes to ensure that schools use HEERF grant funds appropriately and that performance goals are met. OPE established and implemented several controls to promote transparency and accountability in program administration, including providing guidance and other...
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA’s Handling of Potentially Fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program Loans

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that the Small Business Administration (SBA) did not have an organizational structure with clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and processes to manage and handle potentially fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans across the program. In addition, the agency did not establish a centralized entity to design, lead, and manage fraud risk. This problem occurred because the agency did not establish a sufficient fraud risk framework at the start of and throughout PPP implementation. Management stated this was partly due to the speed of the...
Small Business Administration OIG

Evaluation of SBA’s Disaster Assistance Loan Recommendation Services

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) evaluated the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) procedures to award a contract for data analysis and loan recommendation services for Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications and Targeted EIDL Advance applications related to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.To increase loan processing capabilities and quickly disburse loans during the pandemic, SBA used an existing contract awarded to RER Solutions and its subcontractor Rocket Loans set aside for small businesses. SBA initially set a contract ceiling of $100 million and...
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program Loan Review Processes

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this evaluation to assess the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) processes for reviewing Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for eligibility and forgiveness.SBA’s online loan forgiveness platform used by lenders to submit forgiveness requests is adequate to support SBA’s loan review process. However, we found that for some loans, totaling $66.4 billion, SBA did not meet the 90-day statutory requirement to remit forgiveness payments to lenders. SBA did not meet the 90-day requirement for 98.2 percent of loans over $2 million. Not...
Department of Education OIG

Missouri’s Administration of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund Grant

The objectives of the audit were to determine whether the State of Missouri (Missouri) designed and implemented awarding processes that ensured that the Governor's Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER grant) was used to support local educational agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) that were most significantly impacted by the coronavirus or LEAs, IHEs, or other education-related entities within the State that were deemed essential for carrying out emergency educational services; and monitoring processes to ensure that subgrantees used GEER grant funds in accordance with...
Department of Education OIG

The Department’s Implementation of CARES Act Flexibilities to TEACH Grant Service Obligations

The objective of our review was to evaluate the Department of Education’s plans and processes to ensure Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grantees receive full-time credit toward their service obligations for part-time and temporarily interrupted service due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). We found weaknesses in FSA’s development and implementation of plans and processes to ensure TEACH grantees receive full-time credit towards their service obligations for part-time or temporarily interrupted service due to COVID-19. Additionally, we found that FSA...
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA’s Oversight of the Grant Recipient’s Implementation of the CARES Act Resource Partners Training Portal

We evaluated the SBA’s handling of the grant to train small businesses on federal resources available in the wake of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act authorized funds up to $25 million for SBA to administer a grant to an association or associations representing resource partner centers to establish a single centralized hub for COVID-19 information.We found SBA did not ensure the grant recipient developed and implemented an effective marketing and outreach strategy to ensure the hub successfully achieved the...
Department of Education OIG

Review of State Plans for Use of Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Funds

The objectives of our review were to review States’ initial 45-day GEER Fund reports to determine how States plan to allocate funds to entities within the three authorized categories: local educational agencies (LEA), institutions of higher education (IHE), and education-related entities, and the criteria upon which these decisions were based; and review GEER Fund annual reports to identify changes to and progress made from the initial plans in the 45-day reports.We found that within the three authorized entity categories, 45 States (87 percent) planned to allocate GEER funds to LEAs, 39...
Small Business Administration OIG

COVID-19 EIDL Program Recipients on the Department of Treasury's Do Not Pay List

We produced this Management Advisory to notify Small Business Administration (SBA) officials of serious concerns about potential improper payments in SBA’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program.Our review of Treasury’s analysis of processed COVID-19 EIDL and emergency EIDL grants from March to November 2020 revealed that SBA’s lack of adequate pre-award controls during this period of review led to 75,180 COVID-19 EIDLs totaling over $3.1 billion and 117,135 emergency EIDL grants totaling over $550 million being disbursed to potentially ineligible...
Small Business Administration OIG

Report on the Most Serious Management and Performance Challenges By Office of Inspector General FY2022

This report represents our current assessment of the U.S. Small Business Administration's programs and activities that pose significant risks, including those that are particularly vulnerable to fraud, waste, error, mismanagement, or inefficiencies. The Challenges are not presented in order of priority, except for the COVID 19 challenge, which we address first in this report. We also view the other challenges as critically important to SBA operations.
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA Emergency EIDL Grants to Sole Proprietors and Independent Contractors

The Office of Inspector General examined Emergency EIDL grants to sole proprietors and independent contractors from March 29, 2020, until the funds were exhausted just 14 weeks later on July 10. We set out to determine whether the agency complied with its internal policy that set Emergency EIDL grants at $1,000 per employee up to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act mandated maximum amount of $10,000.Using SBA’s data, we found SBA provided $4.5 billion more in Emergency EIDL grants to sole proprietors and independent contractors than they were entitled to receive...
Department of Education OIG

Remington College’s Use of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Student Aid and Institutional Grants

The objective of our audit was to determine if Remington College used the Student Aid (Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.425E) and Institutional (ALN 84.425F) portions of its Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) grant funds for allowable and intended purposes.Remington College generally used the Student Aid portion of its HEERF grant funds for allowable and intended purposes but did not always use the Institutional portion of its funds in accordance with Federal requirements. We found that Remington College spent Institutional funds for several unallowable purposes and did not...
Department of Education OIG

Lincoln College of Technology’s Use of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Student Aid and Institutional Grants

The objective of our audit was to determine whether Lincoln College of Technology (Lincoln) used the Student Aid (Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.425E) and Institutional (ALN 84.425F) portions of its Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) funds for allowable and intended purposes. We also reviewed Lincoln’s cash management practices and the timeliness and quality of the data Lincoln reported on its use of HEERF funds.LESC generally used the Student Aid portion of Lincoln’s HEERF funds for allowable and intended purposes but did not always use the Institutional portion of its funds...
Department of Education OIG

Inconsistent Grantee and Subgrantee Reporting of Education Stabilization Fund Subprograms in the Federal Audit Clearinghouse

The purpose of this flash report is to share with the U.S. Department of Education (Department) observations made by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) concerning grantees and subgrantees inconsistently reporting audit data on Department subprograms, or unique components of a program, to the Federal Audit Clearinghouse (FAC), the designated repository of single audit data. We found that grantees and subgrantees are not consistently reporting expenditures of Education Stabilization Fund (ESF) subprogram awards in the FAC. Specifically, when entering Federal award information into the Data...
Small Business Administration OIG

The Small Business Administration’s Implementation of Recommended Controls and the Economic Aid Act

SBA implemented or initiated action on all the OIG recommendations to strengthen internal controls related to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The Economic Aid Act continued assistance under the PPP for small businesses financially affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. We found SBA implemented the PPP in accordance with the Economic Aid Act with two exceptions. SBA did not 1) require an assessment of affiliation for faith-based organizations which contradicts its internal control procedures and 2) issue guidance regarding farm credit system institutions to ensure requirements...
Department of Education OIG

Fraud Reporting Requirements for Federal Program Participants and Auditors

This guide summarizes the fraud reporting requirements most relevant to entities receiving pandemic relief funds and auditors of those entities.
Small Business Administration OIG

Evaluation of SBA’s Coronavirus Reconstitution Plan

We found that SBA established its May 2020 COVID-19 Reconstitution Plan in accordance with applicable federal guidance. We identified issues with the implementation of the reconstitution plan that should be addressed to help the agency safeguard its employees from contracting and spreading COVID-19 in the workplace.We found the agency did not follow occupancy procedures for advancing or reverting phases at its Washington, DC headquarters. SBA also did not implement exposure tracking protocols to ensure it consistently traced COVID-19 cases. We found the agency did not consistently notify its...
Department of Education OIG

Federal Student Aid’s Suspension of Involuntary Collection in Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic

The objective of our review was to evaluate the results of Federal Student Aid’s (FSA) process for suspending involuntary collection and refunding payments involuntarily collected on defaulted Department-held loans in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.We found that FSA suspended administrative wage garnishments and the U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury) offsets for over 96 percent of the borrowers that FSA collected payments for within 90 days of March 13, 2020, the start of the suspension period. However, as of October 23, 2020, we found that FSA continued to receive administrative...
Small Business Administration OIG

Evaluation of SBA’s Awards to Highlight Technologies LLC to Meet Emerging Needs Related to COVID-19

The Office of Inspector General will conduct an evaluation of SBA’s awards made to Highlight Technologies LLC to meet emerging needs related to impacts of COVID-19. Our project is part of a series of reviews of contracts SBA awarded to support CARES Act and other COVID-19 related legislation programs. Our objective is to determine if SBA issued the blanket purchase agreement and contract modifications in accordance with federal laws, regulations, and internal guidance.

Small Business Administration OIG

Small Business Administration’s Implementation of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund

The Office of Inspector General Audits Division will perform an evaluation of the Small Business Administration’s implementation of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. Our objectives are to determine if SBA designed the program to (1) align with the American Rescue Plan Act requirements including whether designated groups were prioritized and (2) minimize the risk of financial loss.

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...
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA’s Handling of Identity Theft in the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this Evaluation report to notify Small Business Administration (SBA) officials of significant matters regarding its handling of complaints of identity theft in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program.We recommend the Administrator to direct the Associate Administrator for the Office of Disaster Assistance, the Chief Financial Officer for the Office of Performance Management and Chief Financial Officer, and the Associate Administrator for the Office of Capital Access to:1. Develop a process to maintain...
Small Business Administration OIG

Management Alert Serious Concerns About SBA’s Control Environment and the Tracking of Performance Results in the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this Management Alert regarding serious concerns with the control environment and the tracking of performance results in the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program requiring immediate attention and action.SBA should take immediate action to reduce or eliminate risks by strengthening existing controls and implementing internal controls to address potential misuse of federal funds. Strong controls will ensure the SVOG program can effectively help eligible small business owners and entities that have suffered economic injury because of the...
Small Business Administration OIG

Evaluation of SBA’s Award Procedures for the CARES Act Entrepreneurial Development Cooperative Agreements

This report found that SBA awarded the CARES Act entrepreneurial development cooperative agreements and grants in accordance with applicable federal laws, regulations, and guidance. We found program officials established performance goals and identified performance indicators. To more effectively ensure performance goals are achieved as intended, SBA should clearly define the performance goals and set performance targets.We recommended that SBA enforce standard operating procedures requiring defined performance goals and include performance targets in all future SBDC and WBC cooperative...
Small Business Administration OIG

SBA’s Handling of Potentially Fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program Loans

Inspection Notification: SBA’s Handling of Potentially Fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program Loans

Small Business Administration OIG

Duplicate Loans Made Under the Paycheck Protection Program

SBA OIG reviewed PPP regulations and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, in addition to guidance published in SBA’s PPP Interim Final Rules and PPP Frequently Asked Questions.We determined SBA did not always have sufficient controls in place to detect and prevent duplicate PPP loans. As a result, lenders made more than one PPP loan disbursement to 4,260 borrowers with the same tax identification number and borrowers with the same business name and address. These disbursements totaled about $692 million for PPP loans approved from April 3 through August 9, 2020.We...
Department of Education OIG

Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Reporting Requirements

The objective of our inspection was to determine (1) whether selected institutions receiving funds under the Institutional Portion of Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) met public reporting requirements and (2) the reported usage of the Institutional Portion of HEERF by selected institutions.We determined that 81 of the 100 institutions included in our sample complied with Institutional Portion reporting requirements.We were unable to locate Institutional Portion reports anywhere on the websites associated with 19 of the 100 (19 percent) institutions included in our sample.
Small Business Administration OIG

Inspection of SBA's Implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program

Small Business Administration OIG

Management Alert Paycheck Protection Program Loan Recipients on the Department of Treasury’s Do Not Pay List

Department of Education OIG

Assessment of the Department’s Reconstitution Plans Following COVID-19

The objective of our inspection was to assess the U.S. Department of Education’s (Department) plans and procedures for returning employees to the federal office in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, including what existing guidance the Department considered when developing its plans and procedures. We found that the Department generally incorporated available guidance, which was intended to provide for a safe and gradual return to federal offices, in its Workplace Reconstitution Transition Plan (Reconstitution Plan). However, we noted that the Department’s Reconstitution Plan does not...
Small Business Administration OIG

Evaluation of the CARES Act Debt Relief to 7(a) Borrowers

Small Business Administration OIG

Inspection of Small Business Administration's Initial Disaster Assistance Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic

Department of Education OIG

Challenges for Consideration in Implementing and Overseeing the CARES Act

This management information report provides the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) perspective on challenges the U.S. Department of Education (Department) may face as it implements and oversees the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. In preparing this report, we reviewed recent audit work performed by OIG and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) as well as OIG’s annual Management Challenges reports. We also reviewed challenges that the Department faced when administering education-related grant programs funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act...
Small Business Administration OIG

Evaluation of SBA’s Oversight of the Resource Partner Associations Implementation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act Requirements

The Office of Inspector General Audits Division will be conducting an evaluation to determine whether SBA has effective oversight to ensure the Resource Partner Associations implement the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and grant requirements.