Reports

The COVID-19 pandemic presented new challenges for VETS in its mission to: (1) prepare America’s veterans and transitioning service members for meaningful careers, (2) provide them with employment resources and expertise, (3) protect their employment rights, and (4) promote their employment opportunities. VETS’s JVSG program provides individualized career services to veterans with significant barriers to employment, especially veterans who are economically or educationally disadvantaged. The program also aims to increase employment opportunities for veterans and encourage the hiring of disabled veterans. To this end, it conducts outreach to employers and business associations and engages in advocacy efforts with hiring executives. The audit will focus on how the pandemic impacted the JVSG program as well as the effectiveness of the program during a health crisis.

The American Rescue Plan Act, as amended by the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, provided $1 billion in funding to DOL to prevent and detect fraud, promote equitable access, ensure timely payment of benefits, and reduce backlogs. Of these funds, DOL provided approximately $219 million in grants to improve UI claimant outreach and customer service processes, implement strategies to reduce backlog, and improve access for workers in communities that may historically experience barriers. These grants will provide funding for states to improve public awareness and service delivery. This audit will focus on determining if ETA administered these grants in accordance with ARPA and DOL’s objectives for UI access and if recipients are on target to achieve performance outcomes.

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused many of ETA’s job training programs to cease operation. This interrupted participants’ job training, potentially preventing them from completing their training and getting a job in the areas in which they were trained. This series of audits will focus on how effectively ETA ensured workforce development grant funds were used as intended in the State of New York during the pandemic.

On February 7, 2022, DOL issued Unemployment Insurance Program Letter 20-21, Change 1, regarding states’ ability to waive the recovery of certain UI overpayments under the CARES Act program. There are concerns these waivers could adversely impact the pursuit of fraud in the UI program. Also, the waivers could potentially allow for fraudulent CARES Act UI payments to go unrecovered. This audit will determine the impact of waivers on UI overpayments, fraud investigations, and recoveries.

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused many of ETA’s job training programs to cease operation. This interrupted participants’ job training, potentially preventing them from completing their training and getting a job in the areas in which they were trained. This series of audits will focus on how effectively ETA ensured workforce development grant funds were used as intended in the State of Texas during the pandemic.

In September 2022, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) alerted U.S. Department of Labor to over $45 billion in potential fraud paid in four high-risk areas. One high-risk area was Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants filing with Social Security numbers (SSN) of deceased persons. Through Employment and Training Administration (ETA), the OIG provided states with underlying methodology as well as specific claimant information for follow-up action. This audit will examine the extent to which ETA and states have taken action to follow up on potentially fraudulent CARES Act UI claims filed with SSNs of deceased persons identified and referred by the OIG.

In September 2022, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) alerted U.S. Department of Labor to over $45 billion in potential fraud paid in four high-risk areas. One high-risk area was UI claimants filing with Social Security numbers (SSNs) of federal prisoners. Through Employment and Training Administration (ETA), the OIG provided states with underlying methodology as well as specific claimant information for follow-up action. This audit will examine the extent to which ETA and states have taken action to follow up on potentially fraudulent CARES Act Unemployment Insurance (UI)claims filed with SSNs of federal prisoners identified and referred by the OIG. 

In September 2022, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) alerted the U.S. Department of Labor to over $45 billion in potential fraud paid in four high-risk areas. Multistate claimants were the largest high-risk area. Through Employment and Training Administration (ETA) the OIG provided states with underlying methodology as well as specific claimant information for follow-up action. This audit will examine the extent to which ETA and states have taken action to follow up on potentially fraudulent CARES Act Unemployment Insurance (UI) claims identified and referred by the OIG.

In September 2022, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) alerted U.S. Department of Labor to over $45 billion in potential fraud paid in four high-risk areas. One high-risk area was Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants filing with suspicious email accounts. Through Employment and Training Administration (ETA), the OIG provided states with underlying methodology as well as specific claimant information for follow-up action. This audit will examine the extent to which ETA and states have taken action to follow up on potentially fraudulent CARES Act UI claims filed with suspicious email accounts identified and referred by the OIG.

This audit will look at the quality of data reported in selected President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programs to determine if weaknesses exist that may lead to inaccurate results reporting. The objectives of this audit are to assess the extent to which USAID has: (1) designed and implemented internal controls over collecting, verifying, and reporting PEPFAR data; and (2) identified and mitigated the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on its internal controls over PEPFAR data quality.  

As required by section 8L of the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, the Inspectors General for the Department of Defense, Department of State, and USAID work together to report quarterly to Congress on every overseas contingency operation’s progress and corresponding oversight activities.  Starting in the second quarter of fiscal year 2020, these quarterly reports include reporting on the COVID-19 outbreaks in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and the Philippines, as well as the U.S. government response to them.

USAID’s branding and marking efforts enhance the visibility and value of U.S. foreign assistance and are intended to inform beneficiaries that aid comes from the American people. Unfortunately, according to the Agency, beneficiaries of the billions of dollars of foreign assistance provided by the United States every year often have little to no awareness that the aid they receive is provided by the American people.  The objectives of this audit are to determine the extent to which USAID: (1) has policies and procedures to ensure compliance with statutory branding and marking requirements and (2) provided information and oversight to ensure implementers complied with branding and marking requirements. Given particular interest from Congress amid the ongoing pandemic, this audit will consider the impact of COVID-19 under both objectives as appropriate.

The Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy (OGAC) has established a goal of 70 percent local partner participation in President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programs by 2020. Included in the definition of local partner participation is government-to-government assistance, which is especially risky in Africa given the levels of political corruption in countries with the greatest HIV prevalence. The objectives of this audit are to: (1) describe the extent to which USAID’s PEPFAR budgets are on track to meet the goal for local partner funding; (2) assess to what extent USAID’s agency-wide strategy has prepared the agency to increase PEPFAR funding to local partners while addressing risks; and (3) assess to what extent selected USAID missions in Africa followed agency guidance designed to achieve the goal for PEPFAR local partner funding while addressing risks.  The audit also explores topics related to the possible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on USAID’s ability to reach the OGAC target and the extent to which USAID has identified financial and programmatic risks emanating from the pandemic.