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Research for Future Audits and Evaluations Regarding Effects of Coronavirus Pandemic (SARS-CoV-2 Virus and COVID-19 Disease) on EPA Programs and Operations
The OIG plans to initiate a project to research and identify topics for potential audits and evaluations related to the EPA's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Monitoring of GSA Activities in Response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019
The CARES Act provides GSA with $295.15M to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19 domestically or internationally. The GSA OIG will monitor GSA’s implementation of the CARES Act, and issue alert reports as necessary to advise management of potential problems, including any internal control issues. As significant risks or concerns are identified, the OIG will conduct additional audit assignments to address them specifically and in more detail.
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.
Nursing Home Oversight During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Onsite surveys of nursing homes are a fundamental safeguard to ensure that nursing home residents are safe and receive high-quality care. In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, CMS directed State Survey Agencies (SSAs) to suspend standard onsite surveys and most onsite surveys for complaints. CMS directed SSAs to conduct onsite surveys in response to the most serious complaints (i.e., those involving immediate jeopardy) and complaints related to infection control, and to conduct targeted infection control surveys, which are abbreviated surveys focused on infection...
Audit of CARES Act Provider Relief Funds- Distribution of $50 Billion to Health Care Providers
This work will examine the effectiveness of HHS controls over the awarding and disbursement of $50 billion in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) payments to hospitals and other providers. We will obtain data and interview program officials to gain an understanding of how PRF payments were calculated and review PRF payments for compliance with Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act requirements. Among other things, we will seek to determine whether HHS controls over PRF payments ensured that payments were correctly calculated and disbursed to eligible providers.
Audit of Nursing Home Infection Prevention and Control Program Deficiencies
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has indicated that individuals at high risk for severe illness from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are people aged 65 years and older and those who live in a nursing home. Currently, more than 1.3 million residents live in approximately 15,450 Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes in the United States. As of February 2020, State Survey Agencies have cited more than 6,600 of these nursing homes (nearly 43 percent) for infection prevention and control program deficiencies, including lack of a correction plan in place for these...
Audit of DoD Implementation of Section 3610 Authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act
We plan to begin this audit in May 2020. The objective of this audit is to assess DoD’s implementation of section 3610 as authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, including whether contracting officers properly authorized and reimbursed contractor costs. We may revise the objective as the audit proceeds, and will also consider suggestions from management for additional or revised objectives.
Opioid Treatment Program Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The United States faces two simultaneous nationwide public health emergencies: the opioid epidemic and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Recently released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data identified that in 2018, there were nearly 47,000 opioid-related overdose deaths in the United States. In addition, as of May 28, 2020, over 100,000 U.S. citizens had died from complications related to COVID-19. Because of the widespread transmission of COVID-19, Federal, State, Tribal, and local government agencies have recommended and implemented extensive community mitigation...
Audit of Foster Care Services During Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Title IV-E of the Social Security Act (the Act), as amended, authorizes the Federal Foster Care Program, which helps provide safe and stable out-of-home care for children until the children are safely returned home, placed permanently with adoptive families, or placed in other planned arrangements for permanency. Title IV-B of the Act authorizes Federal funding to States to promote flexibility in the development and expansion of coordinated child and family services programs. In response to COVID-19, on April 15, 2020, the Children's Bureau—the operating division of the Administration for...
Medicaid—Telehealth Expansion During COVID-19 Emergency
As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, State Medicaid programs have expanded options for telehealth services. Rapid expansion of telehealth may pose challenges for State agencies and providers, including State oversight of these services. Our objective is to determine whether State agencies and providers complied with Federal and State requirements for telehealth services under the national emergency declaration, and whether the States gave providers adequate guidance on telehealth requirements.
FHA Partial Claims
The purpose of this memorandum is to notify you that we are researching prior audits of HUD’s partial claims loss mitigation option to provide HUD information regarding lessons learned and risks identified in these prior audits that HUD should act on now to ensure program integrity and mitigate the risk of financial loss for COVID-19 related partial claims.
FHA Default Reporting
The purpose of this memorandum is to notify you that we are researching prior audits of HUD’s Single Family Default Monitoring System to provide HUD information regarding lessons learned and risks identified in these prior audits that HUD should act on now to ensure program integrity and mitigate the risk of financial loss for COVID-19 related forbearance assistance and foreclosure moratorium related to single family loans.
HUD and its CDBG-DR grantees have experienced challenges related to the COVID-19 Pandemic
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG), has completed a survey of the impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on HUD’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grantees. Our objective was to determine the challenges that HUD and its CDBG-DR grantees are experiencing related to the COVID-19 pandemic and to help inform the Office of Community Planning and Development and Congress on the issues faced in responding to the pandemic.HUD’s CDBG-DR grantees across the country reported facing similar...
2020 Filing Season Individual Tax Return Processing
The overall objective was to evaluate whether the IRS timely and accurately processed individual paper and electronically filed tax returns during the 2020 Filing Season.
Bar owner charged with fraudulently receiving funds from CARES Act program
A 44-year-old Bryan resident has been charged with one count of wire fraud
Hialeah Tax Preparer Charged with COVID-19 Loan Fraud
A South Florida tax preparer was charged Tuesday by criminal information with wire fraud in connection with a scheme to obtain over 100 COVID-19-relief loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Dayton ‘investigation & security’ business owner sentenced to prison for COVID-relief fraud
DAYTON – A Dayton woman was sentenced in federal court today to prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $2.5 million in pandemic relief loans.
Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection of Facilities' COVID-19 Pandemic Readiness and Response in Veterans Integrated Service Networks 10 and 20
This Office of Inspector General (OIG) Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program (CHIP) report provides a focused evaluation of Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 10 and 20 facilities’ COVID-19 pandemic readiness and response. This evaluation focused on emergency preparedness; supplies, equipment, and infrastructure; staffing; access to care; community living center patient care and operations; and facility staff feedback.The OIG has aggregated findings on COVID-19 preparedness and responsiveness from routine inspections to ensure prompt dissemination of information given the quickly...
Washington State tech executive pleads guilty to wire fraud and money laundering in connection with PPP loans
Seattle – A Washington tech executive pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and money laundering in connection with his scheme to obtain over $5.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and laundering the proceeds, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman for the Western District of Washington.
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...
Four Additional Members of Los Angeles-Based Fraud Ring Indicted for Exploiting COVID-Relief Programs
A federal grand jury in Los Angeles returned a superseding indictment, which was unsealed Thursday, charging four additional individuals for their alleged participation in a scheme to submit over 150 fraudulent loan applications seeking over $21.9 million in COVID-19 relief funds guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Little Rock Woman Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison For COVID Relief Fraud
Ganell Tubbs, 41, Little Rock, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison after fraudulently obtaining nearly $2 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans intended to provide relief for small businesses affected by COVID-19.
Key Considerations From Prior Audits of the Single Family Default Monitoring System and the Partial Claim Loss Mitigation Option
We prepared this memorandum to provide the Office of Housing at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with key considerations from prior audits of the HUD Single Family Default Monitoring System (SFDMS) and the partial claim loss mitigation option. These audits identified HUD’s lack of effective controls to ensure that lenders reported default information accurately and in a timely manner, lenders promptly filed and reported partial claims, and partial claims fully reinstated delinquent loans. Prior audits also identified that the current design of partial claims results...
Potential Risks Associated with Expedited Hiring in Response to COVID-19
This management advisory memo identifies potential risks associated with the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) efforts to expedite adding new staff to meet increased demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) recognizes the tremendous pressure to quickly hire staff to meet unprecedented needs. To achieve VHA’s goal of bringing all new employees on duty within three days of making a tentative offer, VHA has modified or deferred tasks such as fingerprinting, background investigations, drug testing, credentialing, and preplacement physicals.The potential...
Review of Veterans Health Administration’s Virtual Primary Care Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a review to assess Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) virtual primary care response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the use of virtual care by primary care providers and their perceptions of VA Video Connect (VVC) between February 7 and June 16, 2020.The COVID-19 pandemic presented significant challenges to health care delivery worldwide. One strategy initiated by VHA, in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation to social distance, included expanding the delivery of primary care via virtual care...
Two Postal Service Employees Face Federal Charges of Using Funds from Unemployment Insurance Scheme to Buy Postal Money Orders
Federal authorities this morning arrested two employees of the U.S. Postal Service who allegedly abused their positions to purchase and cash Postal money orders with tens of thousands of dollars of unemployment benefits fraudulently obtained with false claims of COVID-related job losses.
Public and Indian Housing Supplemental Operating Funds
HUD OIG is conducting a limited review of HUD's administration of supplemental operating funds under the CARES Act. The CARES Act authorized an additional $685 million in public housing operating funds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19. The review objective is to assess Public Housing Agencies' (PHA) experiences and challenges and HUD's efforts in providing guidance related to the administration of supplemental operating funds under the CARES Act.
Public and Indian Housing and Multifamily Vacancies During a Disaster Declaration
HUD OIG is researching Public and Indian Housing and Multifamily use of vacant units during previously Presidentially Declared Disasters and the COVID-19 declared Disaster, as well as PIH and Multifamily’s ability to place a waitlist preference for the homeless and how many homeless individuals had a 50058 or 50059 new move-in during the COVID pandemic. Since the introduction of the CARES act, there has been an emphasis to review how HUD has reacted to the COVID-19 disaster. HUD allocated $1 billion to keep America's homeless population safe. The purpose of this research is to issue...
Key Considerations and Lessons Learned From Prior Audits of FHA Partial Claims
HUD OIG is researching prior audits of HUD’s partial claims loss mitigation option. On July 8, 2020, FHA issued Mortgagee Letter 2020-22 informing mortgagees the full suite of loss mitigations available to single family borrowers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this research is to provide HUD information regarding lessons learned and risks identified in these prior audits that HUD should act on now to ensure program integrity and mitigate the risk of financial loss for COVID-19 related partial claims.
COVID-19 Risk Awareness and Lessons Learned from Audits and Evaluations of the CDBG-DR Program
HUD OIG is performing research to help HUD's Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus pandemic (CDBG-CV) grantees be aware of known risks and lessons learned from audits and evaluations of the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program grants (CDBG-DR). The purpose of our research is to issue a report that is intended to assist HUD’s Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) by developing lessons learned from past reviews and common risk areas to help its CDBG-CV grantees prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office Seizes Fifth Domain Name Purporting to be the Website of a Biotech Company Producing a Treatment for COVID-19
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has seized “usaregenermedicals.com,” which purported to sell and distribute REGEN-COV2, an antibody drug cocktail approved for the treatment of COVID-19 virus. However, the website was fraudulent and instead appears to have been used to collect the personal information of individuals visiting the site, in order to use the information for nefarious purposes, including fraud, phishing attacks, and/or deployment of malware. Individuals visiting the site now will see a message that the site has been seized by the federal government and be...
Couple Pleads Guilty to $1.1 Million COVID-Relief Fraud After Falsely Claiming to Be Farmers
A Florida couple pleaded guilty for their participation in a scheme to file four fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $1.1 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.