Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Social Security Administration Inspector General Issues Report on Impact of State Employee Furloughs on the Social Security Administration's Disability Programs
The Social Security Administration (SSA) received $500 million in Recovery Act funds to address retirement and disability workloads. SSA fully funds the salaries and other costs of certain state employees who perform critical work in SSA's disability programs. However, because of the recent economic downturn, several states have furloughed employees -- including disability determination staff. The Office of Inspector General (OIG)'s report provides critical information on how furloughs of state disability determination employees will impact SSA's ability to process disability work. The OIG also notes that because fewer disability decisions will be made in states that have furloughed disability determination staff, there will be a negative impact on the flow of money in the U.S. economy. As such, the OIG's report informs Agency decision makers on where to assign Recovery Act funds to the various state disability determination offices.
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 Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Social Security Administration Inspector General Issues Report on the Social Security Administration's Ability to Address Future Processing Requirements
The Social Security Administration (SSA) received $500 million in Recovery Act funds to build a new National Computer Center. The current National Computer Center houses the infrastructure that supports the Social Security programs provided to the public and other services provided to federal, state, international and private agencies. The design and age of the National Computer Center, as well as the increasing workload due to the retirement of the baby boom generation, have raised concerns about SSA's ability to address future processing requirements. The report provides information on SSA's response to critical deficiencies that need to be addressed immediately at the current National Computer Center, as well as issues the Agency should consider when defining its strategy for using Recovery Act funds for the new computer center.
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 Monday, April 27, 2009
Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General Recommends Strengthening Management Integrity Processes Affecting the Agency's Recovery Act Activities
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Inspector General reviewed the Agency's Management Integrity guidance for reporting on internal control reviews and preparing annual assurance letters on accountability for the EPA Administrator. The Office of Inspector General recommended strengthening the Management Integrity guidance to reflect the risk management and program integrity objectives outlined in the Recovery Act.
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 Monday, April 20, 2009
Department of Interior Inspector General Is Engaged in Proactive Efforts to Strengthen Recovery Act Oversight
To provide the Department of the Interior meaningful and timely feedback, the Interior Office of Inspector General (OIG) is engaged in reviewing the Department's early planning and implementation activities. To date, the OIG has issued eight advisory reports to help ensure accountability of the approximately $3 billion appropriated to the Department.

The advisories offer observations on early efforts to develop project lists in the Department and its bureaus, as well as strategies to reduce the risk of fraud, waste, abuse, and poor performance. For example, leveraging existing monitoring mechanisms for overseeing funding awarded through federal assistance agreements will be a crucial first step. Single audits -- which are mandatory reviews of entities that received federal assistance funds -- offer one such mechanism, provided the audits include Interior's Recovery Act programs in their scopes. Other steps can also be taken such as strengthening policies to prevent suspended and debarred entities from receiving federal assistance, holding senior leadership accountable for the results of Recovery Act activities, ensuring consistency in project list classifications, and developing and strengthening risk-based approaches.
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 Thursday, April 9, 2009
Environmental Protection Agency Inspector General Issues Report on Open Audit Recommendations Affecting Recovery Act Activities
The Inspector General of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identified five open recommendations, from three Inspector General reports, that could have an impact on EPA's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act activities. The recommendations involved grants, contracts, and interagency agreements. Open recommendations are those for which EPA has not completed corrective actions.
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