Reports

Department of Commerce OIG

Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources Properly Disbursed Funds but Was Slow in Expending Fishery Disaster Assistance Funds

We audited the Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER’s) use of Federal Emergency and Pandemic Relief Financial Assistance Funds. Our audit objective was to determine whether federal funds received by PRDNER to support its fisheries in recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic1 and damages caused by several hurricanes were properly disbursed and used for their intended purpose. We conducted this audit in response to a congressional request, and answers to congressional questions about disaster relief funds are included in this report. Overall, we...

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Department of Commerce OIG

Independent Program Evaluation of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Pandemic Relief Program

For the independent program evaluation of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Pandemic Relief Program, the evaluation objective was to determine whether NIST grantees and subrecipients accounted for and expended pandemic relief funds provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and subsequent funding authorizations in accordance with federal laws and regulations. We contracted with the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), an independent firm, to perform this evaluation. Our office oversaw the evaluation’s progress to ensure that IDA performed it in...

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Inspection / Evaluation | 3/27/2024

Social Security Administration OIG

Controls over the Social Security Administration’s National 800-number Service During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: To determine whether the Social Security Administration had and used management controls over the service its 800 number employees provided callers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 8/29/2023

Social Security Administration OIG

The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Effect on Disability Determination Services’ Processing of Disability Claims

Objective: To determine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the disability determination services’ (DDS) processing of disability claims.

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Social Security Administration OIG

The Social Security Administration’s Enumeration Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: To determine whether the Social Security Administration (SSA) complied with its enumeration policies and procedures and had adequate controls over managing evidentiary documents submitted to support Social Security number (SSN) card applications during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 9/30/2022

1 - Closed

Develop and periodically conduct comprehensive refresher training on topics including but not limited to: - processing original Social Security Number (SSN) cards for individuals aged 12 or older and emphasize requirements and documentation of the in-person interview;- acceptable forms of evidentiary documents, and- processing new (different) and replacement SSN cards when adoption

10 - Open

Complete the privacy assessments for the WorkTrack application.

2 - Open

Update quality control reviews to include comparison of SSNAP inputs to an applicant-submitted Form SS-5 and evidentiary documents, and provide feedback to the technicians who made input errors (such as race and ethnicity) or did not use the appropriate evidentiary documents.

3 - Open

Revise enumeration policy to include clear instructions for when Form SSA-5002 is required and how to properly document the form.

4 - Closed

Update Program Operations Manual System (POMS) to provide current instructions for enumeration notices and archive outdated policy.

5 - Open

Retain enumeration notices in the Online Retrieval System for individuals with assigned SSNs.

6 - Open

Create and implement automated tools to assist staff in navigating through enumeration evidentiary document requirements.

7 - Closed

Take corrective action on all keying errors and cross-referencing errors we identified.

8 - Closed

Require managers to verify that incident reports are submitted through the Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Loss Reporting Tool before they approve reimbursement to customers for replacing lost original documents.

9 - Closed

Update the National Mail Handling Business Process to include standard Agency-wide mitigation steps for misdirected mail including original documents.

Railroad Retirement Board OIG

The RRB Did Not Have Detailed Project Plans to Expend Information Technology Modernization Funds

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 6/29/2022

Social Security Administration OIG

The Social Security Administration’s Mail Processing During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: To determine whether the Social Security Administration (SSA) had adequate controls over mail processing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 5/13/2022

Railroad Retirement Board OIG

Railroad Retirement Board Did Not Implement Sufficient Internal Controls in the Mobile Phones Deployed as a Result of the Pandemic

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 3/17/2022

1 - Open

The Bureau of Information Services should update their mobile phone policies to include and implement a National Archives and Records Administration-approved records schedule and transfer procedures for electronic records associated with mobile phones.

10 - Open

The Bureau of Information Services should develop and implement a records management and retention system for electronic records.

11 - Open

The Bureau of Information Services should research the capabilities of Railroad Retirement Board's Microsoft Azure Cloud's functionality to determine feasibility of incorporating the automated records management and retention capabilities to govern the mobile phones electronic records.

2 - Open

The Bureau of Information Services should submit a yearly affidavit to confirm electronic records associated with mobile phones have been identified and retained until the full transition into Microsoft Azure Cloud.

3 - Open

The Railroad Retirement Board's Director of Administration should define and communicate 'personal usage' establishing Railroad Retirement Board's core hours of 5:00 am to 7:00 pm. Any usage outside of core hours would be considered personal usage excluding business management purposes.

4 - Open

The Railroad Retirement Board's Bureau of Information Services should 1) continue efforts to update the Telecommuting and Mobile Security Computing Policy with current laws and regulations and 2) develop a periodic monitoring control to assess personal usage and address it according to agency guidance.

5 - Open

The Bureau of Information Services should incorporate the mobile phones in an existing assessable unit and update their mobile phone policies to include documentation regarding the specific roles and responsibilities of each office overseeing the mobile phone program.

6 - Open

The Bureau of Information Services should enforce and execute a review and approval process for application and software download and restrict access to specified applications found in their Railroad Retirement Board G-6 Rules of Behavior.

7 - Open

The Bureau of Information Services should implement procedures to periodically track, log, and monitor iPhone usage and the completion of the G-6 Acknowledgement Statement.

8 - Open

The Bureau of Information Services should periodically review the mobile phone inventory for completeness and accuracy to include a comparison with Railroad Retirement Board's personnel position index.

9 - Open

The Bureau of Information Services should implement the use of unique identifiers between disparate data sets (e.g., mobile phone inventory, personnel position index) to facilitate comparisons and reconcile inconsistent information.

Railroad Retirement Board OIG

Management Information Report - Railroad Retirement Board's Actions in Response to Pandemic Funding

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

Audit | 3/16/2022

Social Security Administration OIG

Comparing the SSA DDS' Workload Statistics During the COVID-19 Pandemic to Prior Years

Objective: To summarize information about State disability determination services’ (DDS) workloads during the COVID-19 pandemic period of April 2020 to March 2021 and compare it to DDS workloads in prior years.

Full Details: Oversight.gov Report Page

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Reports

Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources Properly Disbursed Funds but Was Slow in Expending Fishery Disaster Assistance Funds

Independent Program Evaluation of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Pandemic Relief Program

Controls over the Social Security Administration’s National 800-number Service During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Effect on Disability Determination Services’ Processing of Disability Claims

The Social Security Administration’s Enumeration Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The RRB Did Not Have Detailed Project Plans to Expend Information Technology Modernization Funds

The Social Security Administration’s Mail Processing During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Railroad Retirement Board Did Not Implement Sufficient Internal Controls in the Mobile Phones Deployed as a Result of the Pandemic

Management Information Report - Railroad Retirement Board's Actions in Response to Pandemic Funding

Comparing the SSA DDS' Workload Statistics During the COVID-19 Pandemic to Prior Years

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